Job Description

About Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. Mercy Corps supports communities – and the most marginalized within them – to emerge from crisis in the face of climate change and build towards a more inclusive and resilient future.

Program / Department Summary
Mercy Corps has been operating in Zimbabwe since 2002 focusing its interventions on a multi-sectoral market systems development portfolio mobilizing communities to promote small-scale agriculture and revive local economies. MC Zimbabwe seeks to support at-risk communities in Zimbabwe - with a specific focus on young people, women, and other marginalized groups - to move towards sustainable development through building resilience and strong inclusive systems in the face of climatic and economic shocks and stresses. Market driven approaches are at the heart of Mercy Corps’ programming. Mercy Corps facilitates the development of systems that increase incomes and improve access to goods, with services, and employment opportunities, while reducing the risks and effects of shocks and stresses.

General Position Summary
CEDIS program plans to work with a wide and diverse set of partners including public, private, and civil society actors to implement the different interventions. The Finance & Sub-Awards Officer is responsible for managing the financial, capacity building, and operational aspects of sub-awards issued under CEDIS program. The Finance & Subawards Officer will assess and develop plans to strengthen programmatic and financial capacities of partners to facilitate effective delivery of programmatic interventions. The Finance & Sub-Awards Officer will oversee the financial management aspects of the CEDIS sub-awards and establish links through regular consultation with Mercy Corps’ compliance and legal departments in both Edinburgh (EDI) and Portland (PDX). Compliance with the donor regulations and Mercy Corps internal policies and procedures is a critical part of this role. The Finance & Sub-Awards Officer will technically report to the Finance Manager and administratively to Team Leader, CEDIS Program. S/he will work closely within the finance team and support program teams. The position will be based in Bulawayo. This position requires frequent travel to different field locations and is expected to spend at least 40% of the time in the field.

Location Bulawayo: frequent travel to Mutare and Harare.
Position Status: Full-time
Safeguarding Risk Rating: Level 1

Duties and Responsibilities

STRATEGY & VISION
• Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.
• Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to achieve objectives and contribute to countrywide strategy development.

SUB AWARDS MANAGEMENT:
• Participate in the design of new initiatives that require partnership and support the program team in managing relationships with partners.
• Maintain a coherent and assertive coordination and communication with the CEDIS management team and the partners.
• Work with the Program team to facilitate competitive partners selection processes in accordance with the CEDIS partnership Toolkit and SOP and sub-awards manual.
• In coordination with the program team, review sub-award applicants’ proposal, budgets and budget narratives for completeness, cost realism and compliance with budget requirements.
• Conduct detailed pre-award assessment and other due diligence and provide the report to inform teams’ partnership decisions.
• Support the program team in timely drafting, modification, and submission of subaward agreement and coordinate and follow up on required approvals.
• With support of the program team to develop partner monitoring plan and regularly monitor field activities and financial utilization.
• Review partners financial reports for correctness and completeness and ensure that reports are submitted on time.
• Develop and maintain sub-award records and ensure sub-award expenditure reports are filed in accordance with the field finance manual and sub-award manual.
• Process partners payments and reconcile sub-award financial tracking to general ledger reports.
• Facilitate sub-award financial close-outs, including ensuring that all requirements of the sub-award agreement have been met and that sub-award funds have been properly settled.

FINANCE & COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT
• Review and compile partner budgets, review all reports and ensure smooth cash flow of partner funds.
• Ensure that sub-awards are executed in alignment with the prime award agreement and the applicable donor regulations, staying abreast of changes in the regulatory environment related to donor/grant compliance.
• Ensure that all partners are complying with terms and conditions in the partnership agreement.
• Identify and communicate compliance risks associated with implementation. Work with program teams to ensure that program activities are designed to be compliant while facilitating the achievement of the program objectives.
• Ensure timely and accurate submission of approval requests to the MC Zimbabwe and MC HQ reviewers and approvers.
• Prepare and maintain internal and donor compliance-related reports.
• In coordination with the Finance Manager provide regular compliance guidance and consultations to the partner on a demand-driven basis.
• Sets up, maintains and updates subaward card for sub-grantees in Navigator
• Prepares payments for sub-grantees and reviews expenditures before uploading into Navigator.
• Reviews and analyses monthly budget vs actuals report for the project recommending appropriate action to address low and high burn rates.
• Realignment of project budgets in liaison with the Team Leader and submitting to the Finance Manager for review.
• Support in the issuing of cash, preparation of cash vouchers and bank reconciliations
• Assists in the month end accounting close process.
• Assists in the maintenance of all accounting records, ensuring that records are complete, accurate and safeguarded.
Making field visits and ensuring team members adhere to Mercy Corps and donor policies and procedures.

PARTNERSHIP & PARTNER CAPACITY BUILDING:
• Conduct capacity assessment as guided by the subaward financial manual and the CEDIS Partnership Toolkit and SOP, develop detailed capacity building plan for the partners and execute the plan.
• Liaise with the program team to provide guidance and technical support to partners on sub-award processes.
• Support the Finance Manager to refine partner’s capacity building tools and recommend best approaches for partner capacity development based on existing Mercy Corps knowledge and experience.
• Deliver Capacity building training to build internal team members capacity as well as partner capacity and technical competencies.
• Support partners to refine, revise, and implement key policies, procedures, and internal controls systems.
• Coordinate with program team to organize lessons learned and experiences with partner engagement across broader country programs

INFLUENCE & REPRESENTATION
• Consistently demonstrate flexibility, resilience, and ability to maintain positive relationships and composure, even under difficult circumstances.
• Maintain high ethical standards and treat people with respect and dignity.

SECURITY
• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.

ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING
• As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient, and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

ACCOUNTABILITY TO BENEFICIARIES
• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging target participants as equal partners in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of our field activities.
• Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values always and in all in-country venues.

SAFEGUARDING RESPONSIBILITIES
• Actively learns about safeguarding and integrates it into their work, including safeguarding risks and mitigations related to their area of work.
• Practices the values of Mercy Corps including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members.
• Encourages openness and communication in their team; encourages team members to submit reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g., Integrity Hotline and other options.
Supervisory Responsibility
• None.

Accountability
Reports Directly To: Finance Manager with technical reporting line to the Team Leader, CEDIS Program.
Works Directly With: Safeguarding Team, CEDIS Program Team, Finance Department, Operations Department, MCG/MCE HQ Compliance, and others
Ethics and Integrity
All Mercy Corps staff are expected to behave ethically and demonstrate the highest integrity in their professional and personal life. Mercy Corps has zero tolerance to any form of fraud, corruption, abuse, harassment, or exploitation. Any breach of our policies or misconduct will lead to disciplinary action that may lead to termination. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world's most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives. We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening, and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity
Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact. We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination based on race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Qualifications and Experience

• A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in relevant field Accounting, Finance, Business Studies.
• At least 2 to 3 years of relevant experience in donor funded grants accounting, subaward management, partnerships, program narrative and expense reporting.
• Strong working knowledge of donor compliance - SIDA, USAID, FCDO etc.
• Advanced computer skills in MS Office programs, particularly Excel.
• Effective verbal and written communication, multi-tasking, organizational and prioritization skills.
• Ability to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment.

How to Apply

Safeguarding & Ethics
Mercy Corps is committed and accountable to the community members we work with and the beneficiaries we serve. As part of this commitment, Mercy Corps has zero tolerance to violations of the Code of Conduct (Sexual Abuse of Beneficiaries and Community Members (PSEA) Policy, Anti-Trafficking Policy, Child Safeguarding Policy, Mercy Corps Ethics Complaint and Whistle-blower Policy, Sexual Misconduct in the Workplace Policy, Discrimination, Harassment and Bullying Policy, Conflict of Interest Policy and Anti-Fraud and Anti-Corruption Policy).

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme.

By applying for this role an applicant confirms that they have not previously violated an employer’s sexual misconduct, sexual exploitation and abuse, child safeguarding or trafficking policy. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct e- learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis. As an applicant, if you witness or experience any form of sexual misconduct during the recruitment process, please report this to Mercy Corps Integrity Hotline ([email protected])

How To Apply
Applicants are required to download and sign the MC Candidate Declaration Form (copy and paste this link to your web browser)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fL8jWQxlsNyykTbZ-4JkFz36XayX6RBO/edit#heading=h.gjdgxs and submit together with CV and Cover letter to Mercy Corps Human Resources at [email protected] by COB 11 November 2024. Please note that CV and Cover should be on one document.

Applications should be clearly marked with the position applied for in the email subject line.

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity organization and encourages both female and male candidates to apply. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Applicants will be considered on a rolling basis and shortlisting will proceed as applications are received.