Job Description

Finance and Grants Manager

Adam Smith International (ASI) is the chosen Service Provider (SP) for UK’s Department for International Development five-year Strengthening Action Against Corruption (STAAC) programme and is responsible for delivering the objectives set out by the programme.

ASI is an award-winning global company that delivers impact, value and lasting change through economic growth and government reform. Our reputation as a global leader has been built on the positive results our projects have achieved in many of the world’s most challenging environments.

The project is currently recruiting a Finance and Grants Manager. The successful candidate’s time will be split 50/50 between the two roles, and will report to the Project Manager. This position will be for the entire duration of the project, with a six month probation period.

Strengthening Action Against Corruption

Strengthening Action Against Corruption (STAAC) is a £9.7m programme that intends to increase the risks for those engaged in corrupt activities, resulting in a reduction in the incidence of corruption at all levels. The intended impact is more active implementation of anti-corruption measures from scrutiny to punitive action, increasing the risks for those engaging in corrupt activities. This will contribute to reducing the impact of corruption on the poor in Ghana, both directly in terms of bribery and improved access to services and indirectly through reduced diversion of public resources. The intended outcome is strengthened anti-corruption and accountability institutions working together to tackle corruption more effectively.

At the centre of STAAC’s approach is a focus on both adaptive programming and being politically smart. Combining a chain-linked approach, the programme seeks to support both the supply-side anti-corruption institutions as well as the demand-side actors (civil society, media, and academia). By combining supply and demand side interventions, STAAC incorporates a nuanced response to the constraints of the Ghanaian political economy, by improving the performance of all aspects of the anti-corruption chain – deterrence, detection and sanctioning, including asset-tracing and recovery.

The programme seeks to increase national and international incentives for the Government of Ghana to take action against corruption, by strengthening dialogue on the subject between the Government and civil society, the private sector and donors.

Responsibilities

The successful candidate’s time will be split 50/50 between the Financial and Grants Management functions. The summary responsibilities for both positions are detailed below.

• Strategic responsibility towards reviewing and supporting the efficient management of STAAC’s financial systems in Ghana. This includes refining frameworks and polices such as STAAC’s accounting system; grant management manual and procedures, procurement systems, efficient internal control systems, as well as supporting tools and templates.
• Manage payroll of all staff and ensure timely processing of supplier payments, check payment details for accuracy and proactively engage with suppliers if amendments are required.
• Support all associate contract documentation processes including contract preparation, issue, work permit and visa application, tax number application.
• Provide effective support in all aspects regarding management of our regulatory and tax requirement in Ghana. Proactively administrate our corporate and programme level tax obligations including income tax, VAT, CIT and update all the relevant tax payers of their tax responsibility.  The candidate will work closely with our tax advisers and auditors, as well as the Africa finance and risk team.
• Ensure that office finances and associated records are audit-ready at all times and coordinate corporate external audits and project auditors.
• Working closely with the Africa finance and risk team, the candidate would coordinate the preparation and execution of all our audits including internal audits, external project and corporate level audit plus any other financial reviews.
• Effectively prepare, record and maintain the corporate, project and grant assets and inventory register in line with donor requirements and perform period asset verification checks.
• Prepare financial reports, project level budget performance reports including budget vs actual report, budget burn rate report, and forecast performance report.
• Prepare all corporate financial reports including monthly management (intercompany reports), intercompany invoices in line with the approved service level agreement (SLA). The candidate is also expected to contribute in the review of our SLA to align it to local legislation and tax requirements.
• First point of contact for grantees and responsible for the entire grants management cycle (from pre-award to post-award management). This includes, but is not limited to, drafting calls, supporting the undertaking of due diligence and finalising all contracts.
• The chosen candidate will be responsible for managing the STAAC facility fund, ensuring each intervention and activity is closely monitored against agreed deliverables. This includes conducting regular financial reviews and grant audits where applicable. The candidate will also be responsible for overseeing expenditure and ensuring timely payment to sub-recipient. 

Required Skills or Experience

We are looking for dynamic and energetic team players with:

• Degree in finance and accounting, with a CPA qualification or equivalent and 7 years relevant experience in accounting, project financial management and grants management.  Experience in auditing would be an added advantage. Working knowledge of accounting systems such as QuickBooks, SAGE etc.
• Ability to manage time effectively between varying tasks.
• Ability to teach and capacity build grantees.
• Ability to communicate clearly.
• Keen attention to detail and able to work in a structured and methodical manner.
• Team player with a willingness to undertake responsibilities outside of ToR.
• Ability to work relatively independently and move around to different grantee field offices.
• Ability to prioritise and coordinate work flows across different teams and people.