Audit Coordinator & Fund Management Admin Assistant

We are searching for an experienced Audit Coordinator & Fund Management Admin Assistant at our Netherlands facility. 

About the Programme:

The Challenge Fund for Youth Employment (CFYE) is a 7-year and €150 million programme funded by the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that aims to create a prosperous future for 230,000 young women and men in the Middle East, North Africa, Sahel & West Africa and Horn of Africa regions. The Fund supports initiatives in 11 countries which offer youth, in particular young women, opportunities for work that is demand-driven and productive, offering a stable income and safe working conditions, and that is contributing to their personal development and social protection.

Private sector, civil society and knowledge institutions have been invited to submit proposals geared to scalable solutions for creating more and better jobs and income generating opportunities for youth. Solutions will focus on an integrated approach that addresses the shortcomings on the demand side (jobs) and supply side (skills) and bridging the mismatch between these two in the labour market.

Role Overview:

The Fund Management (FM) Team is a central unit responsible for the Fund’s core design and implementation process. The team acts as an advisory role to guiding decision making as it relates to selection, implementation, performance management and closeout. The Fund Management Team ensures alignment of tools and processes that govern the implementation of the fund consistently across the CFYE portfolio, considering the specifics of the different country contexts. The team also ensures that different levels of compliance are addressed and appropriately managed where relevant.

This role consists of 2 parts:

1. Audit Coordinator: coordinating the end of project audit process. An external audit takes place at the end of each project lifecycle. 60% LOE.
2. Fund Management Admin Assistant: actively support the functioning of the fund management team to handle increased workload and prevent bottlenecks. The role is responsible for stepping in to assist with time-sensitive or high-priority assignments across the different team members (FM Specialists and FM Manager). 40% LOE.

Team Positioning and Reporting:

This position will sit within the FM team, while working closely with the Finance Manager on the audit assignment. The FM team forms as a closely cooperating team with the other Delivery teams of the Fund: Country teams, the Technical Assistance team, Strategy & Social Impact Team. The FM team also works very closely on an on-going basis with key CFYE support workstreams; namely the Results, Data & Impact and Finance & Operations Teams to ensure efficient, streamlined (consistent) and continuous improvement of projects’ delivery.

CFYE takes a Team of Teams approach. While you will report to a Manager in the Fund Management team, you will be expected to work closely with the Finance team, as well as other teams for ad hoc support requests, where you may have specific assignment managers based on specific tasks. Your role will be critical in ensuring the success of the FM Team to deliver quality and timely tasks. In the Team of Teams approach, we rely on a two-way stream of engagement between the manager and the employee.

Below are specific phases where the Audit Coordinator & Fund Management Admin Assistant will be supporting during the lifetime of contracted projects:

A] External Audit: 

- Own the external audit process
- Coordinate each end-of-project audit from start to finish.
- Run audit trainings internally within CFYE for key stakeholders and lead periodic lesson learning.
- Manage, update and communicate all internal and external facing documentation related to the audit process Act as the main point of contact for the external auditor, including issuing task orders for each project audit, overseeing audit deliverables, processing invoices and conducting contractual performance review points.
- Manage the audit workplan across the program in line with the audit budget.
- Hold monthly sign off meetings to Fund and Finance Managers to present audit findings
- Oversee the audit risk management, and ensure any risks identified by the audit are escalated as per CFYE risk register process

*The Audit Coordinator element of the role is expected at 60% LOE

B] Due Diligence (DD):

- Collaborate with FM specialists to ensure that Implementing Partner’s (IP) due diligence improvement plan requirements are met when scheduled.
- As needed, coordinate responses to delays and issues that arise due to non-responsiveness to DD improvement plan requirements.

C] Contracting:

- Support FM team with execution of Contract Amendments.
- Support FM team with timelines / due dates of contractual special conditions.

D] Project Implementation:

- Support the FM Specialists to conduct regular data collection on IPs with regards to specific indicators related to Fund Management.
- Where IP volumes are high, support FM Specialists with review of validation documents.
- Maintain a comprehensive database for all Spot-check, Performance Plans, Due Diligence improvement plans, and action points related to Special Conditions, including associated deadlines.
- Assist with reviewing IP budgets, focusing on compliance with CFYE guidelines for budget spending and tracking (thresholds / depreciation of capital expenditure etc.).
- Oversee and update the Fund’s Tools repository to ensure resources are current and accessible.
- Following the conclusion of quarterly/annual reviews with IPs, support with the processing of fund transfer requests to ensure funds are disbursed to IPs in a timely manner. Where needed, monitor payment delays or re-routes accordingly.

E] Project Close-Out:

- Where necessary, support the FM team to coordinate with the Finance team on the status of the end-of-project audit.
- Once the audit is completed, support the FM Specialists to conclude the actions based on the auditor’s findings.
- Support the FM Specialist in ensuring the project’s final status is closed and all contractual matters are concluded, with accurate record-keeping.

F] Miscellaneous (FM):

- Develop and maintain the Fund’s shared calendar for inputs.
- Step in to cover for other team members when on leave, or as and when needed.
- Support as needed in cross-learning tasks across team members.
- Support with new cross-cutting FM assignments as requested by Fund Manager or FM Specialists.
- Contribute to upholding operational protocols and standards by identifying potential gaps and supporting the establishment of effective processes.
- Assist in the continuous improvement of contractual and project management delivery processes, manuals, and tools, ensuring they are suitable for their intended purpose.
- Help communicate updates on protocols, standards, processes, and tools to the Country Teams as necessary.
- Support FM Specialists in taking notes during meetings.
- Stay informed about challenges and opportunities that promote collaboration with other CFYE workstreams to enhance IP performance.

*The FM Admin Assistant element of the role is expected at 40% LOE

Required Qualifications:

1. This position entails extensive coordination within the FM team, with openness to learning.
2. Self-organisation and methodical thinking.
3. Ability to multitask and work collaboratively in multidisciplinary and multicultural teams.
4. Ability to build strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
5. Familiaritiy with key online tools – even if limited knowledge. Such tools are Microsoft SharePoint, Planner, Teams, Salesforce.
6. Strong attention to detail.
7. Excellent communication and presentation skills in English.
8. Experience of managing competing priorities with concurrent deadlines

Position Details:

- The preferred location for the role is Netherlands-based. Remote work is possible as an exception.
- The contract will follow the standard 1-year duration, with very likely possibility of extension for the full programme duration (November 2026), if necessary.
- This is a mid-level position within the Fund Management team.
- The role is preferred at 100% (5 days a week), with 80% (4 days a week) also considered.

Deadline: 5 March 2025

Our company provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics.