Grants Compliance Officer – Somalia

Job Opportunity for Grants Compliance Officer

Diakonia is a Swedish Development Organization that works together with local partner organizations for sustainable change for the most vulnerable people in the world. We work for a just, equal, and sustainable world to change political, economic, social and cultural structures that cause poverty, inequality, oppression and violence. Diakonia does not implement or carry out projects on its own. Instead, we support through funding and cooperate with local partner organizations to achieve our objectives.

Diakonia has about 400 partner organizations in 30 countries. In Sub-Saharan Africa, Diakonia employs 100 staff at country offices in Mozambique, DRC, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, Mali and Burkina Faso and the Regional Office in Kenya.

In Somalia, Diakonia has three programmes within its current strategy plan (2020 to 2025), which focus on democratic governance, human rights, and building resilience of youth and agropastoral communities. Diakonia works with 10 local CSOs as implementing partners (8 in Puntland and 2 in the Southwest States). The portfolio of partners includes organizations that Diakonia has worked with over a long period of time and others who are new. Besides, Diakonia is directly working with the government institutions in Puntland and Southwest states, including the Puntland Office of Human Rights Defenders.

To support this, we are looking for outstanding, dynamic, results-oriented, and self-driven individuals to fill the position of Grants Compliance Officer covering the work in Somalia country office.

Grants Compliance Officer

Provide technical support to partner organizations, ensuring their compliance with Diakonia policies, as well as funding and reporting requirements from inception to contract closure in accordance with grant agreements and other appropriate protocols.  We are looking for an action-oriented person with wide experience in grant management of local partners.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Grant Management

• Provide technical support to partner organizations in the development of work-plan and budget to be followed during the award contract period
• Review work-plans and budget from partners to ensure compliance with Diakonia’s planning, monitoring and evaluation (PME) policy guidelines
• Ensure implementation of donor reporting by partners
• Facilitate and process grant payment to partners, obtain and record grant payment receipts in accordance with PME guidelines
• Receive and assess financial reports from partners ensuring compliance with PME handbook requirement on proper reporting of expenditures, invoicing, procurement and asset management
• Receive and assess audited financial reports, including management letter from partners
• Follow up on issues raised by auditors in the management letter from partners and ensure resolution.
• Upload and track processes in relation to disbursement receipts, financial reports, completed assessment tools and audited financial statements to Diakonia’s FixIT
• Provide guidance and facilitate partner institutional capacity strengthening plans, ensuring partner organizations implement programmes effectively, efficiently and sustainably
• Participate in assessment and induction of new partners on financial management
• Prepare grant financial reports in relation to the allocated programme
• Monitor adherence and compliance to financial control systems, policies and procedures
• Support the coordination, planning, and execution of annual audit from partner organizations
• Track partner grants disbursement and expenditure and provide internal reporting schedules
• Monitor partner compliance conducts field office site visits to ensure consistency with grant terms and conditions, timelines, budgets, and performance measures.
• Conduct financial assessment of partners, identify and mitigate risks in situations where contractual obligations may not be met.
• Establish and maintain electronic and hard copy files for each grant-funded project to be used for tracking and reporting purposes
• Ensure monitoring log for the respective partner organization is updated in respect to financial information
• Review and assess partner procurement processes to ensure purchases comply with policy guidelines
• Review partner records and archiving system to ensure compliance with policy guidelines
• Ensure strict adherence and compliance to financial control systems, policies and procedures
• Maintain a monitoring log in respect of financial information due from partner organizations.
• Review and verify that partners maintain proper books of accounts, including an up-to-date register of assets as well as proper filing and archiving of financial documents
• Support the coordination, planning, and execution of annual audit of partner organizations
• Coordinate preparation and implementation of the programme budget, including specific project ensuring it is up to date for all funding sources and is participative including all units
• Ensure strict adherence and compliance to financial control systems, policies and procedures
• Monitor budget implementation and expenditure and process request for budget revisions
• Prepare and submit monthly reports ensuring they are complete, accurate and timely.
• Review partner procurement processes and ensure that purchases comply with policy guidelines
• Liaise with procurement unit to provide sound advice on procurement actions
• Review partner records and archiving system to ensure compliance with policy guidelines