Coordinator, Finance and Grants

Organizational Context

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian ‎network, with 191 member National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. IFRC uses the Triple R – response, resilience ‎and respect – to deliver on Strategy 2030. IFRC responds to disasters and crises, ensuring timely, coordinated and locally ‎led humanitarian action. IFRC supports its members in building community resilience in the areas of climate and ‎environment, health and wellbeing, and migration and displacement. IFRC promotes respect for our fundamental ‎principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality, including in our ‎work on values, power and inclusion. The IFRC focuses throughout on our core mandate – our raison d’être – of ‎strategic and operational coordination, humanitarian diplomacy, National Society development, and accountability. ‎

IFRC is led by its Secretary General and has its Headquarters in Geneva and five regional offices in Africa (Nairobi); the ‎Americas (Panama); Asia Pacific (Kuala Lumpur); Europe (Budapest); and MENA (Beirut) as well as representation offices, ‎service centres and delegations across the globe.‎

The IFRC has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the Red Cross and ‎Red Crescent Movement, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment and other forms of harassment, ‎abuse of authority, discrimination, and lack of integrity (including but not limited to financial misconduct). IFRC also ‎adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. ‎

Effective programme delivery therefore depends on strong integration between programme planning and financial ‎management. Programme teams need timely visibility of available funding, expenditure, commitments, forecasts, partner ‎transfers and donor conditions so that resources can be used for their intended purpose within agreed timeframes. The ‎Programme Finance and Grants Coordinator is positioned within Programme and Operations and works in close functional ‎collaboration with the Finance team to strengthen this link across the full project and grant management cycle.‎

Job Purpose

The Programme Finance and Grants Coordinator provides dedicated financial management and grants support to the IFRC Programme and Operations portfolio in Ukraine. The position helps programme teams plan, forecast, utilise, monitor and report donor funding effectively throughout the project cycle, with the objective of ensuring that available resources are used for approved programme purposes, in accordance with pledge and agreement conditions, within the required implementation period and to the maximum extent possible.

Working closely with Programme Coordinators, project managers, Finance, PMER and URCS counterparts, the Coordinator converts implementation plans into realistic budgets and forecasts; monitors budget versus actual expenditure and commitments; identifies under-utilisation, overspend and timing risks; coordinates fund-transfer and expenditure-verification processes; supports budget revisions and cost reallocations; and ensures that financial reporting is timely, accurate and aligned with narrative implementation progress.

The role maintains frequent management visibility over the financial health of the programme portfolio and provides practical advice and follow-up to resolve financial bottlenecks. It is an enabling role: helping budget holders and partners understand available balances and donor rules, identify appropriate funding sources, take corrective action early and make informed decisions that support timely and accountable programme delivery. Core accounting, treasury and statutory control responsibilities remain with the Finance function.

Job Duties And Responsibilities

Programme Budgeting and Financial Planning

• Work with Programme Coordinators, project managers, technical teams and Finance to develop realistic project and programme budgets that reflect implementation plans, workplans, procurement schedules, staffing and partner-delivery arrangements.
• Support proposal and concept-note development by preparing and reviewing costings, budget narratives and financial assumptions and by advising on donor eligibility, earmarking, implementation periods and available funding.
• Support annual, quarterly and project-specific budgeting exercises and ensure that budgets remain aligned with operational priorities and approved donor commitments.
• Advise the Programme and Operations manager and project managers on funding availability and appropriate funding sources so that planned activities are matched to suitable pledges and project codes before implementation.
  
  
  

Forecasting, Budget-versus-Actuals and Funding Utilisation

• Maintain rolling financial forecasts for the programme portfolio and regularly update expected expenditure based on implementation progress, procurement plans, Funds transfers, partner forecasts and known commitments.
• Prepare and analyse budget-versus-actual and budget-versus-forecast information by project, pledge and programme, highlighting material variances, trends and required management actions.
• Track utilisation of donor funds and identify grants or budget lines at risk of under-utilisation, delayed expenditure, over-expenditure or expiry, bringing issues to Programme and Operations Manager early enough for corrective action.
• Work with programme teams to develop practical utilisation plans for available balances, including acceleration, sequencing of activities, justified reallocations or other corrective measures within donor and IFRC rules.
• Provide regular financial portfolio updates to the Programme and Operations Manager and relevant project managers, including expenditure, commitments, forecast, balance, utilisation rate, implementation period and priority actions.
  
  
  

Grant, Pledge and Donor Financial Management

• Maintain a clear overview of the financial conditions attached to programme pledges, grants and agreements, including earmarking, eligible costs, implementation periods, reporting requirements, cost-recovery provisions and other relevant restrictions.
• Translate donor and pledge conditions into practical guidance for programme teams and support their application during planning and implementation.
• Coordinate with Finance, resource mobilisation and programme teams on financial information required for donor discussions, grant reviews, management decisions and reporting.
  
  
  

URCS Financial Coordination, Fund Transfers and Expenditure Verification

• Serve as a key programme-finance focal point for coordination with URCS on project budgets, financial forecasts, fund-transfer schedules, financial reports, expenditure verification, outstanding balances and financial follow-up actions.
• Coordinate with programme teams, URCS and Finance to plan partner fund transfers in line with implementation needs, agreement conditions, cash requirements and previous expenditure performance.
• Coordinate programme-side review of URCS financial reports and expenditure-verification results, working with Finance and programme teams to clarify variances, coding, ineligible or unsupported expenditure and corrective actions.
• Support URCS and IFRC programme colleagues to strengthen forecasting, budget monitoring and financial-reporting practices through practical guidance, templates and routine working sessions.
  
  
  

Job Duties And Responsibilities (continued)

Financial Reporting, Budget Adjustments and Grant Closure

• Coordinate with Finance, programme teams, PMER and URCS to prepare timely and accurate financial information for donor and project reports, ensuring consistency between financial performance and narrative implementation progress.
• Review financial reporting against approved budgets and donor conditions, identify significant variances and support preparation of clear explanations and corrective actions.
• Coordinate budget revisions, cost reallocations and funding-source adjustments required to keep projects financially aligned with implementation, obtaining the necessary internal or donor approvals before changes are applied.
• Support project and grant closure by monitoring final expenditure, outstanding partner balances, remaining commitments, reporting requirements and any required reallocation, refund or balance-management action.
• Maintain a forward calendar of financial reporting, grant-expiry and closure deadlines and follow up responsible teams to ensure timely completion.
  
  
  

Programme Financial Advisory, Portfolio Analysis and Management Information

• Act as a finance business partner to Programme and Operations, providing practical financial advice to budget holders and helping them interpret budgets, actual expenditure, commitments, forecasts and available balances.
• Maintain concise programme-finance dashboards or tracking tools that give management an up-to-date view of the financial status of projects and grants and the actions required to keep delivery on track.
• Participate in project kick-offs, portfolio reviews, programme-management meetings and other relevant forums to ensure that financial implications are considered alongside implementation, monitoring and operational decisions.
• Identify recurring financial bottlenecks or process gaps affecting programme delivery and work with Programme, Finance and URCS to develop practical improvements.
• Provide short, frequent and decision-oriented updates to management on emerging financial issues, utilisation risks, funding opportunities and actions requiring attention.
  
  
  

Coordination and Cross-functional Working

• Maintain close collaboration with the Finance team to ensure that programme-finance analysis is based on accurate accounting information and that programme decisions remain consistent with IFRC financial procedures and internal controls.
• Work closely with Programme Coordinators, PMER, Information Management, Logistics, Procurement, HR, Administration, Resource Mobilisation and other enabling functions where their plans affect project expenditure or donor utilisation.
• Support effective communication between IFRC and URCS programme and finance teams so that financial issues are resolved jointly and do not unnecessarily delay implementation and reporting.
• Contribute to donor, partner and Movement coordination discussions on programme finances when delegated, presenting clear and accurate financial information.
• Promote a service-oriented, solution-focused approach to programme finance while maintaining appropriate separation of duties and respect for Finance accountabilities.
  
  
  

Duties applicable to all staff

‎1.‎ Actively work towards the achievement of the IFRC Secretariat’s goals.‎

‎2.‎ Abide by and work in accordance with the Red Cross and Red Crescent Fundamental Principles.‎

‎3.‎ Perform any other work-related duties and responsibilities that may be assigned by the line manager.‎

Education

Required

• University degree in finance, accounting, economics, business administration or ‎another relevant field.‎
  
  
  

Preferred

• Professional accounting, finance, grants or project-management ‎qualification/certification.‎
• Relevant humanitarian, development or Red Cross/Red Crescent training.‎
  
  
  

Experience

Required

• Minimum 5 years of progressively responsible experience in programme finance, grant finance, financial planning and analysis, or related financial-management roles.
• Demonstrated experience supporting complex humanitarian or development ‎programme portfolios with multiple projects, budgets or donors.‎
• Experience in budgeting, forecasting, budget-versus-actual analysis, expenditure ‎monitoring and financial reporting.‎
• Experience in institutional donor grant management, including interpretation of ‎donor financial conditions, eligibility and reporting requirements.‎
• Experience coordinating partner financial management, fund transfers, financial ‎reports and expenditure verification.‎
• Experience working with or within the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement, a National ‎Society, UN agency or international NGO.‎
• Experience providing financial advice, coaching or support to non-finance programme ‎staff and budget holders.‎
  
  
  

Preferred

• Experience with project or grant closure, budget revisions and cost reallocations.‎
  
  
  

Knowledge, Skills and Languages

Required

• Strong financial planning and analytical skills, including ability to translate ‎implementation plans into budgets and rolling forecasts.‎
• Advanced practical ability in Excel and financial data analysis; ability to develop clear ‎management dashboards and tracking tools.‎
• Sound understanding of grant, pledge and donor financial management in ‎humanitarian or development settings.‎
• Ability to interpret financial data, identify trends and variances, and convert analysis ‎into practical management recommendations.‎
• Strong understanding of partner financial management, fund-transfer processes, ‎expenditure verification and financial-reporting cycles.‎
• Knowledge of ERP/financial management systems and ability to reconcile programme-‎management information with accounting data.‎
• Excellent coordination, communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to ‎explain financial information clearly to non-finance colleagues and partners.‎
• Highly organised, proactive and solution-oriented, with the ability to manage multiple ‎grants, deadlines and competing priorities.‎
• Strong judgement, discretion and ability to work with confidential financial ‎information.‎
  
  
  

Preferred

• Knowledge of IFRC financial procedures, pledge management and partner-funding ‎mechanisms.‎
• Fluent spoken and written English and Ukrainian.
  
  
  

Competencies, Values and Comments

Values: Respect for diversity; Integrity; Professionalism; Accountability.‎

Core competencies: Communication; Collaboration and teamwork; Judgement and ‎decision making; National Society and customer relations; Creativity and innovation; ‎Building trust.‎

Functional competencies: Financial analysis; Planning and organising; Partner ‎orientation; Results focus; Problem solving; Grants management.‎