Internal Audit and Compliance Officer

The African Academy of Sciences (AAS) is a pan-African organisation headquartered in Kenya, which aims to drive sustainable development in Africa through science, technology and innovation. It has a tripartite mandate of pursuing excellence by recognising scholars and achievers; providing advisory and think tank functions for shaping the continent’s strategies and policies; and implementing programmes that advance Africa’s development.

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Internal Audit and Compliance Officer to join our team. This is a full-time position based in Kenya.

Position Summary

The Audit & Compliance Officer will play an integral role in providing oversight and support in ensuring the organisational operations grants management process is functionally effective. The role will provide support and ensure roles and responsibilities of grantees and partners are aligned. The officer will be the custodian of the organisational risk management and sub-grants policy and ensure its full implementation and compliance. The Incumbent will also actively participate in supporting the development of joint programming/sub-grant project work plans and ensuring that all requirements for successful project implementation are fulfilled. Reporting functionally to the Governing Council (GC) and administratively to the Executive Director, the Officer will work closely with the Programme Project leads, Legal, Finance and Operations, and the Partnership Departments in alignment with AAS objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Compliance & Governance Framework Support

Develop and maintain an internal risk and compliance dashboard for AAS programs including sub-grants to track programmatic, financial, and administrative deliverables to donor and organizational requirements, and produce periodic status reports to provide the leadership team with real-time visibility on risk remediation progress.

Ensure complete understanding of joint-programming initiatives, including responsibilities of grantees and partners.

In consultation with the Legal and Procurement functions, review templates of contracts/addendums and other relevant agreements for joint programming and sub-granting in compliance with Policy, ensuring all documents align with donor regulations and organizational standards.

Oversee and track the development of sub-grant contracts and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with monetary value and ensure compliance with the terms and conditions prescribed in the contracts.

Assist with any adjustments to sub-grant agreements or MoUs based on evolving project needs, donor guidelines, or compliance issues.

Actively participate in grantee and partner meetings and guide grantees/partners as required.

Proactively lead the team in streamlining systems and processes to make sub-grant reporting and information sourcing more efficient in close collaboration with the Finance department and Project Leads.

Ensure the sub-grant budget and work plan information is received and shared with the Finance team and Project Leads in a timely manner, and grantees are informed of changes and adjustments as required.

Ensure project partners and grantees understand what is expected of them on financial and narrative reporting in consultation with the Finance Officers and/or Project Accountants.

Proactively participate in Joint Program Organizational Capacity Assessments and ensure grant management aspects are documented and identified gaps addressed in consultation with the Finance team.

Capacity Building: Provide technical assistance and training to grantees and sub-recipients to build their capacity in financial management, compliance, and reporting.

Collaborate with the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning team to ensure accurate and timely review of partner/grantee reports.

Donor Regulations: Ensure full compliance with donor regulations and organizational policies, identifying and mitigating risks where necessary.

Documentation Management: Maintain comprehensive records of all sub-grant agreements, deliverables, and reporting to ensure audit readiness and compliance with donor expectations.

Audit Reporting & Management Engagement

Prepare clear, accurate, well-structured, and timely audit reports that communicate findings, root causes, risk exposure, and practical, risk-focused recommendations to management.

Discuss audit findings constructively with process owners and management, fostering a collaborative approach to the resolution of control weaknesses and operational inefficiencies.

Liaise and coordinate effectively with external auditors to optimize overall audit coverage, minimize duplication of effort, and build synergistic assurance efforts.

Execute internal audits as per the approved risk-based audit plan.

Prepare and present clear and concise audit reports highlighting key findings and improvement recommendations.

Conduct confidential audit investigations into suspected fraud, misconduct, or control breaches, apply structured investigation methodologies and maintain chain of evidence.

Assess current accounting procedures, internal controls, and systems, and suggest enhancements.

Maintain comprehensive records of audit activities and follow up on the resolution of identified control gaps.

Present audit outcomes to the relevant Governing Council Committee in a manner that facilitates informed decision-making and act as the Secretary to the Audit and Compliance Subcommittee.

Person Specification

Academic Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics, Commerce, or a related field.

Professional Qualification with current membership with either a CPA (K), CIA OR ACCA.

Master’s degree qualification will be an added advantage.

Experience & Knowledge

Minimum of 3-5 years of experience in donor compliance, audit or risk advisory, organisation systems and project management.

Certifications in donor compliance (e.g., USAID, Global Fund, EU, UN agencies) or, depending on the organization's portfolio.

Proven experience managing sub-grants and joint programming initiatives, focusing on compliance, budgeting, and partner coordination.

Demonstrated ability to assess priorities and work under pressure to meet deadlines with attention to detail and quality.

Ability to work independently and collaboratively to meet deadlines.

Experience with and commitment to working in a diverse environment.

Core Competencies & Skills

Skills and experience in report and proposal writing.

Strong communication, coordination, and interpersonal skills.

Strong analytical skills (data and financial).

Grants Management and Administration

Grants Compliance

Project Management

Proficiency in Microsoft Office 365, Navision and Microsoft Business Central.

Excellent verbal and written communication skills

High attention to detail and professional integrity

Strong interpersonal and leadership skills

Method of Application

Interested and qualified candidates are invited to apply through the African Academy of Sciences' application portal at forms.cloud.microsoft. Please note that the AAS never asks for payment for notarisation, certificate or assessment as part of any recruitment process. When in doubt,

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