Budget Officer, Africa Program

Position Objectives

The primary function of the Budget Coordinator is to assist with the budgetary, financial, and general grants management of the Africa Program, working under the guidance of the Deputy Director and closely with the Program Managers in NY, programmatic and financial staff in Africa, as well as WCS’s Global Budget, Development and GFGM departments. The Budget Officer plays a hands-on role within the six-person management team for the Africa Program, WCS’s largest field program with an annual budget of over $40 million. Tasks include:

• Support the Africa program in preparing and managing the Program’s annual budget, including tracking, making timely budget adjustments, and reviewing budget adjustments made by other Africa program staff, and assist in addressing any issues regarding financial management.
• Ensure quality control of revenue and expense bookings through regular analysis and review of accounts.
• In addition to the program annual budget, the Budget Officer will support program staff in the preparation and review of budgets for proposal submissions.

Detail of Responsibilities

• Financial oversight and verification of accounts. Support the Deputy Director in preparing regular reviews of revenue versus budget & expense reports and assist in reconciling and ensuring quality control of financial transactions. Verify proper booking of revenue and assist country program financial staff in reconciling allocation of expenses (including payroll and vendor orders).
• Budget preparation and management. Coordinate with Africa program staff in NY and the country program offices to assist in the development of the annual budget for the Africa Program. Duties include: review budgets submitted by field programs, flag issues, and manage the budget cycle, including making sure that budgets are kept up to date, new revenue is included,  and budgets are regularly submitted to the Budget Office in NY.
• Budget Analysis. Work with the Deputy Director to complete a monthly analysis of the status of the budget (revenue and expenditure) and develop reports and analytical tools to better assist country program and NY staff in financial planning. Communicate budget status and updates regularly to the Africa program team in NY.
• Proposal Development. Support the proposal development process with the development and review of grant proposal budgets prepared by country office teams and assess implications on overall programmatic budgetary management. Ensure that proposal budgets are developed in compliance with the WCS accounting policies and structure.
• Grant Reporting. Work with Africa NY and country program staff and WCS’s GFGM, to ensure timely and accurate financial reporting and compliance with donor guidelines. Coordinate financial reporting to funding sources including private donors, foundations, corporations, and international and governmental agencies. Work with the country program staff and GFGM to prepare financial reports and grant extension/modification requests.
• Grant Management. Assist the Deputy Director with the review of new grant request forms submitted by country program teams and ensure these are properly set up in the accounting system.  Support Africa NY program managers in reviewing sub-grant agreements and related reports and in updating and maintaining grant information in the grants database.
• Administration and Other Duties. Coordinate with other WCS departments including Accounting, Development and Office of General Counsel for proposals, grants and contract review. Assist with the processing new hire and consultant paperwork and the on boarding of new staff as needed. Assist with review of legal documents and contracts as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor degree in Non-profit Management, Finance, Business, or related field. Course work in or exposure to Conservation Management a plus.
• Minimum of 1-2 years work experience in financial management, including budget development, tracking, and reporting.
• Meticulous attention to detail and commitment to quality required.
• Excellent organizational skills, including ability to set and follow priorities, take initiative, work on multiple projects simultaneously, and meet deadlines.
• Excellent interpersonal and communications skills, including writing and editing.
• Computer literacy in Microsoft Word and advanced skills in Microsoft Excel required, coupled with a proven ability to learn other systems. Experience working with SAP preferred.
• Comfortable operating in a dynamic, international environment and responding quickly to sudden needs and opportunities.

Spoken and written fluency in English required; proficiency in French a plus.

• Sincere interest in Africa and conservation issues necessary and experience working with international colleagues desired.

This is a New York-based position and applicants must be legally permitted to work in the United States.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Position:                                 Budget Officer, Africa Program

Division:                                 Global Conservation Program

Reports to:                             Deputy Director of Finance and Administration, Africa Program

Works Closely With:             Africa NY Program and Field Staff; WCS Global Budget Office, Program Development; and Global Finance and Grants Management (GFGM)              

Interested candidates should apply both online at http://www.wcs.org/about-us/careers, and by sending a cover letter and CV to globaljobs@wcs.org