Finance and Grants Officer

Overview

The Strength in Diversity project is a two-year program funded by the United States Department of State and implemented by Counterpart International (Counterpart) in partnership with Partners El Salvador. Counterpart is currently seeking a Finance and Grants Officer to help set up, and thereafter implement, the financial accounting and bookkeeping of the Project, as well as support the set-up and implementation of the Project’s grants program and support the Project’s procurement processes.

This individual will be responsible for applying accounting procedures to program structures, cycles, and needs. The position involves reconciliation, processing, and auditing of project financial records, preparing monthly invoices, and preparing Project financial reports. The Finance and Grants Officer will report to the Project Director. This is a full-time position based in San Salvador, El Salvador. This is a locally-based position; Salvadoran citizens are strongly encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

Financial and Administrative Support

• Assist in preparing and submitting periodic finance reports and supporting documentation to HQ, as well as bank reconciliations, accounts receivable and other financial data;
• Prepare journal entries and invoices, and post into Counterpart’s accounting system;
• Prepare monthly cash analysis;
• Reconcile assigned general ledger accounts each month;
• Communicate and assist Financial/Accounting staff at HQ with questions or support;
• Monitor actual expenses against budget and provide variance analysis as required;
• Perform other related tasks relevant to the launching of financial operations of Project as assigned by the Project Director.
• Prepare terms of reference for procurement in coordination with the Project's technical team.
• Assist in the negotiation and administration of supplier contracts and service agreements and be the point of contact for suppliers when necessary.
• Maintain appropriate records to ensure that purchasing decisions and processes, as well as contractual agreements, are adequately documented for accountability and auditing purposes.
• Follow up on contracts and purchase orders - in coordination with the Project team when necessary - to ensure that all purchases of goods and services are delivered in accordance with the specifications and requirements requested and expected.
• Assist the Project Director to perform the necessary Project activities and office administration including, but not limited to logistics, office administration, recruitment, and auditing.

Grants Support

• Implement grant-making processes from start to finish, including design and issuance of technically sound RFAs, review of proposals, and financial and narrative reporting;
• Ensure that the subgrants to subrecipients are implemented as per Project objectives, design, and State Department subaward rules and regulations, as well as according to Counterpart’s policies and procedures;
• Institutionalize Counterpart’s grants management best practices within the Project;
• Ensure effective coordination with the Technical Units in subgrant program design, selection, execution, and monitoring;
• Prepare (in coordination with the Technical Unit) all Requests for Applications (RFAs) and subgrants packages for Counterpart HQ and State Department review and approval;
• Ensure consistent, high-quality control of all supporting documents and ensure that grant proposals meet the objectives of the Project goals;
• Manage the subrecipient selection process in accordance with Counterpart’s processes outlined in its Subaward Manual and lead the review of subgrant applications, including budgets;
• Lead the pre-award assessment process per Counterpart’s internal guidelines and ensure data is accurately and comprehensively documented and informs subgrant design, including monitoring;
• Monitor, in coordination with the Technical Units, subrecipient performance per subgrant agreement requirements;
• Assist in communicating with and providing mentoring support to Program subgrantees in connection with financial issues, as needed;
• Investigate issues/problems on financial reports from Project subgrantees and implement approved adjustments and corrections as needed;
• Ensure accurate subgrant close-out procedures;

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field;
• Minimum 3 years accounting experience, preferably in connection with international development programs;
• Minimum 3 years of experience working with international NGOs in finance or grants management positions;
• Minimum 1 year of experience in administering grants in an international development program, including experience in grants design, negotiation, and administration of civil society related grants;
• Substantive knowledge of the technical and operational requirements of US government funding agencies a plus;
• Accounting software user experience required. Quickbooks and/or knowledge of Navision, experience preferred;
• Experience conducting procurement processes for an international organization or equivalent.
• Excellent MS Excel spreadsheet skills required;
• Ability to work well with others, meet deadlines, and respond to changes in priorities;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and strong organizational skills;
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills required;
• Ability to work independently, take initiative, set priorities and see projects through to completion;
• Ability to work well in a team environment, strong interpersonal skills, able to work effectively with Civil Society Organizations, Donor, Project staff, and other beneficiaries;
• Spanish fluency required and English professional proficiency a plus.

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