Esther Wangui Mwangi
Grants Management | Financial Accounting Professional
Nairobi
Summary
Grants management professional with strong analytical and organizational skills. Expertise in navigating funding guidelines, preparing proposals, supporting financial planning and analysis and ensuring compliance with grant requirements. Strong focus on team collaboration and achieving results with flexibility to adapt to changing needs. Known for reliability and effective communication in high-stakes environments.
Career aspiration is to work and excel as part of a dynamic team that provides creative and pragmatic financial solutions that help the organization mitigate risks and ensure proper use of financial resources according to established procedures.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
7
7
years of post-secondary education
2
2
Languages
1
1
Certificate
Work History
Finance Specialist- Somalia and Ukraine
Medair
09.2021 - Current
- Prepare high-quality, complete and timely financial reports that adhere to organizational standards and donor requirements.
- Proactively identify and address potential compliance issues within country program teams, keeping leadership well-informed of any projected challenges in meeting contractual obligations.
- Spearhead comprehensive training initiatives for finance teams to foster understanding of donor rules and requirements
- Collaborating across departments to seamlessly coordinate donor audits, ensuring the swift communication of audit findings and facilitating coordinated feedback to auditors.
- Monitor budget and expenditure trends, compiling variance reports for country leadership to inform decision-making.
- Contribute to grant proposal writing efforts by providing accurate financial data and projections required for funding applications and create detailed budgets for grant applications, aligning project costs with anticipated resources and outcomes.
- Establish robust financial controls and policies, significantly reducing risk of fraud and ensuring compliance with financial regulations.
Finance Specialist
Horizon Institute
02.2018 - 07.2020
- Prepared timely and accurate financial and donor reports and maintained complete and accurate support documents for all financial transactions
- Maintained a comprehensive database of grant information, ensuring easy access to up-to-date details for all team members.
- Prepared budgets, forecasts and funds requisition and ensured adherence to budgets during project implementation, provided frequent feedback to the programs team on significant budget deviations
- Provided training support to implementing partner institutions in Somaliland to account for funds advanced to them and ensured project implementation adhered to value for money principles
- Supervised finance offices in Hargeisa and Burao, Somaliland
- Initiated and coordinated all audits and developed an action plan to implement recommendations
- Ensured all staff are conversant with finance and administration, procurement and human resource policies and enforcing compliance of the same
- Supported proposal development efforts by providing accurate estimates on costs, timelines, and resources required for project execution.
- Interpreted complex award documents to provide guidance on allowable costs and spending restrictions.
- Identified opportunities for continuous improvement within the grants management process, implementing changes as necessary.
Finance & Grants Officer
I Choose Life Africa (ICL)
04.2016 - 10.2017
- Prepared timely and accurate financial reports, reconciled bank accounts, managed accounts payable
- Documented and maintained complete and accurate support documents for all financial transactions
- Ensured timely submission of financial reports by implementing partners, reviewed reports and provided timely feedback
- Continuously monitored budget commitments by implementing partners and made funds disbursements based on their financial reports
- Participated in grant proposal development and extensions, by providing technical support in the development of grant budgets
- Coordinated project audits by providing all required audit schedules and support documents
- Supervised two finance assistants
Grants Officer
Kenya Aids NGOs Consortium (KANCO)
03.2013 - 02.2016
- Prepared donor reports, cash requests to donors and requests for approval based on grant agreements.
- Prepared budget variance reports with notes to assist leadership in decision making.
- Conducted regular supervision visits to implementing partners' field offices and project implementation sites, ensuring project implementation is on track as per the work plan.
- Provided assistance to implementing partners and program staff to implement and manage the grant cycle process, including: budgeting, implementation, periodic reporting, monitoring and evaluation and grants close out.
- Ensured timely submission of financial reports by the implementing partners, reviewed and provided timely feedback.
- Trained implementing partners' accountants on financial procedures and ensured that partners had strong and reliable internal control systems.
- Identified areas for improvement in financial reporting through meticulous review of documentation and procedures.
- Trained implementing partner staff on internal controls best practices, fostering a culture of accountability.
Accounts Assistant
Oss Chemie (K) Limited
01.2011 - 01.2013
- Processed payments and documents such as invoices, journal vouchers, employee reimbursements, and statements.
- Supported the accounting team with month-end closing procedures, ensuring timely completion and accurate reporting.
- Ensured proper filing of all financial and administrative documents.
- Prepared and coordinated annual audits in liaison with external auditors.
- Ensured payroll statutory deductions were paid on time.
- Coordinated bank and general ledger accounts reconciliation.
- Handled day-to-day accounting processes to drive financial accuracy.
Education
Bachelor of Commerce - Accounting
Kenyatta University
Nairobi 04.2006 - 01.2010
Certified Public Accountant - Accounting
Vision Institute Of Professionals
Nairobi 01.2007 - 01.2010
Skills
Financial Reporting and financial statements analysis
Affiliations
Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK), Full Membership
Training
- Grants Management course-Strathmore University
- ECHO workshop: Understanding requirements, reporting, monitoring and audit, 05/03/2023
- Relief and Recovery Orientation Course, 06/17/2023
- USAID Rules & Regulations: Grants & Cooperative Agreements, 10/09/2023
- Lean Green Belt-Process Improvement training, 12/01/2023
Accomplishments
- Achieved good donor audit reports through effectively training staff on donor rules and regulations, enhancing compliance in project implementation.
Languages
English
Bilingual or Proficient (C2)
Swahili
Bilingual or Proficient (C2)
Work Availability
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
sunday
morning
afternoon
evening
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Interests
Travel
Community service
Work Preference
Work Type
Full TimePart TimeContract WorkWork Location
On-SiteRemoteImportant To Me
Flexible work hoursPersonal development programsCareer advancementCertification
Certified Public Accountant(CPA)
Quote
There is a powerful driving force inside every human being that, once unleashed, can make any vision, dream, or desire a reality.
Tony Robbins
Software
Microsoft suite
UNIT4
Microsoft Dynamics 365
Timeline
Finance Specialist- Somalia and Ukraine
Medair
09.2021 - Current
Finance Specialist
Horizon Institute
02.2018 - 07.2020
Finance & Grants Officer
I Choose Life Africa (ICL)
04.2016 - 10.2017
Grants Officer
Kenya Aids NGOs Consortium (KANCO)
03.2013 - 02.2016
Accounts Assistant
Oss Chemie (K) Limited
01.2011 - 01.2013
Certified Public Accountant - Accounting
Vision Institute Of Professionals
01.2007 - 01.2010
Bachelor of Commerce - Accounting
Kenyatta University
04.2006 - 01.2010
Certified Public Accountant(CPA)
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