Terms of Reference: Part-Time Program Finance Contractor: Grants Audit, Compliance & Misconduct Support

Location: Remote work with priority for applicants based in Kenya or elsewhere in Africa, though open to global applicants. Must have the ability to work on US and African time zones.

Term: The contractor is required to commit an average of 16 hours per week over the period of the contract. The contractor will work very closely with the Program Finance (PF) team, who are members of the Water Programs team. The contractor will work approximately 70% independently and 30% collaboratively with the team. Specific working hours and meeting times will be mutually agreed upon to ensure adequate collaboration for all parties. For transparency and tracking, the contractor is asked to submit a simple time tracker to the contract manager at the end of each week. This will facilitate monitoring and allow for adjusting hours with flexibility and allow certain weeks to have less than 16 hours and certain weeks to have more than 16 hours.

Background and Organizational Context:

charity: water is a registered nonprofit on a mission to bring clean, safe drinking water to people in need around the world. We inspire giving and empower others to fundraise for sustainable water solutions, then we make sure every dollar is maximized. We work with trusted local partners across over 20 countries in Africa and Asia who build and implement the water projects on the ground. Then we prove every single project funded using GPS coordinates, photos, and field stories.

Objective:

We are seeking an experienced part-time contractor to support the Water Programs team across three critical areas of grant oversight:

• Audit Management - Lead and manage the audit process for charity: water grants in line with audit schedules, ensuring timely and thorough completion. This includes ensuring appropriate mechanisms are in place to address findings and that all follow-ups are carried out effectively.
• Compliance Review - Review compliance documentation for each partner, clearly identifying gaps, and recommending appropriate follow-up actions to the Grant team.
• Misconduct & Risk Management - Lead the misconduct process coordination end to end - managing case intake, driving documentation and analysis, coordinating the Grant team, and ensuring timely progression through each stage - relying on the Grant team for partner knowledge, contextual inputs, and final approvals on all key decisions.

Throughout all workstreams, the contractor will keep the Grants team regularly informed and involved at key decision points.

Scope of Work:

charity: water conducts scheduled project financial audits with partners as a core mechanism for financial accountability, operational integrity, and effective use of funds. (Expectation to support up to 12 active audits at any given time)

Deliverables & Responsibilities

1. 1. Serve as the primary charity: water point of contact for partner external audits, managing the end-to-end audit process and following up on partner progress to ensure timelines are met
   2. Manage the partner audits email inbox, responding to and triaging communications in a timely manner
   3. When applicable, facilitate the external auditor search process, including contracting and payment
   4. Review draft and final audit reports upon submission and provide notes/feedback to the respective Program Finance team member prior to closing out each audit
   5. Upon audit completion, update the audit findings log sheet and regularly maintain the Program Finance external audit tracker to reflect current audit statuses
   6. Coordinate all communications with partners and hired audit firms, including calls and emails, and ensure proper filing of all related reports and documentation.

charity: water reviews partner compliance and governance documents at each proposal cycle, assessing key financial, operational, and safeguarding materials against internal standards. (May cover up to 53 active partnerships across two review cycles per year, with each review covering 20-33 partnerships.)

Deliverables & Responsibilities

1. 1. Complete and store compliance evaluations for all charity: water active partnerships within a given grant cycle
   2. Manage and regularly update the internal compliance tracker to reflect current document statuses
   3. Monitor partner submission deadlines and ensure all partners have submitted required compliance documents on time
   4. Conduct all compliance evaluations and approve them by set deadlines, prior to partner grant start dates
   5. Follow up with partners on any missing or incomplete documentation
   6. Provide a comprehensive compliance update to the respective Program Finance team member upon completion of each compliance cycle

charity: water requires partners to proactively report suspected misconduct - while partners conduct their own investigations, charity: water maintains collaborative oversight throughout the process, ensuring due diligence, transparency, and timely risk management at every stage.

Deliverables & Responsibilities

1. 1. Case intake and coordination - Initiate case setup, maintain all relevant records and systems, and coordinate the Grant Team to ensure timely progression throughout the lifecycle.
   2. Documentation review and analysis - Analyze partner-submitted documentation to assess adherence to internal controls and determine the scope and impact of reported issues.
   3. Risk assessment and action plan drafting - Compile partner data to support risk evaluations; draft risk assessments, proposed follow-up levels, and action plans for Grant Team review and approval.
   4. Case documentation and reporting - Draft and maintain all case documentation - including incident reports, progress updates, and investigation conclusions
   5. Internal and external communications - Draft suggested partner responses, formal letters, and other correspondence at each stage of the case; prepare summaries, case updates, and supporting inputs for internal review and approval processes.
   6. Financial closure and follow-up - Support final documentation of investigation conclusions, recovery outcomes, and active remediation tracking.
   7. Technical guidance - Provide guidance to strengthen the misconduct management process based on best practices and sector benchmarks.

Required Qualifications & Skills:

• Demonstrated experience in grants management, financial analysis, audit, and compliance, ideally within a foundation, NGO, or international development context
• Proven experience reviewing compliance documentation and developing or advising on appropriate follow-up actions
• Experience managing or supporting audit processes, including tracking findings, recommending corrective actions, and ensuring timely follow-up
• Experience supporting misconduct or fraud-related processes from a financial perspective, including documentation review, risk analysis, and recovery tracking
• Strong foundation in financial accounting, with the ability to interpret financial statements, ledgers, and audit trails
• Proficiency with Salesforce (or comparable grants management/CRM systems), including data entry, record management, and reporting
• Exceptional attention to detail, with strong organizational and documentation skills
• Experience working cross-culturally, with sensitivity to diverse partner contexts and communication styles
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities, and meet deadlines in a remote environment
• Ability to maintain a solid internet connection throughout the engagement.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior experience working with partners or grantees in Africa and Asia, with a strong understanding of the operational and compliance challenges in these contexts
• A professional background in accounting, audit, risk management, or compliance, such as a CPA, CIA, or equivalent qualification
• Experience with fiduciary risk frameworks or partner capacity assessment in an international development context

Compensation and Contract Details:

Compensation is within a defined range, with final compensation commensurate with experience. Given the flexibility offered in the engagement and the opportunity to work more heavily on dense projects in any given week, compensation will be based on a simple monthly timesheet submitted with an invoice. The pay range for this engagement is $40 - $52 per hour, commensurate with experience.

The contractor will need a computer with video capability and reliable internet access to access our technology systems and meet the required deliverables of this contract.

Hiring Timeline:

We would greatly appreciate receiving your response no later than August 7, 2026. Responses received after this date will be considered as needed on a rolling basis.