Assistant, Financial Planning and Analysis

Job Summary

The Accelerating Financial Resilience & Insurance for Young African Women in Agrifood Systems (AFIYA) program is a multi-country initiative that seeks to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable young women smallholder farmers and agri-preneurs across eight African countries. AFIYA complements and amplifies existing Mastercard Foundation country programs by embedding innovative insurance and financial inclusion solutions within established initiatives and trusted delivery channels. AFIYA’s core ambition is to enhance the financial security, climate resilience, and entrepreneurial capacity of young women in agriculture, enabling them to sustainably participate in and benefit from agrifood systems.

Job Details

The Assistant, Financial Planning and Analysis supports the budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis functions for the Mastercard Foundation (AFIYA) programme. The role contributes to the preparation, monitoring, and review of programme budgets to ensure accuracy, compliance, and alignment with programme objectives. Additionally, the position supports timely and accurate financial reporting to donors and grantees and maintains effective tracking of financial commitments and expenditures to promote accountability and informed decision-making.

Reports directly to - Officer, Financial Planning & Analysis

Reports indirectly to - Manager, Financial Analysis

Direct reports - None

Contract Type - Full-time, Permanent

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ROLE REQUIREMENTS

1. Budgeting, Forecasting, and Analysis
Support the development, implementation, and ongoing management of the AFIYA Programme budget by providing accurate forecasts and insightful financial analysis to inform decision-making:

• Monitor monthly financial performance against approved budgets and proactively investigate and explain variances. 
• Track programme expenditure against budget allocations, ensuring timely escalation to management of any deviations, along with clear justification and recommendations. 
• Contribute to periodic forecasting exercises to enhance budget accuracy and financial planning. 

2. Grantee Financial Reporting
Support effective financial oversight of grants to ensure compliance with donor requirements and internal policies:

• Liaise with Procurement to maintain an accurate and up-to-date grants tracker. 
• Review grantee financial reports and supporting documentation to ensure completeness, accuracy, and compliance. 
• Analyse grantee audit reports and highlight key findings, risks, and areas requiring corrective action. 
• Support the extraction and consolidation of financial information required by the Risk team and Project Leads, particularly in relation to project audits. 

3. Donor Financial Reporting
Facilitate accurate and timely financial reporting to donors in line with contractual obligations:

• Prepare periodic donor spend reports in accordance with agreed reporting formats and timelines. 
• Support the preparation and submission of disbursement requests to donors, ensuring completeness and adherence to reporting requirements. 

4. Commitments Tracking
Ensure effective tracking and management of contractual financial obligations against approved budgets:

• Maintain an accurate commitments tracker reflecting contract values, payments made, and outstanding balances. 
• Reconcile procurement contract listings with the commitments tracker to ensure completeness and accuracy. 

5. Financial Analysis
Provide analytical support to strengthen financial reporting and integrity:

• Collaborate with the Assistant Accountant to reconcile Budget vs Actual (BvA) reports with ledger postings, ensuring accuracy and consistency of financial data. 

6. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Administration
Support efficient utilization of the ERP system in budget management and financial tracking:

• Assist with budget reallocations within the ERP system, ensuring proper documentation and approvals. 
• Provide support to Programme Assistants on budgeting, expenditure tracking, and system-related queries within the ERP. 

Carry out any other duties or special assignments as assigned by the Management.

COMPETENCIES
Competencies describe the key behaviours that drive success in all of FSD Africa’s roles, regardless of technical specialism. They have been derived from systematic research correlating performance with personal attributes. 

Competency Levels 

• Level 1: Basic
• Level 2: Foundation   
• Level 3: Specialist
• Level 4: Senior Specialist      
• Level 5: Leading Expert          
• Level 6: Executive

This position requires competency at Basic Level for all the competencies listed below:

ESSENTIAL FOUNDATIONS
Commitment & Alignment
Demonstrates commitment to serving our partners and alignment with the values and vision of FSD Africa
Change & Challenge
Has a strong sense of ownership that leads to learning, self-starting, taking initiative, driving change and leading development
 

ACHIEVEMENT COMPETENCIES
Situational Awareness & Thinking
Thinks clearly and intentionally, analysing information objectively, understanding issues, solving problems, and making decisions
Drive for results
Is keenly motivated to achieve goals & act with accountability to deliver quality results
 

PEOPLE COMPETENCIES
Relationships & Collaboration
Discerns and appreciates the values, viewpoints, or abilities of others; effectively reconciles different interests and displays emotional intelligence
Communication & Influencing
Deliberately adjusts behaviour to accommodate others; communicates clearly, confidently, and appropriately to influence others
 

Requirements

PERSON SPECIFICATIONS

Qualifications and Education

• Minimum of Bachelor's degree with 1 year of experience or High Diploma with 2 years in Commerce, Finance or Business related discipline.
• Excellent skills in written and spoken English.

Essential Experience, Knowledge, and Skills

• At least one year’s administration work experience; a focus on preferably working in the finance environment of a donor funded organisation. 
• Proven, strong organisational skills, including the ability to self-start, prioritise and proactively respond to evolving/ unfolding demands.
• Experience in managing processes and analysing information.
• Demonstrably strong customer focus.
• Expert-level proficiency in MS Office, particularly Excel and Word, with strong capabilities in data analysis, reporting, and documentation. 
• Working knowledge of ERP systems, with the ability to navigate, extract, and analyse financial data effectively. 
• Experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 ERP is an added advantage
• Demonstrate good attention to detail with grammar, spelling and writing style that will appeal to key stakeholders.
• Team player: ability to work effectively with colleagues across the organisation.

Desirable

• Experience of working in a multi-cultural environment.
• Experience working with donors, including knowledge of donor policies and procedures.
• Previous experience of working in FCDO or Mastercard Foundation funded projects.
• Languages: French, local African languages.

Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity: 

FSDAi is committed to building a diverse organization and a climate of equity and inclusivity.  We strongly encourage applications from candidates who can demonstrate that they can contribute to this goal.

Equal Opportunity Employer: 

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, colour, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, or disability status. We will ensure that all applicants are provided a fair chance to compete for available job opportunities.

About Company

FSD Africa

https://fsdafrica.org/

FSD Africa is a specialist development agency working to help make finance work for Africa’s future. Based in Nairobi, FSD Africa’s team of financial sector experts work alongside governments, business leaders, regulators, and policymakers to design and build ambitious programmes that make financial markets work better for everyone. FSD Africa Investments, provides early-stage, risk-bearing, catalytic and patient capital to inventive commercial organisations in order to stimulate capital flows in support of green economic growth benefiting people and planet. Established in 2012, FSD Africa is incorporated as a non-profit company limited by guarantee in Kenya. It is funded by UK aid from the UK government.