Financial Management and Compliance Consultant job at Development Links Consult (DLC)

Contract Type: Framework Agreement / Call-down basis
Accountable to: Resident Director
Immediate Supervisor: Operations Manager

About Organization:
Development Links Consult (DLC) is a growing consultancy firm registered in Uganda, operating on a wide scale across Africa. DLC’s mission is to enhance the scale and effectiveness of development interventions that target vulnerable groups. Our consultancy services are among others in the areas of: Program development, Safeguarding and Child Protection, Monitoring and Evaluation/Outcome and Impact Orientation (OIO), Grants management and partnership mediation, Organisational strengthening, Policy analysis and review, applied (action) research and Planning and execution of development-oriented events such as conferences, dialogue, and knowledge sharing encounters.

Job Summary:
Our firm provides technical assistance in financial management and compliance to 18 civil society organisations in Uganda, funded by a Germany-based client. We support partners by interpreting cooperation agreements aligned with German development cooperation standards, including BMZ requirements, and are committed to financial excellence and transparency.

We are seeking experienced Financial Management & Compliance Consultants to provide hands-on mentoring and compliance support to partners implementing donor-funded projects in Uganda. Consultants will strengthen financial accountability, transparency, and donor compliance by helping partners interpret cooperation agreements, strengthen financial systems, ensure regulatory compliance, and prepare for financial reporting and audits.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

The consultant will work closely with partner finance teams and boards to strengthen financial management practices in the following areas:

a. Financial Systems Strengthening

• Review and strengthen partner financial management systems and internal controls.
• Support partners in establishing donor-compliant financial procedures and documentation systems.
• Provide guidance on digital financial management systems such as QuickBooks, Sage, Tally, or other accounting software used by NGOs.
• Support establishment of cost allocation and expense tracking systems for multi-donor projects.

b. Grant Compliance & Interpretation of donor cooperation agreements

• Provide expert guidance on the interpretation and implementation of cooperation agreements and donor financial guidelines especially focusing on BMZ (German Federal Ministry for Economic

Cooperation and Development) guidelines

• Ensure compliance with BMZ and European Union grant financial management requirements.
• Provide guidance on eligible and ineligible expenditure under donor regulations.
• Support compliance with procurement and financial documentation requirements.

c.    Financial Reporting and quality assurance

• Review partner bi - annual financial reports prior to submission to the donor to ensure alignment with approved budgets and donor templates
• Ensure reports are accurate, complete, and aligned with donor templates and guidelines.
• Support partners in reconciling financial reports with accounting records and budgets.

d. Budgeting and Financial Planning

• Support partners in developing realistic project budgets during proposal development.
• Assist with budget revisions and donor budget modification requests.
• Provide guidance on cash flow forecasting and financial planning.

e. Funds Request Preparation

• Support partners in preparing accurate donor fund requests and cashflow reports.
• Ensure all requests are supported with accurate financial projections and documentation.

f.    Audit Preparation and Support

• Prepare partners for external financial audits by conducting pre-audit reviews and ensuring all supporting documentation is compliant and orderly.
• Conduct pre-audit internal reviews to identify compliance gaps.
• Support organisations in responding to audit findings and implementing corrective actions.

g. Governance and Board Support

• Orient and mentor Boards of Directors on financial oversight responsibilities.
• Support partners to strengthen financial governance structures and accountability mechanisms.
• Provide guidance on financial reporting to boards and management committees.

h. Tax & Statutory Compliance  

• Ensure partner compliance with Ugandan tax regulations, including:

o    Withholding tax  

o          PAYE  

o       NSSF  

o VAT where applicable  

• Guide organisations in maintaining compliance with local statutory reporting obligations. ensure adherence to URA, FIA, Data protection office and NGO Bureau regulations

i.    Capacity Building

• Conduct financial management training and mentoring for partner finance and programme staff.
• Develop practical financial management tools, templates, and guidelines.
• Provide on-site and remote technical support.

Deliverables:

The consultant will be expected to deliver:

• Financial systems assessment reports for partner organisations
• Capacity strengthening plans
• Reviewed financial reports prior to donor submission
• Pre-audit readiness assessments
• Training sessions for finance staff and boards
• Compliance advisory notes where required
• Periodic technical assistance reports

Required Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

The consultant should possess:

• Professional accounting qualification such as CPA (U), ACCA, or equivalent.
• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics, Business Administration, or Commerce.
• A Master’s degree in Finance, Development Finance, or Business Administration will be an added advantage.

Required Experience

The consultant should demonstrate:

• Minimum 7 years of experience in financial management, preferably within NGOs or development organisations.
• Proven experience managing or supporting donor-funded projects.
• Demonstrated experience with BMZ-funded projects or European Union grants.
• Strong knowledge of Ugandan tax and statutory compliance requirements.
• Experience in financial capacity building for civil society organisations.
• Experience supporting organisations in audit preparation and donor compliance.
• Practical knowledge of digital accounting systems used by NGOs.
• Experience in budget development and donor proposal costing.

Competencies and Personal Attributes

The consultant should demonstrate the following qualities:

a. Professional Competencies

• In-depth knowledge of BMZ or EU financial reporting frameworks.
• Strong mastery of the Ugandan Tax legislation and statutory compliance requirements relevant to NGOs-
• Demonstrated experience in budget formulation and financial analysis
• Proficiency in multiple accounting software packages and advanced MS Excel.
• Excellent knowledge of donor compliance frameworks
• Ability to translate complex financial regulations into practical guidance
• Strong report writing and documentation skills
• Ability to work with organisations at different levels of financial maturity

b. Personal Attributes

• Excellent communication and facilitation abilities with demonstrated ability to understand the unique challenges of local partners
• Ability to simplify complex donor regulations into actionable steps for non-finance staff
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills and ability to build trust with diverse teams.
• Ability to mentor and coach finance staff
• Cultural sensitivity and ability to work with faith-based organisations
• High level of integrity and professionalism
• Problem-solving and solution-oriented mindset
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively
• Cultural Intelligence: High level of sensitivity to the values and missions of faith-based and community organizations.
• Attention to detail with the ability to spot trends or irregularities in financial data.

Assignment Modality

The consultants will be engaged on a framework or call-down basis and may support multiple partner organisations across Uganda.

The work will involve:

• On-site visits to partner organisations
• Remote mentoring and advisory support
• Periodic technical reporting to the coordinating office

Location
The assignment will be Uganda-based, with travel to partner project locations as required.

• Review and strengthen partner financial management systems and internal controls.
• Support partners in establishing donor-compliant financial procedures and documentation systems.
• Provide guidance on digital financial management systems such as QuickBooks, Sage, Tally, or other accounting software used by NGOs.
• Support establishment of cost allocation and expense tracking systems for multi-donor projects.
• Provide expert guidance on the interpretation and implementation of cooperation agreements and donor financial guidelines especially focusing on BMZ (German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development) guidelines
• Ensure compliance with BMZ and European Union grant financial management requirements.
• Provide guidance on eligible and ineligible expenditure under donor regulations.
• Support compliance with procurement and financial documentation requirements.
• Review partner bi - annual financial reports prior to submission to the donor to ensure alignment with approved budgets and donor templates
• Ensure reports are accurate, complete, and aligned with donor templates and guidelines.
• Support partners in reconciling financial reports with accounting records and budgets.
• Support partners in developing realistic project budgets during proposal development.
• Assist with budget revisions and donor budget modification requests.
• Provide guidance on cash flow forecasting and financial planning.
• Support partners in preparing accurate donor fund requests and cashflow reports.
• Ensure all requests are supported with accurate financial projections and documentation.
• Prepare partners for external financial audits by conducting pre-audit reviews and ensuring all supporting documentation is compliant and orderly.
• Conduct pre-audit internal reviews to identify compliance gaps.
• Support organisations in responding to audit findings and implementing corrective actions.
• Orient and mentor Boards of Directors on financial oversight responsibilities.
• Support partners to strengthen financial governance structures and accountability mechanisms.
• Provide guidance on financial reporting to boards and management committees.
• Ensure partner compliance with Ugandan tax regulations, including: Withholding tax PAYE NSSF VAT where applicable
• Guide organisations in maintaining compliance with local statutory reporting obligations. ensure adherence to URA, FIA, Data protection office and NGO Bureau regulations
• Conduct financial management training and mentoring for partner finance and programme staff.
• Develop practical financial management tools, templates, and guidelines.
• Provide on-site and remote technical support.

• In-depth knowledge of BMZ or EU financial reporting frameworks.
• Strong mastery of the Ugandan Tax legislation and statutory compliance requirements relevant to NGOs-
• Demonstrated experience in budget formulation and financial analysis
• Proficiency in multiple accounting software packages and advanced MS Excel.
• Excellent knowledge of donor compliance frameworks
• Ability to translate complex financial regulations into practical guidance
• Strong report writing and documentation skills
• Ability to work with organisations at different levels of financial maturity
• Excellent communication and facilitation abilities with demonstrated ability to understand the unique challenges of local partners
• Ability to simplify complex donor regulations into actionable steps for non-finance staff
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills and ability to build trust with diverse teams.
• Ability to mentor and coach finance staff
• Cultural sensitivity and ability to work with faith-based organisations
• High level of integrity

• Professional accounting qualification such as CPA (U), ACCA, or equivalent.
• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics, Business Administration, or Commerce.
• A Master’s degree in Finance, Development Finance, or Business Administration will be an added advantage.