Management Accountant – Grants

About the role

This role sits at the centre of financial stewardship for donor‑backed programmes and foundation‑led initiatives. The post holder keeps grant and project finances accurate, audit‑ready, and aligned with each funder’s rules, while giving programme and finance colleagues clear visibility into how money is committed, spent, and reported.

Key responsibilities

• Own the grant ledger and supporting records, ensuring each award, amendment, and budget line is reflected accurately from award setup through closeout.
• Compare actual spending with approved donor budgets on a regular cycle, flag variances, and work with programme teams to address underspending, overspending, or reallocation needs.
• Produce donor financial reports, invoice or drawdown schedules, and reconciliations that tie to the general ledger and meet submission deadlines.
• Apply donor‑specific rules on eligible costs, procurement, matching contributions, and fund restrictions, escalating compliance risks before they become findings.
• Administer foundation income and expenditure, including donations, sponsorships, fundraising proceeds, and other non‑grant revenue streams.
• Prepare accountability reports for foundation activities and support stewardship updates that show how contributions have been used.
• Track project funding balances, reconcile project accounts, and monitor budget absorption and utilisation rates across multiple awards.
• Coordinate audit and donor review requests, maintain complete documentation, and draft responses to auditor or funder queries.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related discipline from a recognised university.
• Professional accounting certification such as CPA(K) or ACCA.
• Four to six years of relevant experience in grants accounting, project accounting, fund management, or a comparable finance role.
• Practical familiarity with donor‑funded programmes and the reporting cycles, restrictions, and audit expectations that come with them.
• Solid grasp of fund accounting, including restricted versus unrestricted balances, cost allocation, and donor budget structures.
• High level of accuracy in financial tracking, reconciliations, and reporting, with strong analytical and written reporting skills.
• Ability to manage several funding streams at once, prioritise competing deadlines, and keep documentation audit‑ready.
• Knowledge of donor compliance requirements and confidence working with auditors, funders, and programme colleagues.