Program Background

The Agrifood System Transformation for Youth Employment (ASTYE) Uganda program

ASTYE is a 5-year transformative initiative designed to enable dignified and fulfilling work opportunities primarily for financially disadvantaged young women, refugees, and vulnerable groups by addressing structural barriers in Uganda's Agrifood system. Aligned with Uganda’s Vision 2040, the National Development Plan and Government of Uganda Agriculture Value Chain Development Strategy, the program will contribute to national efforts toward poverty alleviation, economic growth, as well food and nutrition security. Additionally, ASTYE is part of the Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Works strategy in Uganda, which aims to empower 4.3 million young Ugandans, particularly young women, by addressing structural barriers to employment and providing them with the skills and resources to succeed.

Specifically, GOAL will implement component one to reach 500,000 financially disadvantaged young people, with 400,000 transiting into work and 320,000 securing dignified and fulfilling work. As the program is young women-centric, 80% of the total outreach target will be young women within Uganda's agrifood ecosystem. Furthermore, 3% of the total youth in work target will be refugees, and another 3% will be people with disabilities.

General Description of the Role

The Finance Coordinator will oversee the Mastercard foundation funded activities and support the Financial Controller in managing the finance department's operations. The role will oversee daily financial management activities and provide guidance to the Finance Team to ensure:

• Timely, accurate, and high-quality financial reporting on the foundation activities.
• Effective management of foundation funds in pursuit of agreed objectives.
• Implementation of finance Policies, procedures, systems and controls for financial management and reporting.
• Continuous improvement and development of the finance team.
• Providing sufficient capacity for both the Finance Team and Field Office Finance Teams to meet the above requirements

Job Functions

Oversee Mastercard Foundation Partners Financial Management

• Review of consortia partners’ reports to ensure they are in line with the approved budget and donor guidelines prior to disbursement of funds.
• Coordinating quarterly disbursement of funds and any amendments to contracts to the finance partners.
• Lead the Consortia and Downstream Partners due diligence and Financial Assessments.
• Completing verification checks on partner expenditure per their finance reports.
• Timely updating of grants disbursements tracker.
• Handling of queries relating to financial management raised by the implementing consortia partners.
• Review of consortia partners’ reports to ensure they are in line with the approved budget and donor prior to disbursement of funds and following up on any queries before forwarding to FC for approval.
• Completing verification checks on partner expenditure per their finance reports
• Handling of queries relating to financial management raised by the implementing consortia partners.

Proposals, Budgets, Reporting and Grant Management

• Collaborate with the Financial Controller in preparation and review of financial aspects of funding partner Proposals.
• Coordinate the preparation of financial aspects of Funding Partner Reports.
• Alert the Financial Controller, Budget Holders and Portfolio Coordinators on any upcoming deadlines.
• Provide Technical Support on funding partner budgets, funding partner reporting, guidelines & regulations to GOAL Uganda Management Team.
• Responsible for understanding grants compliance requirements, working with the systems team and country management teams in ensuring these are properly implemented and adhered to.

Financial Management within GOAL Uganda

• Support the Financial Controller in the day-to-day financial management activities, financial reporting to facilitate on-time reporting to Mastercard foundation and Dublin HQ.
• Coordinate monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual management accounts completion Process.
• Coordinate with Dublin HQ on funds requests and local banks on currency contracts in the absence of FC.
• Advise GOAL Uganda Management Team on compliance and tax related matters.

Lead Annual Statutory Audit, Compliance Checks and Mastercard Foundation Specific Audits

• Facilitate timely completion of the Annual Statutory Audit and Financial Statements.
• Facilitate timely completion of Specific Mastercard Foundation Project compliance checks and Audits.
• Prepare and contribute to any other statutory audits or reports as required from time to time.

Team Management

• Provide supervision and mentorship to finance staff foresting a culture of solution oriented, teamwork, high performance and continuous learning and adapting.
• Oversee performance management, staff development needs of finance staff in liaison with GOAL HR and management.

Job Level Specifications

Essential Criteria

• Master’s degree in Business and/or Accounting with a recognized institution.
• Fully qualified CPA(U)/ACA/ACCA or CIMA.
• Minimum of 7 years post-professional Qualification experience of which 5 must be in financial management of large-scale, complex international development programs, and/or leading large consortium.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills
• Demonstrated experience in budget preparation, monitoring and management.
• Demonstrated skills in budgeting, risk management and adaptive planning.

Desirable Criteria

• Ability to produce financial information in a format that non-technical staff can understand.
• Strong analytical and conceptual skills, with particular emphasis on planning, goal oriented with ability to set clear objectives.
• Experience in using Power Query, SQL Server, Power BI, or any other equivalent relationship-based analytics and reporting tools.
• Experience in dealing with donors such as the Mastercard Foundation.
• Proven experience in adaptive management and evidence-based decision-making.
• Experience in agriculture, women’s economic empowerment and refugee inclusion programming.

• Review of consortia partners’ reports to ensure they are in line with the approved budget and donor guidelines prior to disbursement of funds.
• Coordinating quarterly disbursement of funds and any amendments to contracts to the finance partners.
• Lead the Consortia and Downstream Partners due diligence and Financial Assessments.
• Completing verification checks on partner expenditure per their finance reports.
• Timely updating of grants disbursements tracker.
• Handling of queries relating to financial management raised by the implementing consortia partners.
• Review of consortia partners’ reports to ensure they are in line with the approved budget and donor prior to disbursement of funds and following up on any queries before forwarding to FC for approval.
• Completing verification checks on partner expenditure per their finance reports
• Handling of queries relating to financial management raised by the implementing consortia partners.
• Collaborate with the Financial Controller in preparation and review of financial aspects of funding partner Proposals.
• Coordinate the preparation of financial aspects of Funding Partner Reports.
• Alert the Financial Controller, Budget Holders and Portfolio Coordinators on any upcoming deadlines.
• Provide Technical Support on funding partner budgets, funding partner reporting, guidelines & regulations to GOAL Uganda Management Team.
• Responsible for understanding grants compliance requirements, working with the systems team and country management teams in ensuring these are properly implemented and adhered to.
• Support the Financial Controller in the day-to-day financial management activities, financial reporting to facilitate on-time reporting to Mastercard foundation and Dublin HQ.
• Coordinate monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual management accounts completion Process.
• Coordinate with Dublin HQ on funds requests and local banks on currency contracts in the absence of FC.
• Advise GOAL Uganda Management Team on compliance and tax related matters.
• Facilitate timely completion of the Annual Statutory Audit and Financial Statements.
• Facilitate timely completion of Specific Mastercard Foundation Project compliance checks and Audits.
• Prepare and contribute to any other statutory audits or reports as required from time to time.
• Provide supervision and mentorship to finance staff foresting a culture of solution oriented, teamwork, high performance and continuous learning and adapting.
• Oversee performance management, staff development needs of finance staff in liaison with GOAL HR and management.

• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills
• Demonstrated experience in budget preparation, monitoring and management.
• Demonstrated skills in budgeting, risk management and adaptive planning.
• Ability to produce financial information in a format that non-technical staff can understand.
• Strong analytical and conceptual skills, with particular emphasis on planning, goal oriented with ability to set clear objectives.
• Experience in using Power Query, SQL Server, Power BI, or any other equivalent relationship-based analytics and reporting tools.
• Proven experience in adaptive management and evidence-based decision-making.

• Master’s degree in Business and/or Accounting with a recognized institution.
• Fully qualified CPA(U)/ACA/ACCA or CIMA.
• Minimum of 7 years post-professional Qualification experience of which 5 must be in financial management of large-scale, complex international development programs, and/or leading large consortium.
• Experience in dealing with donors such as the Mastercard Foundation.
• Experience in agriculture, women’s economic empowerment and refugee inclusion programming.