Grants Accounting Coordinator
Description
Better Cotton Initiative
Description
Starting date: As soon as possible
Contract type: Full time, permanent
Salary: £36,400 or 71,600 CHF (dependant on experience)
Location: London (UK) or Geneva (Switzerland)
Application closing date: 19th February 2023, midnight GMT
Background
Better Cotton is the world’s largest cotton sustainability programme. Our mission: to help cotton communities survive and thrive, while protecting and restoring the environment. In challenging times, we are meeting the challenge head on. Through our network of field-level partners we have trained over 2.5 million farmers - from the smallest to the largest - in 23 countries in more sustainable farming practices. A quarter of the world’s cotton is now grown under the Better Cotton Standard. We have united the industry’s stakeholders behind our efforts, from ginners and spinners to brand owners, civil society organisations and governments. Everyone who cares about cotton and its sustainable future can now be part of something better.
About this role
Better Cotton is seeking a Grants Accounting Coordinator to support project teams with the financial management and administration of grants received from donors. You will be responsible for preparing financial reports for donors for grant-funded projects and will work closely with project teams to ensure those projects are delivered within budget and in accordance with the donors’ requirements.
The position sits within the Finance team and is supervised by the Grants Accounting Manager (based in London).
This challenging role offers excellent opportunities for personal and professional development, together with a competitive benefits package.
Responsibilities
Grants compliance
- Ensure compliance with donors’ financial requirements, rules and regulations, and internal and external deadlines.
- Prepare accurate, timely financial reports as per donors’ requirements.
- Provide training, guidance and direction to Better Cotton staff and project partners to ensure compliance with donors’ requirements.
- Work closely with the project teams to ensure that required procurement processes are followed.
- Coordinate project audits, liaise with auditors and project team, collate audit documentation, and respond to auditors’ queries.
- Follow-up on audit recommendations and corrective actions.
Financial management and accounting
- Monitor project expenditure in collaboration with project managers, addressing variances and mitigating actions.
- Maintain accurate accounts and allocation of expenditure, ensuring adequate supporting documents for all grant-funded expenditure.
- Prepare funding requests to the donor and monitor grant income.
- Provide support and guidance to budget holders on monitoring the project budget and forecasting.
- Undertake project financial close out (including reconciliations).
- Allocate staff costs to grant-funded projects based on timesheets.
- Monitor and maintain the timesheets application and data in SalesForce and FinancialForce.
General
- Support grant proposals, including budget development and financial review.
- Support with budgeting and forecasting for the organisational budget preparation and monitoring cycles.
- Provide support with year end processes and statutory audits.
- Undertake all other duties that may be determined by the line manager and that are compatible with the job description.
Profile
The selected candidate will have the following skills, knowledge, and experience:
| Skills, Knowledge and Experience |
| Essential |
| · Recognised qualification in Accounting, Finance, or Business Administration |
| · Excellent command of Excel and literacy in Word, PowerPoint and Outlook |
| · Bookkeeping and Accounting: experience in a finance support function |
| · Experience working with an ERP or accounting package |
| · Close attention to detail and accuracy, with strong analytical skills |
| · Experience in preparing financial reports for budget holders and managers |
| · Demonstrated experience in grants financial management and compliance with contracts (in particular with donors’ contracts) |
| · Demonstrated experience in financial reporting to donors |
| · Experience in audit preparation and coordination |
| · Fluency in English, both written and spoken, with attentive listening abilities and able to communicate clearly and concisely |
| · Flexibility, initiative, ability to work autonomously and to manage workload to meet deadlines |
| · Excellent interpersonal and teamwork skills, with a service-oriented attitude |
| · Experience of working in both not-for-profit and profit-making organisations |
| Desirable |
| · Experience working with international organisations |
| · Aptitude for manipulating data with computer systems |
| · Advanced computer and IT skills |
| · Experience with using FinancialForce |
| · Ability to work in a multicultural environment with respect for diversity |
| · Interest in and commitment to sustainability |
Working arrangements
The position is full time (40 hours per week) and will be based in our London or Geneva office. Better Cotton offers flexible working, with core hours being 10 am – 4 pm, and operates a hybrid working model (details vary per office location).
Travel may be required to visit other Better Cotton offices (up to 5%).
Applications
Interested applicants with the required attributes are asked to send, in English, a detailed CV (2 pages maximum) and a brief cover letter (1 page maximum) to Better Cotton by applying via this link.
Application deadline: 19th February 2023
Recruitment schedule (provisional):
- Screening call – One week after application deadline
- Interview and test – Two weeks after application deadline
Better Cotton is currently unable to provide sponsorship for work permits, and candidates need to have a pre-existing right to work in the location where they will be based.
Better Cotton is an equal opportunities employer, and is committed to good practice and transparency in the management of natural, human and financial resources.
Better Cotton has a zero tolerance approach to any attitudes or behaviours that put children or adults at risk of harm. Safeguarding incidents are acts of serious misconduct and are grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including, dismissal and referral to relevant authorities for criminal prosecution.