Finance & Grants Specialist Romania-Moldova (Maternity Cover)

The Organisation

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We believe in the power and potential of every child but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And it is girls who are most affected.

Working together with children, young people, supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges girls and vulnerable children face. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood and we enable children to prepare for and respond to crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge.

For over 85 years, we have rallied other determined optimists to transform the lives of all children in more than 80 countries.

We won’t stop until we are all equal.

This position is only for Moldova and Romania nationalities. 

Plan international in East and Central Europe

Plan International responded to the Ukraine Crisis since March 2022, starting in countries hosting Ukrainian refugees (Moldova, Romania, Poland) and thereafter expanding humanitarian operations inside Ukraine since August 2022. Since July-August 2022, Plan International has been duly registered in Poland and Romania as national Foundations and in Moldova as a branch office of Plan International Inc. Since October 2022, Plan International has also been duly registered in Ukraine as a representative office of Plan International Inc.

The Ukraine Crisis Response portfolio across the 4 countries has seen a rapid expansion and has the ambition to grow to EUR 100M between 2022 and 2025. Growth is expected to come through acquisition of grants from both bilateral and multilateral donors, EU funding streams (DG ECHO, DG NEAR, DG HOME) as well as through ongoing public appeals, exploring corporate sector funding opportunities and local fundraising.

Plan International is profiling itself as one of the ‘go to’ organizations in promoting and protecting the rights of children, girls and young people in conflict and crisis; in particular through adding value in child protection, education, gender and inclusion, social cohesion, GBV, MHPSS and CVA. As the crisis permits, Plan International will expand its humanitarian interventions into longer term development goals driving youth-led action and equality for girls in Moldova, Poland, Romania and Ukraine.

Plan International works exclusively through strategic civil society partners to support vulnerable children, young people, and their families to cope with the impact of the current humanitarian crisis and to increase their resilience.  

Plan International currently employs approximately 85 staff across the response. It is expected that the ratio of international to national staff will rapidly decrease. A Ukraine Crisis Response Leadership Team comprising of the Response Director, four Heads of Mission/CD, the Head of Programme Operations, the Head of P&C and the Head of Finance and Operations is driving our strategic ambition and promotes inclusive decision making and mutual accountability. The response is supported by the Ukraine Crisis Response strategic and operational shared service hub which strongly connects Plan International’s response and presence in Moldova, Romania, Poland and Ukraine: a multi-country Ukraine Crisis Response Strategy (January 2023-December 2024) guides the strategic ambition of Plan International throughout the multi-country response.

Role PURPOSE

Plan International is an independent child rights and humanitarian organisation committed to children living a life free of poverty, violence and injustice.

We actively unite children, communities and other people who share our mission to make positive lasting changes in children’s and young people’s lives. We support children to gain the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to claim their rights to a fulfilling life, today and in the future. We place a specific focus on girls and women, who are most often left behind.

We have been building powerful partnerships for children for more than 75 years, and are now active in more than 70 countries.

The position contributes to this goal by supporting the finance and accounts function in the Ukraine Response Emergency area by ensuring efficiency, effectiveness and value for money transactions.

DIMENSIONS OF THE ROLE

The role complements the Ukraine Response’s Finance team at country level and works closely with the overall Ukraine response Finance team across Poland, Moldova, Romania and Ukraine.

Accountabilities

1. Financial management

• Support petty cash replenishment vouchers and validate petty cash count on a regular basis as per Plan financial guidelines
• Support in posting of the country office finance returns by working closely with program team, accountant and country finance manager for allocation methodology.
• Review requisition forms (including from partners) and payment vouchers for accuracy and completeness in line with Plan’s policies
• Support monthly cash forecasts for the country office and liaise with the program team, the accountant and the country finance manager for final consolidation
• Liaise and provide assistance to partners on grant financial management (providing technical support and advice), ensuring compliance to donor requirements for all grants, in cooperation with the Country Finance Manager and Partnership Manager

2. Reporting

• Draft finance report for internal and external stakeholders as requested, support the elaboration and reporting of financial KPIs
• Monitor and coordinate grants financial reporting of grant funded projects ensuring quality and timely before submitting to the Country Finance Manager
• Participate in the general audit readiness of the country office and support the CFM facilitating the audits of the grants funded projects as per contractual agreement
• Support auditing process by compiling necessary documentation
• Prepare monthly pack reconciliation as per the Plan guidelines.
• Reconcile the intercompany account, and ensure that the reconciling items are processed on time.

4.Supplier payments

• Approve third party payment documents and ensure that they are complete and accurate in cooperation with CFM
• Support establishment and operation of a filing system for supplier payments, all vouchers and partner liquidations in country.

5. Budget Processes

• Support the drafting of realistic program and budgets in cooperation with CFM
• Support the program team review the budget vs actuals on a monthly basis and propose appropriate corrective actions to maximise impact at scale
• Support the CFM in the preparation of BVA for the country funded projects by preparing and provide support to the program manager and budget holders

6. Grant Management

• Ensure new project are correctly incorporated in SAP, verify that are in Power-BI
• Set upGrants opening and closure processes in SAP
• Verify that posting period are in line with BudgetsConsolidate bi-monthly cash request based on program and support teams needs
• Ensure timely remittance of grants income by Local Donors as per agreements.
• Communicate LRI to NOs and update SAP income tables timeously

Key relationships

• Ukraine Response Hub Finance Team
• Country Leadership Team
• Country Finance Manager
• Program Management team (Project Managers, BDM, Partnership Manager)
• GH Accounting teams
• Functional Finance Networks
• External Stakeholders eg partners, financial institutions bank, auditors

Technical expertise, skills and knowledge

Essential

• Appropriate experience and/or education - from 1 to 5 years- in a finance field: accounting; reporting; grants finance; financial planning and analysis etc…
• Communicates clearly, effectively and as appropriate to the audience.
• Knowledge of internal controls, audit and/or financial management.
• MS Excel proficiency
• Solution focused; able to prioritise, deliver on time and cope with ambiguity.
• Working knowledge of written and spoken English.
• Team player, values interculturality and diversity

Desirable

• Knowledge and experience in using SAP
• Qualified or part qualified accountant.
• Strong financial systems expertise.
• Some understanding of the humanitarian sector and ways of working.
• Experience with working in an INGO at Field and/or Country Office level.
• Knowledge and experience in Microsoft D365.

Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Child Protection (CPP) and Gender Equality and Inclusion (GEI) are fully embedded in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to their area of responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.

2023 Role Profile - Grants and Finance Specialist - Romania-Moldova 2023.docx

Location: Chisinau, Moldova (or) Bucharest, Romania

Type of Role: Fixed-Term, Full-Time

Reports to: Country Finance Manager

Closing Date: 08-May-2024

Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the very heart of everything that Plan International stands for.

We want Plan International to reflect the diversity of the communities we work with, offering equal opportunities to everyone regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

Plan International is based on a culture of inclusivity and we strive to create a workplace environment that ensures every team, in every office, in every country, is rich in diverse people, thoughts, and ideas.

We foster an organisational culture that embraces our commitment to racial justice, gender equality, girls’ rights and inclusion.

Plan International believes that in a world where children face so many threats of harm, it is our duty to ensure that we, as an organisation, do everything we can to keep children safe. This means that we have particular responsibilities to children that we come into contact with and we must not contribute in any way to harming or placing children at risk.

A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Plan International's Safeguarding Children and Young People policy. Plan International also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this scheme we will request information from applicants previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.

Please note that Plan International will never send unsolicited emails requesting payment from candidates.