Finance Manager

This position is hybrid requiring a few days per week in Nairobi office; WRI Kenya. Existing work authorization is required at the time of application submission. WRI is unable to sponsor any visa work sponsorship for this position.

This is a temporary 1 year role

About the Program:

WRI has been working in Africa for more than 30 years, supporting local partners and Africa governments to advance forest protection, landscape restoration and sustainable cities. Our vision for Africa is an inclusive transformation so Africa’s people and landscapes flourish. WRI Africa generates actionable knowledge across four strategic pillars: vital landscapes, thriving and resilient cities, and institutional and economic transformation and Energy. WRI Operations team supports the crucial front-line work of the organization, they directly interact and work with Donors, Partners, Government agencies, Statutory bodies, Trustees, Vendors, and Consultants providing support in different operational areas and solving problems so that WRI programs can be implemented without any hurdles and the program staff and researchers can develop high quality research documents, plans and implement the programs at the field level. WRI Operations team strives for operational excellence across all functions starting with the recruitment, retention and management of WRI’s staff, our most important asset. We manage our endowment, the contributions entrusted to us, and our facilities in ways that are in line with our values and advance our mission. We maintain strict budgetary planning and financial.

Job Highlight:

Reporting to the to the WRI Africa Director of Finance and Operations, you will be accountable for executing Financial and Budgetary tasks. You will handle financial activities of the WRI Africa and be responsible to supporting financial Management needs, with capacity in all necessary aspects of financial administration, procurement, accounting, logistics and financial support to ensure strict adherence to internal controls, donor guidelines, mandated laws, proper record keeping, and efficient administration. You will also work with the program team, coordinating with them to ensure the smooth running of operations and coherence of procedures and systems.

What will you do:

Accounting (30%):

• Ensure accounting and financial transactions are well supported before being processed in Cost Point accounting system
• Prepare monthly reconciliations for bank accounts and other GL accounts for Kenya Company
• Review and post financial transactions in Cost Point. Work closely with programs staff, operations staff and accounting team from the global office to ensure transactions have the right charge and accounting codes
• Lead on any audit Kenya institutional audit and support project audits as needed
• Responsible for preparing Quarterly Funds Request
• Responsible for timely and accurate monthly close
• Responsible for managing advances and receivables from staff
• Responsible for managing credit card issued to staff ensuring that expenses are reported on time and reconciliations prepared
• Support the updating of current financial policies and procedures and implementation of new financial policies and procedures

Budgeting and Financial Management (50%):

• Work closely with the programs and business development team to prepare assigned budgets for new proposals
• Review proposal budgets ensuring that proposals have accurate provisions for institutional costs and are in line with donor rules
• Update budgets and forecasts in the system for assigned projects, core bilateral and indirect funds
• Analyze underspending and overspending trends across pillars and projects in Africa Projects and prepare monthly reports to track expenditure against budget for each project and pillar
• Lead monthly pillar calls to review budget variances and forecasts
• Responsible for monthly, quarterly, and annual financial analysis to determine the financial health of the projects, core bilateral funding and indirect spending
• Provide a wide range of financial and budgetary analysis including creation of Dashboards as requested by the Director of Finance & Operations
• Provide training and guidance to Budget Managers across Africa to improve their budgeting skills
• Support the development of annual and interim financial reports to funders as needed, including providing guidance to grants & finance specialists and resolving issues on more complicated financial reports
• Responsible for preparing the necessary JEs to make corrections to wrongly coded expenses
• Work with program and core staff to ensure timesheets are submitted on a timely basis
• Responsible for reviewing monthly labor reports, providing timesheet guidance and making the necessary adjustments

Payments Processing (15%):

• Review all payment requests for completeness before approval by the Director of Finance & Operations
• Support payments processing to vendors both in Kenya and across the Africa region where WRI operates
• Work with the program staff and the accountant on processing of mobile money to participants
• Responsible for reconciliation of mobile money GL account

Payroll Management (5%):

• Review monthly payroll as prepared by the accountant
• Ensure the statutory deductions and related returns are calculated accurately and submitted on time to the various statutory bodies
• Support payroll processing for countries without a dedicated finance personnel

What will you need:

• Education: You have completed a bachelor's degree in Business administration, Finance or Accounting. You must be a CPA Finalist
• Experience: You have a minimum of 7 years of relevant professional experience working in Finance Department with an International NGO
• Experience working with donor funded projects
• High-level competence in budgeting, financial analysis and forecasting. Experience preparing dashboards will be an added advantage
• Proficient in Microsoft Office and accounting software such as SAP, Deltek, Sage, Costpoint
• Advanced knowledge of working with Excel
• Experience working in different Africa countries would be an advantage
• Languages: You are proficient in written and spoken English
• Requirements: Existing work authorization is required where this position. WRI is unable to authorize visa work authorization

Potential Salary: Salary is commensurate with experience and other compensable factors.

How to Apply: Please submit a resume with a required cover letter by the date of 19 March 2024. We are unable to consider your application without a cover letter.

You must apply through the WRI Careers portal to be considered.

What we offer:

• A competitive salary
• Access to the WRI global network with the opportunity to exchange with and learn from passionate colleagues working at the cutting edge of their fields across Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and the US
• The chance to have an impact and to develop your career within a mission driven organization with access to varied learning and training opportunities
• A workplace that strives to put diversity and inclusion at the heart of our work
• The opportunity to join and get involved in different working groups and affinity groups to shape the future of WRI
• Commitment to hybrid working model with flexible working hours
• Generous leave days that increase with tenure

About Us:

Founded in 1982, World Resources Institute (WRI) is an independent, nonprofit global research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity, and human well-being. We are working to address seven critical challenges that the world must overcome this decade to secure a sustainable future for people and the planet: climate change, energy, food, forests, water, sustainable cities, and the ocean. WRI has a global staff of over 1,800 people with work spanning 60 countries. We have offices in Africa, Brazil, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Colombia and the United States, as well as a growing presence in other countries and regions.

The foundation of our work is delivering high-quality research, data, maps, and analysis to solve the world’s greatest environment and international development challenges and improve people’s lives. We work with leaders in government, business, and civil society to drive ambitious action and create change on the ground. Equally important, we bring together partners to develop breakthrough ideas and scale-up solutions for far-reaching, enduring impact.

Our mission and values:

WRI’s mission is to move human society to live in ways that protect Earth’s environment and its capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations.

Our values are shared ideals that bind us together: Integrity, Innovation, Urgency, Independence and Respect.

Our culture:

WRI is committed to advancing gender and social equity for human well-being in our mission and applies this principle to our organizational and programmatic practices. We are committed to providing equal opportunities in employment; we embrace all diversity and encourage women, the LGBTQ+ community, persons with disabilities, Afro-descendants, and Indigenous people to apply. Recognizing our strong commitment to gender equality, WRI has also been awarded EDGE certification.

Our team in Human Resources carefully reviews all applications.