Phyllis Watuka

Finance professional with over 10 years of experience in accounting, financial management, budgeting, reporting and compliance across complex, multi-country organisations. Strong experience in accounts payable and receivable, reconciliations, supplier payments, expense processing, financial reporting and maintaining accurate financial records. Highly proficient in Excel and Microsoft Office, with experience using QuickBooks, Microsoft Dynamics and other financial systems, and self-taught in Xero.

Detail-oriented and reliable, with a strong understanding of financial controls, deadlines and working collaboratively with different teams.

Program Management Specialist - U.S. Department of State, U.S. Embassy Nairobi – Foreign Assistance Hub for East Africa - Nairobi, Kenya

(2025-09 - 2026-07)

• Set up and launched core financial systems for a newly created regional foreign assistance office at the U.S. Embassy Nairobi, coordinating across technical sectors and country offices to ensure funds reached each country as intended.
• Led the financial handover of humanitarian and health funding from one U.S. agency (USAID) to another (the State Department), achieving 100% reconciliation of all transitioned programs and keeping programmes running without interruption.
• Served as East Africa's main point of contact with the regional financial support office in Pretoria; introduced clearer communication processes that reduced payment delays and resolved a currency discrepancy that could have caused significant financial loss for the U.S. Government.
• Built a comprehensive tracking tool for closed-out health programme funding, recovered long-outstanding payments, and brought practices in line with federal closeout requirements.
• Built and maintained a comprehensive budget tracking tool across multiple funding lines and oversaw payments on both closed and active grants, including shared administrative and support costs across the U.S. Mission, sustaining a stable, fully compliant financial system.
• Reviewed spending and funds-availability reports for health and humanitarian programme partners, identifying spending patterns, flagging irregularities, and catching funding gaps before they became risks to programme delivery.
• Provided structured financial guidance and mentoring to programme and grant managers; ensured full compliance with audit requirements, coordinated audit start and close-out meetings, and kept internal oversight reporting on schedule.
• Managed the office's portfolio of bilateral funding agreements, contributing to the successful extension of a key agreement with Djibouti and coordinating with the Government of Kenya on VAT compliance for funded programmes.
• Acted as a cross-functional link between grant managers, the regional financial support office, the Embassy's financial management office, and implementing partners, improving information-sharing between programme and finance teams.

Budget and Procurement Specialist - USAID Kenya and East Africa - Nairobi, Kenya

(2024-01 - 2025-08)

• Managed a financial portfolio of 32 projects exceeding $800M across 9 countries and 7 technical sectors: agriculture, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), energy, trade, investment, private sector engagement, and food security.
• Led multi-year budgeting aligned with long-term goals and financial policies, helping ensure resources were available when and where needed.
• Advised senior leadership on strategic budget realignment and led execution of resource deployment to enhance project implementation, ensure financial compliance, and maximise cost effectiveness and value for money.
• Developed internal financial, procurement, and operational tools to improve financial planning and resource allocation, fully committing a $100M funding pool to active projects.
• Reviewed partner organisations' budgets and financial documentation and provided on-site support to implementing partners and programme managers to ensure donor compliance, financial accountability, and risk mitigation.
• Led procurement planning, collaborating with multiple stakeholders to ensure ambitious procurement and financial timelines and requirements were met.
• Identified and resolved complex financial bottlenecks and obstacles hindering optimal expenditure.

Budget Specialist Advisor - USAID Pacific Islands - Suva, Fiji

(2024-07 - 2024-09)

• Established foundation budget operating systems for the newly opened USAID Pacific Islands Regional Mission, spanning 9 countries with an annual budget of $55 million.
• Trained and mentored a new budget specialist, accelerating readiness and improving compliance through structured, thorough onboarding.
• Integrated the latest budgeting methods into operations to enhance financial management and accountability.
• Collaborated with regional and headquarters teams to align funds with programming needs and timelines.
• Streamlined processes and standardised financial management and employee capacity.

Budget Specialist - USAID Kenya and East Africa - Nairobi, Kenya

(2019-06 - 2024-01)

• Oversaw planning and coordination of multi-sectoral budgets exceeding $400M annually, supporting a $2B portfolio across 12 countries in five technical areas: Health, Economic Growth, Environment & Biodiversity, Education, and Democracy & Governance.
• Led budget formulation and execution aligned with operational plans, donor expectations, and agency reporting standards.
• Produced detailed financial reports that improved transparency, ensured compliance, and enhanced performance tracking across sectors.
• Introduced scenario-based planning tools that strengthened adaptability and informed resource reprogramming during budget shifts.
• Advised technical teams on budget optimisation, accelerating the use of allocated funds ahead of deadlines, and forecasting, contributing to more efficient allocation and programme impact.
• Conducted financial analysis to identify cost-saving opportunities and ensure timely resource distribution under ambitious implementation timelines.
• Routinely stepped into leadership of the budget team during transitions, coordinating financial reviews, guiding future-year budget planning, and ensuring effective cross-office collaboration and compliance.

Project Accountant - HOPE Worldwide Kenya - Nairobi, Kenya

(2015-01 - 2019-06)

• Managed day-to-day financial operations for national programmes, including financial transactions, expenditure monitoring, reconciliations and financial reporting.
• Processed and reviewed programme-related expenses and supplier payments, ensuring appropriate supporting documentation, approvals and financial controls were maintained.
• Processed payroll for short-term staff paid on daily rates, calculated and withheld PAYE, prepared payroll submissions and ensured statutory deductions were accurately accounted for.
• Performed payroll reconciliations, investigated variances and ensured payroll records agreed with the underlying financial records.
• Reconciled financial records and investigated discrepancies, improving reporting accuracy and strengthening financial controls.
• Prepared regular financial reports and expenditure analyses for management and programme teams.
• Managed cash flow and monitored payments against programme requirements to support uninterrupted programme operations.
• Prepared financial information for audits and supported follow-up of audit requirements, contributing to strong compliance and audit readiness.
• Led the transition to Microsoft Dynamics Navision, improving financial reporting, record keeping and financial controls.
• Supervised regional finance coordinators and provided guidance on financial procedures, reporting and compliance.

Master's - Finance – Financial Analytics and Research - Massey University, New Zealand

MBA - University of East London, UK (2023)

Bachelor of Commerce - Finance - KCA University, Kenya (2016)