Finance and Budgeting Analyst

The Finance and Budgeting Specialist will be responsible for development, management, and analysis of project and country budgets, working closely with finance and programme management staff. The Finance and Budgeting Specialist will also be closely involved in any new country start-ups or country closures, supporting among other activities budgeting and forecasting, financial analysis, establishing financial and operational systems compliant to m2m and donor regulations, and setup/closedown of finance and administrative matters (e.g. bank accounts).

**Key Performance Areas**:
**Budgeting and Reporting**
- Design budget review reports
- Develop routine detailed budget vs actual analysis.
- Report back to the FBPs (Finance Business Partners), Country Finance Managers, and Project Directors on the detailed differences between budget and actuals.
- Work with Country Finance Managers and Project Directors to improve and maintain the monthly budgeting process, including updating and monitoring of budgets in Adaptive budgeting software
- Support Corporate Financial Analysis and Systems (CFAS) unit in managing Head Office (HO) Level of Effort (LOE) allocations for project-supported positions within CMU and other departments, maintaining updated LOE data in budgeting software and review and analysis of budgeted LOE vs actual LOE charged
- Support CFAS with the preparation of Annual Budgets.
- Prepare monthly reports for HO managed awards.
- Liaise with Project Directors to track expenditures, analyse spending trends and update forecasts.

**Award Management**
- Support CFAS in cash reconciliation of all projects (Award Currency and Cash Received) with guidance from the FBP.
- Manage finances for HO-managed awards, including oversight of budget, monitoring project budget and expenditure, conducting financial review of procurement actions, leading Resource Review meetings and actioning follow-ups, preparing and timely submitting donor deliverables.
- Follow up with Country Finance Managers on action points from monthly resource review meetings related to budgeting.
- Track country finance reporting milestones and ensure all reports are submitted by the finance managers and FBP’s.
- Support CFAS with set up and management of new awards/projects, cost share allocations on projects, award/project close out and updating thereof in NAV and Adaptive system tools
- Play a critical role in start-up or close down of projects. Maintain a schedule of project timelines to assist the FBP in following up with finance managers for projects that are closing.

**Ad Hoc**
- Stand in for FBP and Finance Pricing Analyst in their absence, which may also include presenting project/country financial analysis during monthly Senior Management Group (SMG) finance presentation
- Review support documentation for payments in countries with no Country Finance Manager
- Assist with processing of project modifications (both internal and external) upon receipt from Grants & Compliance.
- Prepare ad hoc reports to donors in the SA, UK, or US entities.
- Support the FBP and Finance Pricing Analyst with preparation of proposal budgets

Job Requirements

**Qualifications and Experience**:

- Recently qualified Chartered Accountant or Bachelor’s Degree in Business and/or accounting (articles experience would be desirable)
- At least 5 years in a finance analytical role
- Experience with analysing data and performance and preparing reports on this analysis
- Experience in budgeting and forecasting processes
- Highly proficient on Excel
- Proficient or a quick learner on budgeting software and accounting packages
- Knowledge of institutional donor requirements (i.e., EU, FCDO, SIDA, UN agencies, Global Fund, and US government, etc.), would be advantageous

**Competencies**:

- Focused and versatile team player that is comfortable working in high-pressure environment
- Excellent analytical and problem solving skills
- Structured and process driven
- Excellent interpersonal skills; ability to work on own and within various teams
- Ability to communicate clearly at all levels with clarity and precision both written and verbally to a finance and non-finance audience
- Ability to manage competing tasks; ability to independently prioritize and produce high level output consistently
- Able to adapt and be comfortable to work in a matrix managed environment
- Bilingual in English and Portuguese would be advantageous, though not required.