Finance and Grants Officer

The International Center of Excellence for Countering Extremism and Violent Extremism - Hedayah; Time; On-site; NOK 312,000 - 442,000; Full time

Job summary

Hedayah, the International Centre of Excellence for Countering Extremism and Violent Extremism, invites applications for a full-time Grants & Finance Manager based in Abu Dhabi. You will oversee grant budgeting, reporting, and donor compliance, coordinating with program staff and external auditors.

Ideal candidates have 3–5 years’ NGO finance experience, strong English, and proficiency in QuickBooks and ERP systems. Willingness to relocate to Abu Dhabi required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting/finance or related field, internationally recognized certification preferred.
• Master’s degree is a plus.
• 3–5 years of international NGO finance/grant management experience.
• Experience with major donors such as US/UK/EU.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office; English fluency required.

Responsibilities

• Review and reconcile grantee reports; ensure compliance with donor agreements.
• Prepare budgets for grants and forecasts for activities.
• Lead development and management of grant budgets from start-up to close-out.
• Produce monthly and quarterly grant financial reports.
• Coordinate audits and ensure internal controls across grants.

Skills

Financial reporting

Grant management

Budgeting and forecasting

Donor liaison

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Finance, Project Management or related field

Master’s degree (preferable)

Tools

QuickBooks

ERP Microsoft Dynamics 365

Microsoft Office (Word, Excel)

Job description

Hedayah is the International Centre of Excellence for Countering Extremism and Violent Extremism, headquartered in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Formed in response to the call by the Global Counter Terrorism Forum (GCTF), representing 29 countries and the European Union, to establish an independent, multilateral ‘think and do’ tank devoted to supporting global efforts in countering extremism and preventing terrorism: through sharing of good practice, research, toolkits, communications, dialogue, training, workshops, and policy discussions. The vision and purpose of Hedayah is to see a global reduction in extremism and violent extremism. This is achieved through programs, research, resources, and advice that equip governments and civil society to design, implement, and monitor effective and sustainable approaches to terrorism prevention.

• Review, analyse and reconcile assigned Grantee financial reports to ensure that all financial transactions are correctly administered and in compliance with agreements; liaise with Grantees as required to request supporting documentation, implement corrective actions and provide technical assistance in resolving issues.
• Verify accuracy of all grants payment requests and assure proper allocation of expenditures to funding source and expense categories.
• Gather and review all required supporting documentation prior to issuing payment.
• Work closely with the Finance and Grants Manager to ensure proper implementation of financial policies, processes and procedures to maintain effective financial and accounting controls.
• Process and monitor all financial transactions, including accounts receivable and payable, as per the organisation’s policies and procedures, ensuring all expenses are in line with the budget.
• Prepare and maintain all financial statements of all grants and books of accounts in a timely and accurate manner.
• Work closely with the program staff to develop budgets for grants proposals, budgets forecasts for activities, budgets revisions and ensure financial and contractual compliance.
• Review the internal financial and accountancy controls of grants to ensure that the grant agreement is adhered to.
• Prepare monthly BvS (budget vs. spending) reports for all active grants by ensuring proper reconciliation of accounts as well as reflecting the status of the budget to the program team primarily.
• Prepare the quarterly reports for active grants and ensuring strict compliance with grant agreement requirements.
• Ensure that all staff timesheets are submitted accurately on monthly basis to ensure adequate reporting to the donor.
• Prepare the overall time attribution and overhead reports and ensure it is updated regularly.
• Prepare VAT (Value Added Tax) reports on a quarterly basis.
• Build the capacity of Hedayah’s sub-awardees and train grantees on financial reporting, including review of grantees’ financial reports.
• Attend monthly coordination meetings with program staff.
• Participate in and facilitate external audits to ensure compliance.
• Maintain grants financial records, ensuring updates on a regular basis for retrieval, reference and audit purposes.
• Lead on the development of budgets and financial management of certain grants from start-up through close-out, by ensuring proper financial management, monitoring actual expenditures versus budget, planning, and reporting in alignment with Donor’s policies and procedures.

Internal

• All departments

External

• Vendors & Suppliers
• Subcontractors
• External Auditors
• Financial Institutes & Banks
• Grant authorities
• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Finance, Project Management (or related field) or similar internationally recognized accounting/auditing certification
• Master’s degree is preferable / is a plus
• Minimum 3 to 5 years’ experience of working in finance and grant management in an international organization
• Experience in working with Donors such as US, UK, EU (or their affiliation)
• Knowledge of accounting systems, such as QuickBooks and ERP Microsoft Dynamics 365
• Prior experience of working in an international setting and/or NGOs is a plus
• Excellent skills in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Word and Excel
• Strong understanding of the applicability and implementation of relevant financial legislation and regulations
• Result orientation
• Building relationships
• Teamwork
• Cultural intelligence
• Communication
• Planning and organizing
• Problem-solving
• Presentation
• Proficient in Microsoft Office
• Excellent command of written and oral English
• This is a full-time position based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Applicants need to be available to relocate to Abu Dhabi if they are selected for the role.
• Application deadline: October 15, 2026.
• The post holder may be required to travel internationally