Reports to: Senior Finance Manager

Grade: Uganda – E

Location: Kampala, Uganda

University Research Co., LLC (URC)

Guided by a strong vision of equitable and resilient systems that respond to people’s needs and emerging threats, URC helps countries and local actors to build, implement, and sustain science-driven, scalable solutions. Established in 1965, URC offers a range of technical expertise to empower governments, communities, and service providers toward strengthening their own health and social systems and improve service quality. We aim to expand access to and improve the quality of services, addressing maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health; global health security and infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria; reproductive health and family planning; nutrition and water, sanitation, and hygiene. In our interactions with each other and our clients, we stay true to our values for transformative change by focusing on:

Creativity: by unleashing our creativity, we enhance engagement and interaction to improve problem-solving.
Collaboration: not only our work towards the same vision and mission instill staff with a strong sense of purpose, but also enables us to complement each other’s skills and allocate work to maximize everyone’s strengths.
Accountability: we hold ourselves responsible for accomplishing goals, completing assignments, and making decisions.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion: we embrace the importance of a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment, where our leadership and staff model behavior that enriches our organization, demonstrates respect for all people, and supports opportunities for all staff.
Transparency: we understand that when employees deeply trust one another and their leaders, they will be more engaged in their roles because they will not be worried about unfair treatment.
Overview:

URC is seeking an experienced Finance Officer for the USAID Uganda Health Activity (UHA), a five-year program. The purpose of UHA is to support the Government of Uganda’s (GOU’s) efforts to increase the survival and well-being of vulnerable populations and improve overall health system resilience in seven priority regions. The program will strengthen the quality and availability of MNCH, FP/RH, nutrition, and facility-level WASH services as well as health systems at the regional-, district-, facility-, and community-levels.

Responsibilities:

The Finance Officer is responsible for assisting in implementing the overall accounting and financial control systems for the project. S/he is also responsible for using adequate and appropriate internal controls to meet generally recognized accounting standards.

Specific responsibilities include the following:

Support in the preparation/ development of field monthly financial reports which includes Cost Point (CP) postings, bank and mobile money reconciliations (summary and details), journal entries preparations, staff advance aging reports , expenditure reports (summary & details), supporting payment vouchers, account payable and cash suspense account reconciliations, error reports with indication of corrections, analysis reports for liabilities and other assets.
Ensure expenses are in accordance with U.S. government regulations (expenses are reasonable, allowable and allocable), and URC policies and procedures.
Timely preparation and processing of payments by ensuring that all payments are reasonable, allowable, allocable to the project. This includes liaising with procurement to ensure that all payments are adequately supported.
Review Mobile Money request forms against Participant registrations / attendance forms, Approved Activity Request (AAR), Travel Activity Budget, and all related support documentation from the project implementing teams and tabulate the same using Microsoft office applications (Excel, Word, & PowerPoint)
Initiate dully supported and allowable payments into online banking platforms this includes Vendor payments and mobile money payments.
Ensure that internal controls pertaining to online Banking & Mobile Money payments are tightened to mitigate risks.
As part of the finance team, ensure that URC financial management policies and procedures and USAID regulations are strictly adhered to. This includes ensuring that all USG circulars, USAID Uganda Mission policy directives and various checklists circulated are implemented.
Work closely with the finance team to address all field report review comments from home office including providing feedback for missing and queried vouchers and outstanding information following review of payment documentation.
Preparation of monthly cash projections for submission to home office under the direction of the Finance and Administration Director. This also includes Biweekly cash projections.
Support review cash projections from the regional offices for consolidation and submission to home office. This also includes Biweekly cash projections.
Working closely with the Regional Finance & Admin Managers, ensure funds are disbursed in a timely manner for activity implementation.
Support review of financial reports and documentation from sub grantees as needed, under the direction of Finance and Administration Director
Work closely with the Grants department to ensure that sub grantee accountabilities and reconciliations are properly documented and journalized in CP..
Work as part of the finance team to ensure that all project financial and accounting tasks are accomplished accurately and in a timely manner.
Maintain close coordination with URC project staff on financial matters and advise them, as appropriate, on matters requiring their attention.
Assist in periodic inventory/ asset and stores audit and advise the Finance and Administration Director accordingly.
Perform any other task assigned by supervisor, Finance & Admin Director and or Chief of Party.
Qualifications:

Required Experience and Qualifications

Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Accounting, Management, or other relevant field. With additional minimum Level 2 ACCA or CPA qualification.
At least three years of experience in financial management.
At least 2 years of experience with Cost Point preferred.
Previous experience with online banking platforms, especially BEYONIC, is an added advantage.
Experience working with USAID-funded projects, and with Mobile Money payments modules is a strong advantage.
Excellent writing, computer, management, and organizational skill