REGIONAL FINANCE AND SUBAWARDS SPECIALIST

Job Category : Finance & Compliance

Requisition Number : REGIO007038

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Posting Details

  • Posted: August 27, 2026
  • Full-Time
  • Hybrid
  • ### Locations

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Kampala

Kampala, UGA

Kampala

Kampala, UGA

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Job Details

Description

REGIONAL FINANCE  AND SUBAWARDS SPECIALIST -

PROMOTING RESILIENCE, OPPORTUNITIES, PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT AND LEARNING (PROPEL) PROGRAM

Location: Kampala, Uganda

Position Status: Full-time

Salary Level: 11

Risk Level: ☐ Level 3☐Level 2   ☐ Level 1

(Level 3: Frequent contact with participants, direct contact with children, access to sensitive data, and/or high level of accountability.

Level 2: Some contact with participants; unplanned non-direct contact with children.

Level 1: Likely to have no contact with participants or sensitive data)

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible.

In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions

into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.

Now, and for the future.

The PROPEL Program

PROPEL is a multi-country youth employment and market systems development program implemented across Uganda, Senegal, Liberia, and Tanzania. The program adopts a market-driven, private sector-led approach to addressing the persistent challenge of youth unemployment and underemployment, with a deliberate emphasis on reaching young people who are not in employment, education, or training (NEET). PROPEL addresses systemic constraints to youth employment and supports the development of scalable and sustainable livelihood pathways. The program is implemented by Mercy Corps in partnership with Junior Achievement Africa.

The Position(General Position Summary)

The Finance and Sub-Awards Specialist is responsible for providing high-quality financial management and sub-award oversight for the PROPEL Program. The position will ensure that program funds and sub-awards are properly budgeted, disbursed, monitored, accounted for and reported in compliance with Mercy Corps policies, donor regulations, applicable laws and contractual requirements.

The Specialist will work closely with the PROPEL Finance, Operations and technical teams in Senegal, Liberia, Tanzania and Uganda to strengthen financial accountability, partner capacity and fiduciary risk management throughout the sub-award lifecycle. The position will play a key role in ensuring that financial management supports—not constrains—effective program implementation and achievement of PROPEL results.

Essential Responsibilities

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AND PROGRAM SUPPORT

  • Provide day-to-day financial management support to the PROPEL Program.
  • Monitor programme expenditure against approved budgets and workplans.
  • Prepare and analyse budget-versus-actual reports.
  • Identify significant variances, under-spending, over-spending and emerging financial risks.
  • Support programme teams in developing realistic budgets, forecasts and spending plans.
  • Review payment requests and supporting documentation to ensure compliance with Mercy Corps policies and donor requirements.
  • Ensure accurate and timely recording of programme transactions.
  • Support month-end, quarter-end and year-end financial close processes.
  • Prepare financial analyses and reports for the PROPEL leadership team including for use during the steering committee meetings
  • Provide financial advice to the Programme Management Unit (PMU) and Country Management Teams to support informed programme decisions.
  • Support cash-flow forecasting and financial planning.
  • Promote value for money and efficient use of programme resources.

SUBAWARD FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

The Specialist will provide financial oversight across the full sub-award lifecycle, including:

Pre-Award

  • Participate in the financial due diligence and assessment of prospective sub-award partners.
  • Review partner financial systems, accounting procedures, internal controls and organisational capacity.
  • Assess partner financial and fiduciary risks and recommend appropriate mitigation measures.
  • Review proposed partner budgets for accuracy, reasonableness, allowability and alignment with programme activities.
  • Recommend appropriate financial reporting, monitoring and control requirements based on partner risk.
  • Support the development and review of sub-award budgets and agreements.

Award Management

  • Monitor partner financial performance against approved budgets.
  • Review partner financial reports and supporting documentation.
  • Verify that reported expenditures are allowable, reasonable, allocable and adequately supported.
  • Monitor partner advances, liquidations and outstanding balances.
  • Track sub-award disbursements and expenditure against approved ceilings.
  • Ensure that financial reporting deadlines are monitored and met.
  • Review budget amendments and ensure that required approvals are obtained.
  • Maintain accurate and up-to-date sub-award financial records.

Post-Award and Close-Out

  • Support timely financial reconciliation and sub-award close-out.
  • Review final financial reports and expenditure documentation.
  • Ensure all partner advances are liquidated.
  • Follow up on unsupported, questioned or disallowed costs.
  • Ensure return or appropriate disposition of unspent funds and programme assets where applicable.
  • Maintain complete sub-award close-out documentation.

FINANCIAL COMPLIANCE AND INTERNAL CONTROLS

  • Ensure compliance with Mercy Corps financial policies and procedures.
  • Ensure compliance with applicable donor rules and regulations.
  • Review transactions and sub-award expenditures for compliance with approved budgets and agreements.
  • Strengthen segregation of duties and other internal control mechanisms.
  • Identify potential fraud, misuse of funds and financial control weaknesses.
  • Escalate significant financial and fiduciary risks promptly.
  • Support implementation of fraud prevention and anti-corruption measures.
  • Ensure appropriate financial documentation and audit trails are maintained.
  • Monitor implementation of financial corrective actions.
  • Support internal control reviews and risk assessments.

PARTNER FINANCIAL CAPACITY STRENGTHENING

A major responsibility of the position will be strengthening the financial management capacity of PROPEL partners.

The Specialist will:

  • Identify financial management capacity gaps among sub-award partners.

  • Develop partner financial capacity-strengthening plans.

    • Provide coaching and technical assistance on Budget preparation and management; Financial reporting; Accounting procedures; Internal controls; Documentation and record keeping; Cash management; Procurement controls; Asset management; Donor compliance and Fraud prevention

  • Develop practical financial management tools and templates for partners.

  • Follow up on agreed partner capacity-strengthening actions.

  • Promote sustainable improvements in partner financial management systems.

DONOR COMPLIANCE AND REPORTING

  • Ensure programme and sub-award financial management complies with relevant donor requirements.
  • Interpret donor financial requirements and communicate them to programme and partner teams.
  • Support preparation and review of donor financial reports.
  • Maintain documentation required for donor verification and audits.
  • Review partner expenditures against donor eligibility requirements.
  • Support responses to donor financial queries.
  • Maintain an effective audit trail for programme expenditure and sub-awards.
  • Support donor and external audits.

AUDIT AND ASSUARANCE

  • Support internal, external and donor audits.
  • Prepare financial schedules and supporting documentation.
  • Coordinate responses to audit requests.
  • Track audit findings and agreed management actions.
  • Follow up with partners on outstanding audit issues.
  • Ensure corrective actions are implemented within agreed timelines.
  • Maintain audit-ready programme and sub-award files.

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: PROPEL PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Works Directly With: The Finance and Subawards Specialist works closely with the PROPEL Program Management Unit; Country Field Teams including Finance Managers, Country Directors, PROPEL Country Program Managers, International Finance, Program Operations, Internal Audit and HQ Accounting.

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

  • Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Economics or a related field.
  • Professional accounting qualification such as ACCA, CPA, CIMA or equivalent is highly desirable.
  • At least 8–10 years of progressive experience in financial management, grants, sub-awards or donor-funded programmes.
  • Demonstrated experience managing or overseeing financial aspects of sub-awards.
  • Experience conducting partner financial assessments and compliance reviews.
  • Strong knowledge of budgeting, financial reporting, internal controls and financial analysis.
  • Experience working with international NGOs or development organisations.
  • Experience working with institutional donors.
  • Strong Excel and Financial Analysis Skills.
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
  • Demonstrated ability to work effectively with programme and partner teams.

Desirable

  • Experience working with Mercy Corps or similar international NGOs.
  • Experience with complex, multi-partner / multi country programmes.
  • Experience with Foundations or other institutional donor-funded programmes.
  • Experience with risk-based sub-award management.
  • Experience strengthening the financial management capacity of local organisations.
  • Experience with Market Systems Development, private-sector development, livelihoods, youth employment or economic development programming.
  • Familiarity with Mercy Corps financial and grants management systems is an advantage.

Success Factors

Candidate must have proven ability to communicate concepts, procedures and objectives. He/She must be able to initiate and maintain positive relationships with the Program Management Unit, Country Field Teams, Consortium and Sub Award Partners and the Funding Partners.

Candidate must possess the ability to read, understand and interpret detailed donor award terms and conditions as well as maintain a detailed knowledge of the regulations. He/She must possess a high level of attention to detail in all aspects of work. He/She must be able to conduct oneself with a high degree of integrity and objectivity while also working towards an overall objective of positively promoting financial and subaward management compliance.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Kampala and it requires up to 20% travel to support country programs, which may include travel to insecure locations where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited.

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development

Team Engagement and Effectiveness

Achieving our mission starts with how we build our team and collaborate. By bringing together individuals with a variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, we strengthen our ability to solve complex challenges and drive innovation. We foster a culture of trust and respect, where every team member is valued for their contributions, empowered to reach their full potential, and motivated to do their best work.

We recognize that building a strong and effective team is an ongoing process, and we remain committed to learning, improving, and growing together.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected under applicable law.

Safeguarding & Ethics

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 Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme . 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 elearning 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 (integrityhotline@mercycorps.org).

To Apply

Interested applicants must submit their Cover Letter & CV saved in 1 PDF document of no more than 5 pages by 9th September 2026.

Please note that any application submitted that does not follow the above instructions will be automatically discarded. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted

We are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workforce and strongly encourage qualified women to apply

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Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify. Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.