Finance Officer - Soroti

Employer: Village Enterprise

Industry: Nonprofit/International Development/Social Entrepreneurship/Philanthropy

Job Title: Finance Officer

Department: Operations

Reports To: Finance & Administration Manager

Position Type: Full-time

Location & Travel: Soroti; regular travel to project field locations as required

About Village Enterprise:

Village Enterprise’s mission is to end extreme poverty in rural Africa through entrepreneurship, innovation, and collective action. By empowering women, refugees, and youth to launch small businesses and savings groups, our cost- effective model provides dignified and sustainable pathways for individuals to lift themselves and their families out of extreme poverty for good.

To date, Village Enterprise has trained 396,872 first-time entrepreneurs, 80% of whom are women, and supported the launch of 120,609 businesses and 9,309 Business Savings Groups (BSGs). These efforts have positively impacted 2,478,065 lives across Africa. 

With operations in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, and partnerships in other sub–Saharan African countries, Village Enterprise continues to expand its reach. As we scale our impact, our aim remains ambitious yet achievable: to lift 20 million people out of extreme poverty by 2035

Position Summary

The Finance Officer is responsible for accurate, timely and compliant financial management of one or more assigned Village Enterprise projects. Based in the country office and reporting to the Finance & Administration Manager, the role supports project teams through budgeting, expenditure tracking, accounting, reconciliations, payment processing, grant disbursement controls, field financial support and audit-ready documentation. The Finance Officer has no routine direct reports and works closely with project budget holders, field teams and country finance colleagues.

The Finance Officer prepares monthly project financial performance analyses, including budget versus actual expenditure, burn rates relative to implementation milestones, commitments, cash requirements, forecast-to-completion and emerging financial risks prepares and processes payments and support in audit performance. The role provides clear, evidence-based recommendations to Project Managers and the Finance & Administration Manager and escalates material issues for country-level management action.

Key Responsibilities

1. Project Budgeting, Burn-Rate Monitoring & Financial Advisory

• Support project budgeting, costed workplans, spending forecasts and approved budget revisions with Project Managers and the Finance & Administration Manager; ensure donor restrictions and approved cost categories are reflected.
• Prepare monthly project budget-versus-actual reports, analyzing expenditure by donor, activity, location and cost category; explain significant variances and validate figures against the general ledger.
• Monitor project burn rates against elapsed project time, delivery milestones, commitments and remaining funding; identify overspending, underspending and risks to full, eligible utilization.
• Review financial performance monthly with assigned project teams, record corrective actions and follow up on owners and deadlines; submit a concise analysis and recommendations to the Finance & Administration Manager.
• Maintain rolling project forecasts-to-completion, including anticipated field costs, staff allocations, grant disbursements, procurement commitments and cash needs.
• Promptly escalate projected budget overruns, funding gaps, ineligible expenditure, unusual transactions and proposed reallocations requiring approval.

2. Project Accounting, Reconciliations & Monthly Close

• Enter and verify project transactions promptly in the approved accounting system (including NetSuite where used), with accurate donor, project, activity, account and cost-center coding and complete electronic supporting documents.
• Prepare assigned monthly bank, cash, mobile-money, staff advance, payable, grant-disbursement and other account reconciliations; investigate differences and submit for independent review.
• Complete assigned month-end close tasks by the approved calendar, including review of transactions, accruals, prepayments, allocations, journal support and correction of coding errors before books are closed.
• Reconcile project expenditure reports and grant or participant disbursement registers to the general ledger; track outstanding advances, aged invoices and unreconciled balances to resolution.
• Maintain accurate, complete and retrievable project accounting records that support donor reports, management review, audit and financial verification.

3. Payments, Payroll Support, Field Facilitation & Grant Disbursements

• Review supplier invoices, staff claims, field activity requests and payment vouchers for completeness, legitimacy, budget availability, correct coding and required approvals; submit verified payments for authorized processing.
• Coordinate timely payment requests for field travel, transport stipends, airtime, workshops and approved operating expenses; track payment status and resolve documentation gaps with budget holders.
• Prepare project cash-flow requirements and approved funding or transfer requests to ensure scheduled activities and participant disbursements are adequately financed.
• Support accurate monthly payroll cost allocations and staff expense documentation; coordinate promptly with the Finance & Administration Manager on discrepancies without assuming payroll authorization.
• Support grant/participant disbursement planning, eligibility and documentation checks, payment reconciliation, receipt verification, exception follow-up and secure filing; conduct field verification visits when required.

4. Financial Controls, Donor Compliance, Risk & Audit Support

• Apply Village Enterprise financial policies, donor agreements and applicable laws through sound financial practices: segregation of duties, documented approvals, transaction verification, accurate recordkeeping, timely reconciliations and independent review.
• Check procurement and payment documentation, vendor details, authorization limits, expense eligibility and proper allocation of restricted funds; reject or return incomplete requests for correction.
• Identify and document project financial risks such as unsupported costs, duplicate or unauthorized payments, delayed advance retirement, inaccurate coding, fraud indicators, budget deviations and weak field controls; escalate material exceptions immediately.
• Monitor staff and field advances, statutory or contractual documentation requirements, and project asset movements; follow up on overdue accountabilities and unresolved exceptions.
• Prepare audit schedules and supporting evidence for assigned projects, respond to authorized auditor requests, participate in field compliance checks and track assigned audit actions to closure.

5. Project Administration, Field Support & Financial Capacity Building

• Serve as the primary day-to-day finance contact for assigned Project Managers, Program Officers and field teams; explain finance processes, deadlines, documentation requirements and donor rules.
• Coordinate finance aspects of field workshops, training, travel and activity facilitation; maintain payment calendars, invoice trackers, grant documentation and project-level asset records.
• Travel to project implementation locations to verify expenditure, coach staff on financial accountability, review grant disbursement evidence and resolve field documentation and reconciliation issues.
• Support procurement administration and value-for-money checks within approved processes, without bypassing procurement or authorization responsibilities.
• Orient field and program colleagues on expense planning, advance accountability, eligible costs, supporting documentation and timely submission of complete payment requests.

6. Financial Reporting, Coordination & Process Improvement

• Submit accurate monthly project financial reports, reconciliations, variance commentary, burn-rate dashboards and forecasts within agreed deadlines to the Finance & Administration Manager.
• Support donor financial reports, budget amendments, project verification exercises and periodic project management reviews; ensure reported amounts agree with accounting records.
• Track recurring finance processing errors, payment delays and documentation gaps; recommend practical process improvements for the Finance & Administration Manager’s approval.
• Protect confidential vendor, staff, banking and participant information; ensure proper record retention and secure handling of financial data.

7. Safeguarding, Security and Compliance

• Comply with Village Enterprise’s Code of Conduct, safeguarding, anti-fraud, conflict-of-interest and whistleblowing policies; report suspected misuse of funds, exploitation or financial irregularities promptly through designated channels.
• Safeguard confidential employee, vendor, participant and banking information; verify payee information and ensure that financial transactions follow approved authorization routes.
• Maintain transparent, auditable records, cooperate with investigations and protect individuals who raise concerns from retaliation.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Commerce, Business Administration (Accounting/Finance) or a closely related field; CPA Part II Complete, ACCA or equivalent professional qualification (completed or in progress) strongly preferred.
• At least 3–5 years of relevant accounting or project finance experience, preferably with nonprofit organizations, donor-funded projects or geographically dispersed operations.
• Practical experience in project budget monitoring, budget-versus-actual reporting, burn-rate analysis, account reconciliations, payment documentation, month-end close and audit preparation.
• Proficiency in Excel and computerized accounting systems; experience with NetSuite, QuickBooks or an equivalent ERP is advantageous.
• Ability to explain financial information clearly to non-finance colleagues, identify risks early, work accurately under deadlines and travel to field locations.
• Working knowledge of donor grant conditions, internal financial controls, procurement documentation, safeguarding and applicable national financial or tax obligations.

Core Competencies

• Project finance stewardship
• Budget analysis & advisory
• Financial control & risk awareness
• Accounting & reconciliation
• Field coordination & service
• Integrity & confidentiality

To Apply

Interested and qualified candidates who meet the set criteria are invited to send their Cover Letter and CV (Maximum 3 pages) including 3 referees (with email addresses and day-time telephone contacts), on the online platform (PDF).

Follow this link to submit your application or go directly to the Village Enterprise Website:

Submit applications until November 15, 2026. 

Affirmative Action

Village Enterprise will provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all individuals. Employment decisions at Village will be based on merit, qualifications and abilities. Village does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, gender identity, age, disability, marital status or any other characteristic protected by the law. Village will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities unless doing so would result in undue hardship to daily operations. 

Village Enterprise is a corruption, solicitation or bribery free organization. We or any of our employees or associates do not charge money from job applicants before, during or after recruitment. Please report malpractices through our safeguarding Tollfree hotlines; 0800 204450 – Uganda

Safeguarding Statement

Village Enterprise is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults. We expect all employees, volunteers, Visitors, associates (consultants, service providers and suppliers) and partners to uphold this commitment and adhere to our safeguarding policies and code of conduct. VE has zero tolerance for any form of abuse, exploitation, or harassment. All appointments are subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks, which may include reference checks with previous employers, verification of qualifications, and criminal record or background screening where required by law.