Awards Management Officer I at Catholic Relief Services (CRS)

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is an international non-governmental organization supporting relief and development work in over 99 countries around the world. CRS programs assist persons on the basis of need, regardless of creed, ethnicity or nationality. CRS works through local church and nonchurch partners to implement its programs, therefore, strengthening and building the capacity of these partner organizations is fundamental to programs in every country in which CRS operates. CRS has worked in Nigeria for more than 25 years.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Awards Management Officer I

Job Identification: 3000694
Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Employment Type: On-site
Job Category: Finance
Job Shift: Day

About THRIVE 

• The Transitioning Households to Recovery from Vulnerability (THRIVE) in Jere project is a two-year emergency and recovery project funded by BHA/USAID. Over the course of the project, CRS with Mercy Corps (MC), Women in the New Nigeria (WINN), Salient Humanitarian Organization (SHO) and Justice Development Peace Committee (JDPC) will provide context-specific humanitarian assistance with the goal of initiating early recovery in targeted areas and will operationalize an area-based approach to advance participants from lifesaving assistance to life-building support.
• The THRIVE consortium will reach an estimated 120,00 unique participants across 10 sectors.

Job Summary

• As Award Management Officer, you will be responsible for the overall financial management of all projects implemented in Maiduguri.
• You will oversee the effective and appropriate use of financial resources of the project and will develop effective mechanisms for budgeting, expenditure and liquidation tracking, and financial reporting, for the prime partner and any sub-awardees.
• You will oversee financial management and reporting on all CRS awards implemented in Maiduguri.
• You will ensure that project financial management processes for the project follow Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), donor (USAID/BHA) rules and regulations, and country legal requirements, and that all required project financial reports are prepared and submitted in a timely manner.
• You will also contribute to CRS business development by the development of budgets for new concept notes and proposals and the revision of budgets for existing grants, as required. 

Specific Job Responsibilities
Team management and finance capacity building:

• Serve as the key point person on all issues related to financial transaction records for CRS Maiduguri.
• Provide proactive advice, support, and capacity building to budget and program managers, staff, and subrecipients to ensure compliance with standards and proper records of financial transactions, as well as to support strengthening of internal control.
• Support the CP’s strategy for local capacity building by recruiting and training finance interns as potential candidates for finance assistant posts in CRS Maiduguri. 

Grant Management and Budgeting:

• Ensure setup and maintenance of all data required for processing financial transactions for assigned projects in Maiduguri in Insight financial accounting package.
• Review and validate supporting documentation before processing of financial transactions to ensure all required documents are accurate and complete and authorizations are in place.
• Review General Ledger and PPM transactions for errors and recommend correction where necessary.
• Provide technical support to the design and review of program budgets for new awards with program teams. Ensure draft budgets for CRS and sub-recipients conform to CRS and donor formats and templates for allowable expenditure types. Support budget holders in the revision of budgets for existing awards and the development of pipeline projections for funds obligation request to donors.
• Perform variance analyses to assist the Budget Holders with decision-making and proper management of financial resources. 
• Perform a monthly review of commitment balances for CRS Maiduguri projects in coordination of the program and supply chain team and follow up where necessary.
• Ensure efficient management of cash flows and availability of sufficient and optimal cash in the NE’s operating account through monitoring cash balances (both cash-in-bank and cash-on-hand), preparing bank reconciliations, analyzing, and forecasting cash needs.
• Monitor grant amendments, update grant files, submit copy of amendment documents to Catholic Relief Services by uploading relevant documents on gateway and monitor grant expiry period for all Maiduguri based grants. 
• Coordinate grant closure activities with the Head of Finance, respective project/grant managers and HQ/Finance to ensure that expired grants are fully closed out as per donor regulations. 
• Support the Head of Finance during the Month/Year End closure and other Finance related activities.

Sub-recipient Financial Management:

• Set and monitor sound accounting and financial reporting procedures for all projects implemented in Maiduguri subrecipients and partners following established standards. 
• Review and recommend SR’s advances and liquidations documents for accuracy and ensure expenses are classified to accurate task number and that proper sub-recipient expenditure types are charged. 
• Assess, evaluate, and monitor subrecipient financial management processes in accordance with policy and strengthen capacity of partner in financial accounting and transactions. 

Financial Reporting and Auditing:

• Ensure financial reports for all Maiduguri projects are generated accurately and disseminated timely as per established reporting schedules and assist staff and subrecipients with financial reports analysis.
• Oversee maintenance of a good filing system of required supporting documentation to ensure easy access and retrieval, and a reliable and easy to follow audit trail. 
• Be the lead in all Maiduguri tax related issues with Borno Inland Revenue Services.

Supervisory Responsibilities: 

• Grant Accountant

Key Working Relationships: 

• Internal: Chief of Party, Deputy Chief of Party, Emergency Coordinator, DC-Operations, Head of Finance, Deputy Finance Manager, Head of Office, Finance Officer, Project Leads
• External: Local Partners, tax authorities

Basic Qualifications
Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics, Business Administration with courses in accounting, or a qualification in accounting (ICSA / ACCA or equivalent)
• At least five (5) years experience in financial management for large, complex projects, of which at least  three years were working in the field of international development.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience engaging with partner organizations.
• Experience contributing to the development of technical proposals.
• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information management systems.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Extensive financial and grant management experience working with non-governmental organization sub-recipients and other sub-grantees.
• Familiarity with USAID financial regulations, policies, and practices. 
• Knowledge of Enterprise Accounting software or similar financial management and reporting software.
• Flexibility to work both in a team and independently.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite, including Word, Excel, and Outlook.
• Full professional proficiency in spoken and written English; and
• Proven leadership and ability to build and motivate diverse and talented teams.
• Proven experience in building and maintaining institutional linkages.
• Ability to work to meet deadlines in multiple tasking environments.
• Excellent organization, planning and analytical skills; detail oriented.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with demonstrated strength in relationship management.

Required Travel:

• Must be willing and able to travel up to 30%.

Agency-wide Competencies:
These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

• Integrity
• Continuous Improvement & Innovation
• Builds Relationships
• Develops Talent
• Strategic Mindset
• Accountability & Stewardship

Application Closing Date
11th June, 2023 at 02:11 PM.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note

• Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. We welcome as a part of our staff people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need. CRS’ processes and policies reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation. 
• Disclaimer:  This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.
• CRS' talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.
• CRS prioritizes candidates who are citizens/ permanent residents of the countries where we have CRS offices.
• CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer