Esther Mello

Finance & Administration Director, Multi-Country Grant Compliance & Risk Governance

Finance & Administration Leadership

Directing $25M+ donor portfolios into 100% clean audits across four countries

$0M+

Annual Portfolio Directed

Clean Audit Outcomes

Years of Financial Leadership

Reduction in Audit Query Rates

Contact Engagement

Currently Open to Remote Finance Director Roles

Trusted by Leading Humanitarian and Donor Organisations

International Medical Corps

USAID

European Union

ECHO

UNICEF

WFP

UNOCHA

FCDO

International Medical Corps

USAID

European Union

ECHO

UNICEF

WFP

UNOCHA

FCDO

About

Hello, I'm Esther Mello, a Finance and Administration Director with over 22 years of progressive leadership across multi-country humanitarian finance, grant compliance and risk governance.

From a Finance Assistant in Nairobi to directing $25M multi-donor portfolios across four countries in under two decades.

Read the Full Leadership Profile

Financial integrity is not a report you produce at year end, it is a discipline you protect every single day.

B.Com Finance — University of NairobiCPA IIUSAID Subaward ManagementHACT CertifiedHAP CertifiedEU Grants Compliance

Core Competencies

Nine disciplines, three pillars of financial leadership

Compliance & Risk Governance

Multi-Donor Grant Compliance & Governance
Enterprise Risk Management & Aid Diversion Mitigation
Subaward & Sub-Grantee Compliance Monitoring
Statutory Reporting & Audit Readiness

Financial Systems & Operations

Treasury & Multi-Currency Cash Flow Management
ERP & Financial Systems Modernisation
Grant Lifecycle Management & Proposal Budgeting

Multi-Country Leadership

Multi-Country Financial Leadership in Fragile Contexts
Remote & Cross-Border Financial Team Leadership

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Featured Engagements

Proof under real operating pressure

Compliance & Audit

Directing Somalia's $25M Portfolio to a 98% Reduction in Compliance Breaches

98%

Reduction in Compliance Breaches

41%

Drop in Audit Query Rates

As Director of Finance and Administration for the Somalia Mission, I took direct ownership of a $25M annual humanitarian portfolio spanning multiple donor regulations and field locations. The mission's exposure to aid diversion and compliance breaches was high given the operating environment, and existing controls had not kept pace with the portfolio's growth. I aligned multi-donor regulations into a single localised financial framework and introduced dedicated Aid Diversion standard operating procedures. The result was a sustained 98% reduction in compliance breaches and a 41% drop in audit query rates during external reviews.

Multi-Donor Grant ComplianceEnterprise Risk ManagementTreasury GovernanceStatutory ReportingRemote Team Leadership

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Systems Modernisation

Lifting Kenya Mission Payment Efficiency by 37% Through MPESA Integration

37%

Payment Processing Efficiency Gain

Cash and banking operations for the Kenya mission relied on manual, paper-heavy processes that slowed disbursements to field teams. I overhauled the standard operating procedures by integrating MPESA online payment systems directly into the mission's banking workflow. This modernisation accelerated payment processing efficiency by 37% and established robust threshold analyses that had not previously existed. It became the reference model other missions drew on for digital payment adoption.

ERP and Financial Systems ModernisationTreasury ManagementCash Flow ControlFinancial Governance

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Crisis Deployment

Establishing Zero-to-Operational Banking Infrastructure in Crisis-Affected Bukavu

Zero to Operational

Banking Infrastructure Built

Deployed as Finance Manager to Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of Congo, I entered a volatile, high-risk operating environment with no established financial infrastructure. I built mission-critical banking and operational accounts from the ground up to guarantee uninterrupted programme funding. Alongside this, I delivered comprehensive ACCPAC platform training to national finance personnel to sustain the system after my deployment ended. The mission maintained uninterrupted operational liquidity throughout a genuinely difficult operating period.

Multi-Country Financial Leadership in Fragile ContextsEnterprise Risk ManagementERP Systems TrainingTreasury Management

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Advisory Services

Ways to engage

Sustainable Finance & Operations Advisory

I provide strategic financial planning that drives sustainability, supported by robust expenditure tracking and monitoring to ensure accountability. My expertise in internal controls and risk management strengthens organisational resilience, while clear donor reporting and compliance build trust and secure long-term funding.

Interim Finance & Administration Director

Organisations facing a leadership gap in finance cannot afford a pause in donor compliance or reporting discipline. I step in as an interim Finance and Administration Director, bringing 22 years of multi-country humanitarian finance leadership from day one. Portfolios stay audit-ready and donor relationships stay protected while a permanent hire is secured.

Crisis and Fragile-Context Finance Setup

Establishing financial control in a fragile or crisis-affected operating environment cannot wait for ideal conditions. I build banking infrastructure, disbursement controls and national finance capacity from the ground up, drawing on direct experience across Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. Programme funding stays uninterrupted from the first week of deployment.

Let's Work Together

Ready to bring this discipline to your organisation?

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