Subaward Compliance Officer

The Mercy Corps Sub-award and Compliance Department supports all financial and compliance aspects of sub-granting. the Sub-award and Compliance Department is responsible for ensuring subrecipients are compliant with donor regulations as well as Mercy Corps’ internal policies and procedures.  It supports the Program team to ensure that financial resources are used efficiently and effectively.  The Department is involved in pre-award and due diligence processes, contracting, financial report support, reviews, and approvals, payments, capacity development, compliance reviews and audits, close-out.   The Department is also a main actor in ensuring Sub-award strategy is embedded in programming, by providing on-the-job and ad-hoc support to Partners on all finance and compliance related issues in order to ensure compliance and also importantly to build the financial and compliance capacity of partners.

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:

The Sub-award Compliance Officer will support the Sub-award & Compliance function to oversee, ensure and facilitate the compliance with Mercy Corps policies and procedures, donor regulations and requirements for partners. The successful candidate will work with team members and implementing partner(s) to ensure smooth, efficient and effective sub-granting process that adhere to Mercy Corps’ policy and donor regulations.  The Subaward Compliance Officer will examine, review, and analyze records, reports, financial information and management practices of the subawardees to ensure compliance with Mercy Corps’ policies and procedures and donor requirements, and will assist the subawardees in developing and implementing effective financial and operational controls to mitigate risk.

The Sub-award Compliance Officer will support the efforts of capacity development of local organisations to meet finance and compliance requirements and develop professional processes and/or systems.

On an as needed basis, s/he will assist the Mercy Corps Ethics and Assurance Manager with fraud case management related to subawardees, including assisting in the conduct of investigations.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Subaward Compliance

• Support the Sub-award & Compliance Department to ensure that partnership compliance processes and guidelines are followed.
• Support with the financial monitoring and verification process of subgrants, to ensure compliance, including reviewing Partner Monitoring Plans and Financial Reporting packages. 
• Support with the maintenance of a financial best practice toolbox for subgrants and disseminate to partners to ensure minimum financial standards across subgrantees.
• Support and maintain trackers in the course of the sub-granting process, in relation to particular donor compliance matters and fraud/corruption reporting matters.
• Cross-check subgrantee financial information with other donor agencies to ensure consistent charging practices from partners.
• Cross-check subgrantee financial information with Information Management Department and with other partners and develop a comprehensive database of relevant information including prices, costs, exchange rates.
• Perform monitoring visits of Subgrantees, in Beirut, Amman and elsewhere in region as required.  Draft TORs for those visits based on initial assessment of data and write reports of the visits and findings.
• Write reports on findings for the attention of Subaward Finance Manager, Subawards & Compliance Director, Ethics & Assurance Manager, SMT and HQ Ethics Teams.
• Coordinate with PAQ and specifically Capacity Development Teams on identifying and supporting capacity development needs and implementing capacity development action plan.
• In coordination with the Sub-award and Compliance Director, maintain the subawardees Risk Register to identify key risks and document strategies to mitigate these risks. Manage the quarterly update process and ensure communication of action plans.

Fraud & Corruption Management

• Ensure that all allegations raised by/about subgrantees is reported to the Subawards & Compliance Director, Ethics and Assurance Manager and/or to the Integrity Hotline.
• Coordinate with the Ethics and Assurance Manager to ensure the maintenance of a complete register of all reports received.
• At the request of the Subawards & Compliance Director and the Ethics and Assurance Manager:

• Assist in the development of an anti-corruption toolbox for subgrants.
• Conduct and/or assist in the presentation of anti-fraud/corruption training for subgrantees
• Assist and support inquiries and investigations to determine the facts, circumstances and scope of fraud/corruption allegations raised, as related to subawardees.
• Assist collection and analysis of investigation documents, documenting the results of analyses and investigations and communicating observations and recommendations, as appropriate.
• Assist in the coordination with other agencies in the case of joint investigations

Team Support & Capacity Development

• Support with guidance and training for partners and MC team (including written guidance notes and compliance training sessions and workshops). 
• Assist in any other task or duty assigned by the supervisor.

General

• Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission.
• Other duties as assigned

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILTY

N/A

CCOUNTABILITY

REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: Subawards & Compliance Director

WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: Sub-award Finance Manager, Subawards and Finance Staff, Program, PAQ and Capacity Development Staff, Ethics and Assurance Manager, Administrative Staff, HQ Finance and Ethics Staff, All Mercy Corps departments and staff as well as staff from partner(s) organizations.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

• University Degree or Higher, ideally in field relating to law, business, finance (or other related subjects).
• 2 or more years of experience working in Audit or Compliance, with experience of auditing Non-Governmental Organisations.
• 2 or more years of experience working in Non-Governmental Organisations, ideally focused on humanitarian relief.
• Demonstrated expertise in working with sub-grants, small grants, and/or contracts.
• Good understanding of structure and processes in NGOs. 
• Working understanding of procurement, administration and finance systems and strong ability to communicate and train others to improve their understanding.
• Strong analysis skills, to review data and information and produce reports with recommendations.
• Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members. 
• Effective verbal and written communication and good organizational skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to ethics, and excellent judgement.
• Commitment to local capacity building and past experience of engaging and working with local stakeholders in project design and implementation.
• Demonstrated familiarity with the MS Office software (i.e., Word, Excel, and PowerPoint).
• Commitment to high level of confidentiality with sensitive information.
• Arabic and English language written and spoken is essential; Excellent written English is desired.