About the Role

• MSI Nigeria Reproductive Choices is seeking an experienced Senior Grants Officer to oversee the financial management of donor-funded projects throughout the full grant lifecycle, from budget development and implementation monitoring to donor reporting and project close-out.
• The Senior Grants Officer will work closely with the Programmes Department, Finance Operations, Procurement, channel leads and other stakeholders to ensure that project resources are properly budgeted, accurately recorded and used in accordance with donor requirements and MSI policies.
• The successful candidate will prepare monthly budget variance analyses, monitor project expenditure, review financial transactions and SUN postings, prepare donor financial reports, support forecasting and provide timely information on the financial performance of all active projects.

Key Responsibilities
Budget Development and Management:

• Develop robust project budgets for new business opportunities in collaboration with the Programmes Unit, using approved MSI budget templates.
• Prepare appropriately phased donor budgets for each project, channel and cost centre.
• Transfer approved and phased budgets to the relevant MSI project-upload template for timely upload into SUN.
• Maintain an updated funding pipeline and cost matrix for all current and prospective projects.
• Apply the Support Office cost-allocation policy to ensure that shared costs are allocated fairly across active projects.

Expenditure Monitoring and Transaction Review:

• Monitor project expenditure to ensure that spending remains within approved budgets.
• Validate and assign the appropriate donor, project and account codes to procurement and payment requests before approval.
• Maintain a tracker of approved procurement requests that have not yet been submitted to Finance for posting.
• Review financial postings in SUN to confirm their accuracy and compliance with donor requirements and organisational policies.
• Review and approve all recoding journals, ensuring that supporting documents are saved in the appropriate monthly folder before posting.
• Code and post intercompany transactions and ensure that all balances are fully reconciled.
• Provide clear explanations and follow-up actions for outstanding reconciliation items.

Financial Reporting and Analysis:

• Prepare and maintain an up-to-date monthly Budget Variance Analysis and Project Financial Report for each project assigned.
• Ensure that all required sections of project financial reports are completed and supported by detailed, accurate and quantifiable variance commentary.
• Prepare a consolidated report showing the financial status of all active projects by project and channel.
• Prepare accurate donor financial reports and submit them to the Finance Manager for review at least two days before the relevant internal deadline.
• Prepare monthly management presentations covering:
  • Year-to-date and full-year project performance;
  • Reasons for overspending or underspending;
  • Implementation and financial-management challenges;
  • The implications of identified challenges; and
  • Clear action plans, responsible owners and timelines.

Reconciliations and Project Close-Out:

• Perform monthly reconciliations of deferred income by project.
• Maintain detailed supporting schedules for deferred-income balances, including UNFPA-donated stock.
• Ensure that supporting schedules reconcile with the relevant project balances in SUN.
• Investigate and clear balances relating to projects that have been closed.
• Support the timely and compliant financial close-out of completed donor-funded projects.

Forecasting and Business Planning:

• Work with relevant business and channel leads to prepare accurate rolling forecasts, quarterly forecasts and annual business plans within established internal timelines.
• Monitor financial performance against approved budgets and forecasts.
• Identify financial risks, funding gaps and potential overspending at an early stage and recommend appropriate corrective action.

Collaboration and Operational Support:

• Work closely with the Programmes Department, Finance Operations, Procurement and other stakeholders to support the effective implementation of donor-funded projects.
• Provide project-finance support and guidance to operational finance colleagues.
• Contribute to relevant Finance Operations objectives and performance plans.
• Follow up with responsible teams to ensure that agreed project-finance actions are completed on time.
• Provide timely financial information and advice to programme and channel leads to support effective decision-making.

Qualifications and Experience
Essential Requirements:

• A Degree in Accounting with a minimum of a second-class upper division or its equivalent.
• A recognised professional accounting qualification, such as ACA or ACCA.
• Four to five years of relevant experience managing donor-funded budgets within an international non-governmental organisation.
• Demonstrated experience in project budgeting, expenditure monitoring, donor financial reporting, forecasting, reconciliations and project close-out.
• Experience using SUN Accounting or a comparable accounting system.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills.
• Strong understanding of donor compliance requirements and financial controls.
• Excellent numerical, analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent organisational and administrative skills.
• Proven ability to manage competing priorities and produce accurate, high-quality reports within short timelines.
• Keen attention to detail and the ability to work effectively under pressure.

Skills and Competencies:

• Strong interpersonal and stakeholder-management skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively with finance, programme, procurement and operational teams.
• Sound professional judgement and the confidence to take initiative.
• Ability to identify financial risks and recommend practical solutions.
• Strong strategic, creative and analytical thinking.
• High levels of professionalism, integrity, self-motivation and accountability.
• A flexible, results-oriented approach to work.
• Ability to communicate financial information clearly to both financial and non-financial stakeholders.
• Ability to support and motivate colleagues to deliver agreed results.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note

• Please select the correct job location when completing the application form.
• Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and the position will remain open until filled.

Important Information:

• There is no relocation allowance available for this position.
• Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and interviews may be conducted while the advertisement remains open.
• The position will remain open until a suitable candidate is appointed.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Equal Opportunity and Safeguarding:

• MSI Nigeria Reproductive Choices is an equal-opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, colour, religion, age, marital status, disability or any other protected characteristic.
• MSI Nigeria is committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and operates a zero-tolerance approach to abuse, exploitation and harassment of any kind.
• Children by choice, not chance.