Danish Refugee Council, one of the world’s leading humanitarian NGOs, is currently looking for a highly qualified Roving Finance Specialist for our operations in Nairobi.
Overall purpose of the role
The National Finance Specialist serves as the technical anchor for donor budgeting and reporting, financial analysis, forecasting, and BFU leadership across the country programme. The role ensures consistent & standard quality control, strengthens ERP/Dynamics data integrity, and provides targeted coaching and capacity-building to Finance staff and relevant stakeholders.
Operating with a high degree of independence and capable of remote management, the Specialist delivers timely, accurate, and compliant financial outputs across a complex, multi donor portfolio. The position plays a central role in coordinating and advising on all financial aspects of the country’s reporting cycles, ensuring that financial management practices align with donor requirements and the Finance Chapters of DRC’s Operations Handbook
Your main duties and responsibilities will be:
Donor Budgeting & Proposal Development
- Lead development of donor proposal budgets and revisions (ECHO, EU, SIDA, FCDO, BHA/USAID, DANIDA, GFFO, SDC, UNICEF, etc.) ensuring alignment with donor rules, cost eligibility, exchange rate assumptions, and internal cost‑coverage strategy.
- Draft/validate budget narratives, cost allocation rationales, and consistency check against logframes and procurement/HR plans.
- Coordinate with Program, HR, and Supply Chain to ensure complete, realistic, and on‑time budget packages.
- Responsible for providing specialized knowledge and operational know-how within a budgeting and reporting area.
Donor Reporting Leadership
- Own the end‑to‑end donor financial reporting cycle: calendars, data extraction, reconciliations, currency conversions, cross‑checks against GL/ERP and BFUs, and final QC.
- Produce clear, error‑free reports and management notes (variance explanations, risk flags, corrective actions).
- Support timely delivery of quality financial reports to donors and internal reports to colleagues and HQ
- Ensure compliance with relevant country statutory and other financial obligations such as tax, levies and statutory returns
BFU Governance, Financial Analysis & Forecasting
- Lead/coach monthly BFU meetings and analysis with Budget Holders and projects managers.
- Drive variance analysis and ensure timely corrective actions, issue concise executive summaries to SMT.
- Track BFU actions to closure; maintain “no‑surprises” cadence on risks and deadlines.
- Deliver forward‑looking financial insights: rolling forecasts, burn rates, runway, pipeline/prognosis, scenario analysis.
- Support the Master Budget (MB) gap analysis, cost coverage and resource allocation decisions with clear, data‑driven recommendations.
- Maintain a continuous overview of funding levels and pay particular attention to shared support costs, including staff salaries.
Data quality, compliance & internal controls
- Design and enforce QC checklists and sampling for allowability/allocability/reasonableness, supporting compliance with donor and DRC rules.
- Improve shared cost allocations, timesheet alignment (during adjustments), documentation completeness, and projects audit readiness.
Ensure thorough and effective budgetary control in the country office.
- Monthly financial briefings to Head of Support Services (HoSS) on quality, compliance and foreseeable risks.
- Liaise with relevant Managers on key financial issues for all programs in the country, including co-funding, financial reporting, key variances and any remedial action
ERP / Dynamics & reporting systems
- Strengthen correct use of Dynamics (dimensions, postings, categories, reconciliations, data extraction) and produce analytics from ERP outputs.
- Develop job aids and quick guides; troubleshoot common errors; collaborate with super users/ HQ ERP support.
Cross‑functional Coordination
- Run a financial calendar (budgets, reports, BFUs, audits) with clear inputs/outputs for Programs, HR, and Supply Chain.
- Clarify SLAs for information flows to prevent bottlenecks and late escalations.
Mentoring & capacity building (Remote‑First)
- Provide remote mentoring and targeted coaching to finance staff on budgeting, reporting, analysis, and Excel/ERP.
- Facilitate short, practical clinics (e.g., “variance analysis in 30 minutes”, “Power Query for BFU”).
Process automation & standardization
- Build/maintain standard templates (Excel Power Query/Power Pivot; optional Power BI) for BFUs, reports, and forecasts.
- Document SOPs and create reusable tools to reduce manual errors and speed up monthly cycles.
Audit & Partner support (as needed)
- Prepare PBC lists, reconcile samples, and package documentation for audits.
- Support partner reviews/capacity strengthening on budgeting/reporting and basic controls.
- Participate in potential partner due-diligence assessment
- Review sub-grant agreement for donor’s audit requirement, instalments, reporting, etc.
- Participate in partners project kick-off and close-out meeting
- Participate in partner capacity assessment
- Review and approve financial report of partner
Experience and technical competencies:
- Minimum 3 years of international practical experience in financial management in INGO/humanitarian settings.
- 3+ years leading donor budgeting & financial reporting.
- Proven multi‑donor expertise (ECHO, EU, SIDA, FCDO, BHA/USAID, DANIDA, GFFO, SDC, UNHCR, UNICEF etc.) with hands‑on compliance application.
- ERP experience - Microsoft Dynamics strongly preferred; other ERPs acceptable (SAP, NetSuite, SUN).
- Strong financial analysis/forecasting, scenario planning, and Master Budget support.
- Competence in providing technical guidance and training.
- Proven experience in working with national partners, local/government authorities
- Demonstrate expert proficiency in advance Excel (Pivot Tables, Power Query, Power Pivot, INDEX/XMATCH, SUMIFS, nested logic) with large/complicated financial data analysis and clear presentation of insights.
- Have a track record of achieving high targets in a highly demanding and challenging context with multiple conflicting priorities.
- Be able to multitask and deliver results while working independently.
- Be self-driven and solutions oriented, with a record of solutions created through personal initiative
EDUCATION: (include certificates, licenses, etc.)
- Master’s degree in finance, Business Administration, Accounting or related field.
- Professional qualification (ACCA/CPA/CMA or equivalent) highly desirable
LANGUAGE: (indicate Fluency level)
- Excellent written/oral English; ability to produce concise executive notes.
In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’ five core competencies:
Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process.
Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback.
Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.
Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly.
Demonstrating integrity: You uphold and promote the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to our values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.
We offer
Contract length: 12 Months
Contract Type: National Contract
Band: G2 – Non- Management
Designation of Duty Station: Nairobi
Start date: 1st April 2026
Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for National employees
Application process
All applicants must upload a cover letter and an updated CV (no longer than four pages) in English. Applications sent by email will not be considered
Closing date for applications: March 08, 2026
For further information about the Danish Refugee Council, please consult our website drc.ngo.
Gender Equality: DRC is committed to achieving gender parity in staffing at all levels. In light of this, women candidates are particularly encouraged to apply to bridge the gender gap.
Equal Opportunities: DRC is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment based on mutual respect for all employees. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, disability status, religion, ethnic origin, colour, race, marital status, or other protected characteristics
We strongly encourage female candidates to apply for the position!
We encourage only qualified Ethiopian Nations to apply. DRC considers all applicants based on merit.
Working at DRC
Help applying
DRC as an employer
Founded in 1956, DRC Danish Refugee Council is Denmark’s largest, and a leading international NGO. We have continuously been ranked as one of the best NGOs in the world - and are one of the few with a specific expertise in forced displacement. In over 30 countries, we protect, advocate and build sustainable futures for refugees and other displacement-affected people and communities.
By working in DRC, you will be joining a global workforce of over 6,000 employees. We pride ourselves on our:
- Professionalism, impact & expertise
- Humanitarian approach & the work we do
- Purpose, meaningfulness & own contribution
- Culture, values & strong leadership
- Fair compensation & continuous development
DRC’s capacity to ensure the protection of and assistance to refugees, IDP’s and other persons of concern depends on the ability of our staff to uphold and promote the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation DRC’s values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. DRC conducts thorough and comprehensive background checks as part of the recruitment process.
Danish Refugee Council is an equal opportunity employer and we consider all applicants based on individual merit and qualifications, regardless of personal characteristics or attributes. We are committed to increasing the diversity of our workforce, aiming for a 50% balance of men and women in management roles and ensuring that at least 50% of management roles are filled by national staff. We recognize that a diverse and inclusive team is crucial for achieving our organizational goals and making a positive impact on the communities we serve.