Finance Coordinator– Partnership Management (Local Position)

Duty Station: L’viv (Ukraine)

Starting Date: As soon as possible

Duration of Contract: 1 year

Reporting Lines/Line Management: Finance Manager

Job Summary:

The Finance Coordinator- Partnership Management is a position established to strengthen the effectiveness and performance of partner-based operations in the CARE Ukraine Country Office. The position is responsible for managing sub-grants and for capacity building of partners in budgeting, financial management, and donor compliance. The position will be responsible for maintaining creative linkages between budget, contracts, and project management, ensuring effective compliance and operationalization of CARE’s sub-grants policies and procedures. S/he will be required to work on supportive activities such as partners’ due diligence and organizational capacity assessments, site visits for partner financial review, and other functions related to partner program management and financial oversight. The Finance Coordinator -Partnership Management provides direct, proactive, hands-on budget management support, financial analysis and guidance to the program teams, and facilitation throughout partner program startup, implementation, and close-out. This position will also be responsible for setting up new awards in CARE’s financial system, liaising closely with the Finance Manager and Finance Officers.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Partner Contractual Management

• Assist the Program Managers and Partnership Coordinator in developing partner agreements/contracts and coordinate the internal review, negotiations and finalization.
• In coordination with the program teams, participate in project start-ups, including working with partners on detailed reviews of their budgets and review of necessary documentation and financial reporting requirements.
• Act as the financial and contractual focal point during partner project kick off meetings.
• Provide direct, proactive, hands-on budget management support to program teams and partners, providing monthly analyzed budget information/expenditure reports.
• Carry out periodic partner monitoring and financial reviews and ensure advance justifications are monitored in line with CARE contractual obligations.
• Ensure effective reconciliation of partner advances.
• Carry out financial management training for partners and support them to ensure they have adequate internal management tools, including books of accounts, trackers, etc.
• Work with the Program Managers and Partnership Coordinator to ensure efficient management of subgrants to partners.
• Maintain adequate files for each partnership, both electronic and hard copies, in adherence with CARE’s sub-agreement management policy.
• Assist in developing partner monitoring plans, assist financial monitoring or partners and prepare financial monitoring reports.

1. Capacity Assessment and Training of Partners

• Support the Partnership Coordinator on partners’ assessment processes with sufficient transparency, including due diligence and organizational capacity assessments prior to engaging in partnership.
• Conduct capacity building training for partner’s finance staff on CARE’s sub-grant management policy and procedures.
• Identify financial management capacity gaps of partners and support in development of a capacity building plan to ensure capacities are appropriately built.
• Work closely with the program managers to schedule relevant capacity building trainings and initiatives.
• Provide feedback to partners on reporting and documentation, carrying out site visits and mentorship on an ongoing basis.

1. Financial Management Accountability

• Review partner fund transfer requests against budget and reconciliation data, coordinating with the program team to ensure the appropriateness of the request and with the finance team to leverage funds to the partner.
• Review partner submission of financial reports and ensure timely, accurate, and complete submission of financial data and liquidation of partner advances.
• Monitor partner financial performance through conducting desk reviews or site visits and provide capacity building support to address identified gaps. Provide monthly feedback to partners on financial reports.
• Book partner expenses in the financial system and ensure clearances of the received/payable balances to partners.
• Establish and maintain all subgrants data in a manual tracker.
• Coordinate partner project close out, including supporting the preparation of the final financial report that corresponds with narrative reports, asset validation, audits, etc. Carry out site visits to partner agencies to verify final reports.
• Support internal and external Audits of CARE and sub recipients.

1. Coordination and Cross-cutting Representation

• Develop and maintain effective communication channels between program, finance, and program quality staff to ensure effective sub-grants management.
• Liaise with the Partnership Coordinator to ensure issues of partner performance are effectively addressed.
• Working closely with the Partnership Coordinator, MEAL Coordinator, and relevant Program Managers, ensure partner tools are harmonized, tested, and rolled out among all CARE partners.
• Support the partner documentation process to ensure compliance and MEAL minimum standards are met.
• Sit on the Partnership Decision Making Committee and provide analysis of potential partners and engage in partner selection discussions.
• Work closely with the Partnership Coordinator and other relevant focal points for all partner pre-selection assessments and information gathering.

Key Interactions:

Internal: Finance Manger

External: Partner Focal Personnel

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance/Accounting or related field.
• At least 5 years of professional experience in related field.
• High level of expertise in using Microsoft Word & Excel.
• Good communication and presentation skills.
• Well organized and ability to act in a professional and ethical manner.
• Knowledge and experience of gender equality, participatory approaches and sustainable development.
• Excellent communication and writing skills.
• Detail oriented and an ability to multitask
• Ability to work under pressure
• Ability to work on one’s own and complete tasks and produce high quality output.
• Ability to work in a team
• Customer focused, communicating with impact and managing performance effectively.
• Proactive in problem solving, initiating actions and making operational decisions.

Desired:

• Master’s Degree in related field.
• Humanitarian/Development oriented NGO experience.
• Hands-on experience in using financial software such as PeopleSoft.

Key Competencies:

• Commitment to and understanding of CARE core values and principles.
• Interpersonal and networking skills.
• Pro-active and helpful attitude, ready to take on variety of new tasks.
• Ability to multi-task and managing competing priorities.
• Communication skills.
• Organization skills.
• Accountability.
• Building Commitment.
• Collaboration.
• Information monitoring.

About CARE:

CARE International (CARE) is a non-religious, non-political international development and humanitarian organization, dedicated to fighting global poverty. CARE works in around 100 countries globally, engaging diverse partnerships to support communities to overcome poverty through development projects and delivers humanitarian assistance. CARE programs address social injustice whilst placing women and girls at the core of programming in order to create sustainable positive change in poor communities. CARE is an equal opportunity employer irrespective of nationality, religion, ethnicity, caste, or gender.

Accountability within CARE:

A commitment to CARE values and CARE’s integrity framework is critical to working with CARE. Any candidate offered a job with CARE will be expected to adhere to the following key areas of accountability:

• Comply with CARE’s policies and procedures with respect to safeguarding, code of conduct, health and safety, confidentiality, do no harm principles and unacceptable behavior protocols.
• Report any concerns about the welfare of a child or vulnerable adult or any wrongdoings within our programming area.
• Report any concerns about inappropriate behavior of a CARE staff or partner.

Safeguarding:

Children and vulnerable adults who come into contact with CARE as a result of CARE’s activities must be safeguarded to the maximum possible extent from deliberate or inadvertent actions and failings that place them at risk of abuse, sexual exploitation, injury, and any other harm. One of the ways that CARE shows this on-going commitment to safeguarding is to include rigorous background and reference checks in the selection process for all candidates.

Gender equality:

CARE is committed to meeting the standards of theCARE International Gender Policy(2019). Through this policy, CARE seeks to promote the equal realization of dignity and human rights for girls, women, boys and men in all diversities, and the elimination of poverty and injustice. Specifically, this policy seeks to improve the explicit incorporation of gender in programmatic and organizational practices.