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.

Job summary

Reporting directly to the Financial Controller, the Finance Specialist; budgeting and reporting will work closely with Grants and partnership team, project technical coordinators, monitoring, and evaluation (M&E), and finance operations teams. He/she will support with donor reporting, monthly and quarterly spend analysis, budget proposal development, budget realignment including the annual master budget. He/she will collaborate with various departments to ensure accurate financial tracking, reporting, and compliance with both organizational and donor requirements.

Job Functions

Proposal Budget Development, Grant Management.

• Support the Financial Controller and program staff in preparing grant budgets for new proposals.
• Assist in revising and amending existing grant budgets, ensuring all costs are accurately covered, budgets are balanced, and donor/GOAL formats are correctly applied.
• Provide monthly grant-level financial analysis and advise budget holders on variances in spending.
• Represent Finance in project management cycle meetings.
• Review downstream partner financial proposals and budgets for compliance with donor guidelines, grant agreements, and GOAL budgeting rules.

Finance Systems

• Prepare and post adjustment entries in compliance with donor requirements, ensuring all supporting documentation is attached and recorded in SAGE.
• Support the Financial Controller in updating the Chart of Accounts (COA) and creating/amending account codes for new projects.
• Verify that donor and country office budgets are correctly uploaded into SAGE and share details (codes, activity IDs) with program and grants teams to ensure accurate expense coding.
• Reconcile HQ intercompany recharges and ensure postings are accurate.

Budget Monitoring, Spend planning and Rolling budgets

• Review forecasts to ensure compliance with GOAL and donor regulations prior to approval.
• Support the Financial Controller in setting up budgets and forecasts in line with donor reporting formats.
• Track support cost spending and provide quarterly analysis to inform budget amendments or new proposals.
• Review and consolidate program team spending plans before submission to donors.
• Provide guidance to operations, program coordinators, managers, and budget holders on the use of Budget Monitoring Tools (BMTs).

Management & Donor Reporting

• Prepare donor financial reports for review by the Financial Controller, ensuring compliance with donor requirements and timely submission.
• Perform project reconciliations alongside financial reporting, posting adjustment journals as needed.
• Review grant trial balances and ensure all grant-related balance sheet accounts are reconciled.
• Monitor grant inventory status and take necessary action during donor reporting.
• Support statutory and project-specific audits.
• Prepare periodic financial reports for donors, HQ, and senior management team (SMT) members as required.

Other Tasks

• Conduct regular training sessions for new staff and GOAL’s field offices on Budget Management and donor regulations for Program, Operations and Finance staff in close coordination with Grants team.
• Support Financial Controller during Internal and external audit. Ensuring that all documentation and required Schedules are made available for the Auditor in good time.
• Support the procurement department in ensuring that tendering and bidding process is fair, compliant, competitive, and finance focal person in the procurement committee.

Any additional duties may be reasonably required by the line manager within the scope of the above

The document is not an exhaustive list of core elements of the role; it may be amended from time to time by mutual agreement.

Job Level Specifications

Essential Criteria

• Post graduate diploma in Financial Management, Accounting & Finance
• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration with Accounting option
• Minimum of Five (5) years’ relevant working experience with an international NGO in a similar role
• Working experience on budget preparation, budget management and financial reports
• Excellent computer skills - advanced Microsoft Excel
• Experience in preparation of donor Budgets and reports

Desirable Criteria:

• Ability to Manage multiple deadlines and priorities with minimal technical support
• Excellent analytical Skills
• Working knowledge of Sage

• Support the Financial Controller and program staff in preparing grant budgets for new proposals.
• Assist in revising and amending existing grant budgets, ensuring all costs are accurately covered, budgets are balanced, and donor/GOAL formats are correctly applied.
• Provide monthly grant-level financial analysis and advise budget holders on variances in spending.
• Represent Finance in project management cycle meetings.
• Review downstream partner financial proposals and budgets for compliance with donor guidelines, grant agreements, and GOAL budgeting rules.
• Prepare and post adjustment entries in compliance with donor requirements, ensuring all supporting documentation is attached and recorded in SAGE.
• Support the Financial Controller in updating the Chart of Accounts (COA) and creating/amending account codes for new projects.
• Verify that donor and country office budgets are correctly uploaded into SAGE and share details (codes, activity IDs) with program and grants teams to ensure accurate expense coding.
• Reconcile HQ intercompany recharges and ensure postings are accurate.
• Review forecasts to ensure compliance with GOAL and donor regulations prior to approval.
• Support the Financial Controller in setting up budgets and forecasts in line with donor reporting formats.
• Track support cost spending and provide quarterly analysis to inform budget amendments or new proposals.
• Review and consolidate program team spending plans before submission to donors.
• Provide guidance to operations, program coordinators, managers, and budget holders on the use of Budget Monitoring Tools (BMTs).
• Prepare donor financial reports for review by the Financial Controller, ensuring compliance with donor requirements and timely submission.
• Perform project reconciliations alongside financial reporting, posting adjustment journals as needed.
• Review grant trial balances and ensure all grant-related balance sheet accounts are reconciled.
• Monitor grant inventory status and take necessary action during donor reporting.
• Support statutory and project-specific audits.
• Prepare periodic financial reports for donors, HQ, and senior management team (SMT) members as required.
• Conduct regular training sessions for new staff and GOAL’s field offices on Budget Management and donor regulations for Program, Operations and Finance staff in close coordination with Grants team.
• Support Financial Controller during Internal and external audit. Ensuring that all documentation and required Schedules are made available for the Auditor in good time.
• Support the procurement department in ensuring that tendering and bidding process is fair, compliant, competitive, and finance focal person in the procurement committee.

• Excellent computer skills - advanced Microsoft Excel
• Excellent analytical Skills
• Working knowledge of Sage

• Post graduate diploma in Financial Management, Accounting & Finance
• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration with Accounting option
• Working experience on budget preparation, budget management and financial reports
• Experience in preparation of donor Budgets and reports