Grants and Contracts Finance Officer

Plan International USA is seeking qualified candidates for a Grants and Contracts Finance Officer based in Washington, DC. The Finance Officer’s primary focus will be in the area of U.S. Government grants and contracts financial management, as well as grants from other sources, such as Foundations and Multilateral Organizations. This position takes the lead in Plan International USA’s efforts in ensuring accurate grants financial tracking, recording and reporting to donors, monitoring best business practices to ensure timely and accurate reporting to donors, provide data for use in the internal and external financial reporting, and ensuring the organization’s compliance with grants and contracts financial reporting requirements. The Finance Officer will pro-actively identify finance training needs within the organization and will create and deliver training sessions to Plan International USA and the Country Offices. The Finance Officer will play a key role in establishing necessary financial and accounting systems and procedures.

Responsibilities: Financial Reporting -Manages Plan International USA’s grant reporting function for assigned U.S. Government awards; - Monitors spending performance, ensures that all financial reports are filed with the applicable donor on a timely basis; - Creates financial reporting templates and train field office staff in their use; - Requests and monitors receipt of monthly financial reports from Country Offices, Regional Offices, Plan International USA and Plan’s International Headquarters; - Reconciles field reports with the Grants Tracking System (GTS) and the General Ledger; - Prepares financial reports for assigned U.S. Government grants (including but not limited to Standard Form 425) and for grants where Plan USA is a sub-recipient of federal funds;
- Prepares any required ad hoc reports for donors—e.g. IQC requests for financial information, USAID mission requests for financial information, pipeline analysis, etc.; - Prepares and maintains internal documents to support donor financial reports; - Reviews Plan International USA financial documentation for compliance—e.g. costs charged to grants and contracts including travel expense reports, consultant agreements, personnel allocation (time) sheets, etc.; - Ensures that all financial reports are filed in a designated central location.

Implementation • Reviews “burn rate” on projects; • Assures appropriate explanations for variances on budget versus expenditure reports and notifies the Program Manager/Officer of any financial issues; • Works closely with the field to resolve any financial related issues and follows up on open points to ensure they are resolved; • Maintains up-to-date, accurate financial records on all grants in the field which credit Plan International USA for revenue; • Maintains up-to-date grant and contract files and assures appropriate documents are available—e.g. pre-approvals, agreements, sub-agreements, modifications, correspondences with the donors, etc.; • Ensures the completion of closeout process for grants and contracts. • Supports the Program Manager/Officer and field office staff on the project budget management throughout the life of the projects; • Tracks project expenditures and fund availability; • Prepares budget modification as necessary and request increases in the Obligated Amount when required; • Supports the Country Office in preparation for audits; • Reviews internal and external audit reports and recommends solutions to audit findings; • Assists the project team in negotiations with the donor.

Training • Supports field finance staff in the areas of fiscal management and financial reporting on assigned U.S. Government grants and contracts and other assigned grants. • Participates in start-up workshops for new projects. • Liaises with the Program Manager to identify field staff training needs to increase their capacity to manage Global Fund, Global Sanitation Fund, and U.S. Government funds. • Works with the Program Manager, troubleshoots unforeseen problems in Country Offices, provides and implements solutions, and creates systems to ensure that the problems do not reoccur.

Skills and Qualifications • Bachelor’s Degree preferably in Accounting or Finance. • Not-for-profit accounting experience. • 5+ years’ experience within a broad range of accounting and financial functions. • Experience in accounting and reporting U.S. Government grants and contracts, especially USAID. • Ability to work with minimal direction and to initiate activities and identify organizational needs related to responsibilities. • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to maintain effective and satisfactory working relationships with people from diverse cultures across all levels of the organization. • Superior analytical skills, attention to detail, and strong work ethics. • Ability to maintain confidentiality of financial and other sensitive information. • Capacity to work under pressure, prioritizes multiple tasks, and meets inflexible deadlines. • Familiarity with U.S. Government rules and regulations, particularly USAID Regulation 22 CFR 226, 22 CFR 228, the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), AIDAR, and OMB Circulars A-110, A-122, and A-133. • Thorough knowledge of and experience with financial reporting, especially with regard to U.S. Government. • Knowledge of U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and financial accounting standards. • Proficiency in computer software particularly Microsoft Outlook, Excel, Access, Word and accounting software packages. • Knowledge of French strongly preferred. • Previous experience working with field staff preferred. • Appreciation for deadlines and adherence to project plans. • Positive attitude, desire to be a part of a diverse team, and commitment to Plan International USA’s mission.

How to apply:

Please send cover letter and resume to:http://www.planusa.org/jobopps