Roving Finance Specialist

The Roving Finance Specialist is responsible for providing specialized financial management expertise within the country office, focusing on donor budgeting, reporting, and complex financial analysis. This role involves leading the development of proposal budgets for various high-profile donors, ensuring compliance with both internal and external regulations, and driving financial performance through data-driven insights and process automation.

Key Responsibilities

Donor Budgeting & Proposal Development

• Lead development of donor proposal budgets and revisions (ECHO, EU, SIDA, FCDO, BHA/USAID, DANIDA, GFFO, SDC, UNICEF, etc.) ensuring alignment with donor rules, cost eligibility, exchange rate assumptions, and internal cost‑coverage strategy.
• Draft/validate budget narratives, cost allocation rationales, and consistency check against logframes and procurement/HR plans.
• Coordinate with Program, HR, and Supply Chain to ensure complete, realistic, and on‑time budget packages.
• Responsible for providing specialized knowledge and operational know-how within a budgeting and reporting area.

Donor Reporting Leadership

• Own the end‑to‑end donor financial reporting cycle: calendars, data extraction, reconciliations, currency conversions, cross‑checks against GL/ERP and BFUs, and final QC.
• Produce clear, error‑free reports and management notes (variance explanations, risk flags, corrective actions).
• Support timely delivery of quality financial reports to donors and internal reports to colleagues and HQ.
• Ensure compliance with relevant country statutory and other financial obligations such as tax, levies and statutory returns.

BFU Governance, Financial Analysis & Forecasting

• Lead/coach monthly BFU meetings and analysis with Budget Holders and projects managers.
• Drive variance analysis and ensure timely corrective actions, issue concise executive summaries to SMT.
• Track BFU actions to closure; maintain “no‑surprises” cadence on risks and deadlines.
• Deliver forward‑looking financial insights: rolling forecasts, burn rates, runway, pipeline/prognosis, scenario analysis.
• Support the Master Budget (MB) gap analysis, cost coverage and resource allocation decisions with clear, data‑driven recommendations.
• Maintain a continuous overview of funding levels and pay particular attention to shared support costs, including staff salaries.

Data quality, compliance & internal controls

• Design and enforce QC checklists and sampling for allowability/allocability/reasonableness, supporting compliance with donor and DRC rules.
• Improve shared cost allocations, timesheet alignment (during adjustments), documentation completeness, and projects audit readiness.
• Monthly financial briefings to Head of Support Services (HoSS) on quality, compliance and foreseeable risks.
• Liaise with relevant Managers on key financial issues for all programs in the country, including co-funding, financial reporting, key variances and any remedial action.

ERP / Dynamics & reporting systems

• Strengthen correct use of Dynamics (dimensions, postings, categories, reconciliations, data extraction) and produce analytics from ERP outputs.
• Develop job aids and quick guides; troubleshoot common errors; collaborate with super users/ HQ ERP support.

Mentoring & capacity building (Remote‑First)

• Provide remote mentoring and targeted coaching to finance staff on budgeting, reporting, analysis, and Excel/ERP.
• Facilitate short, practical clinics (e.g., “variance analysis in 30 minutes”, “Power Query for BFU”).

Process automation & standardization

• Build/maintain standard templates (Excel Power Query/Power Pivot; optional Power BI) for BFUs, reports, and forecasts.
• Document SOPs and create reusable tools to reduce manual errors and speed up monthly cycles.

Audit & Partner support (as needed)

• Prepare PBC lists, reconcile samples, and package documentation for audits.
• Support partner reviews/capacity strengthening on budgeting/reporting and basic controls.
• Participate in potential partner due-diligence assessment.
• Review sub-grant agreement for donor’s audit requirement, instalments, reporting, etc.
• Participate in partners project kick-off and close-out meeting.
• Review and approve financial report of partner.

Requirements and Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Finance, Business Administration, Accounting or related field.
• Professional qualification (ACCA/CPA/CMA or equivalent) highly desirable.
• Minimum 3 years of international practical experience in financial management in INGO/humanitarian settings.
• 3+ years leading donor budgeting & financial reporting.
• Proven multi‑donor expertise (ECHO, EU, SIDA, FCDO, BHA/USAID, DANIDA, GFFO, SDC, UNHCR, UNICEF etc.) with hands‑on compliance application.
• ERP experience - Microsoft Dynamics strongly preferred; other ERPs acceptable (SAP, NetSuite, SUN).
• Strong financial analysis/forecasting, scenario planning, and Master Budget support.
• Competence in providing technical guidance and training.
• Proven experience in working with national partners, local/government authorities.
• Demonstrate expert proficiency in advance Excel (Pivot Tables, Power Query, Power Pivot, INDEX/XMATCH, SUMIFS, nested logic) with large/complicated financial data analysis and clear presentation of insights.
• Have a track record of achieving high targets in a highly demanding and challenging context with multiple conflicting priorities.
• Be able to multitask and deliver results while working independently.
• Be self-driven and solutions oriented, with a record of solutions created through personal initiative.