Finance Officer - Budget & Planning

Overview

• The Finance Officer provides financial services ensuring high quality, accuracy, and consistency of financial reports in accordance with CIFOR-ICRAF internal financial as well as donor guidelines. Review pre-award proposal budgets and ensure full cost recovery methodology is followed to cover CIFOR-ICRAF non-research expenses and specific research unit’s costs. Support the annual CIFOR-ICRAF’s annual Program of Work and Budget process in compliance with current policies and procedures. Implement financial processes, methodologies, procedures in OCS related to budgeting, forecast, analysis of variances and financial reporting at the institutional level. To ensure that CIFOR-ICRAF policies on full cost recovery and laid down donor regulations are adhered to in all donor proposal budgets.

Duties and responsibilities

Pre-Award proposal development

• Develop proposal budgets and budget narratives in collaboration with the Resource mobilization Team and the Research Teams.
• Review and advise on the project proposal/budget preparation regarding compliance issues for all prospective sources of funding.
• Ensure an accurate full cost recovery methodology to cover CIFOR_ICRAF non-research expenses and specific research units’ costs.
• Maintain a comprehensive understanding of relevant donor policies, regulations, and procedures.
• To ensure the organization’s policies on full cost recovery and laid down donor regulations are adhered to in all donor proposal budgets.

Centre Funds Monitoring and Annual Budgeting

• Monitoring of the Centre funds budgets and expenditures; and work closely with PI in updating the projection of center funds.
• Prepare financial updates and analysis of centre funds and share the report with PI.
• Support Finance Manager in preparation of centre funds’ performance report and follow up any correction action that are required from the respective units.
• Monitor the workflow status of budget input in the system and follow up to the respective units.
• Liaise with System Development Team to solve any technical issue in the budget system
• Monitor the status of high probability proposals in collaboration with Resource Mobilization and Research Team.
• Ensure the CIFOR-ICRAF Rolling budget is up to date.
• Provide ad hoc report and gather information from the system to support the analysis on the centre funds and annual budget.

Management and Other Stakeholders Reporting

• Support Finance Manager in preparation of performance reports and analysis including funding status and CIFOR-ICRAF burn rate consequently indicating indirect cost recovery.
• Monitor the burn rate status under unit / region that are assigned, provide the analysis, and report to the Senior Finance Officer
• Collaborate with the Grants Accounting Team in providing necessary reports and in analyzing of grants burn rates and indirect cost recovery status.
• Contribute to the discussions with relevant stakeholders on planning and monitoring of interventions to keep the various teams and projects on budget
• Support Finance Manager in the preparation of all reports (including ad hoc reports), information and data required or requested by ILMG and the Board of Trustees.
• Initiate and participate in the development and implementation of reporting platforms and templates within OCS and other platforms for the different stakeholders. 

Internal Controls

• Implement internal control systems that ensure CIFOR_ICRAF attains its objectives, produce accurate and reliable data for decision making.

Education, knowledge and experience

Requirements

Minimum Academic and Professional Qualifications

• University education in accounting with more than 5 years of relevant experience
• Experience in financial and accounting services
• Experience in budgeting and project management
• Fluent in written and spoken English
• Familiar with donor reporting
• Strong computer skills in word processing, databases and other relevant office applications.