Business Manager – Technical Leadership Unit At Internews Network

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

Under the supervision of the Technical Leadership Unit (TLU) Senior Vice President, the Business Manager’s primary responsibility is monitoring, supporting, and analyzing the project portfolio’s financial performance and operations. In addition, the Business Manager provides high-level administrative support to all the program teams within the Technical Leadership Unit, and innovative thinking to advance financial and administrative approaches, such as labor planning and tracking revenue diversification.

LOGISTICS

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Internews’ headquarters and global offices are closed or partially remote. Internews staff are currently working remotely until at least 1 July 2021. Until further notice, this position will also function remotely. Ultimately, this position will be based remotely or partially remotely in the Washington, D.C. area.

Our ideal candidate is based in the Washington, D.C. area and able to work from the D.C. office periodically; however, remote candidates based elsewhere in the United States will be considered. This position is not eligible for relocation assistance, and you must have work authorization in your location that does not require sponsorship from Internews.

OUR COMMITMENT TO FOSTERING A CULTURE OF BELONGING

We are an organization of dynamic, mission-driven individuals who are passionate about our core values and about supporting positive change in the world. We pride ourselves on our commitment to innovation and flexibility. We believe that diverse teams are strong teams and work to support an ethic of belonging, dignity, and justice for all people. https://internews.org/commentary/committing-to-change-an-update/ Our current team includes a mix of genders, parents, and non-parents, and people of multiple races, nationalities, ages, sexual orientations and socioeconomic backgrounds. We are an EEO employer and encourage candidates of all races, genders, ages, orientations, ethnicities, and national origins to apply, and welcome those with alternative backgrounds and experiences.

DAY-TO-DAY TASKS will include:

Corporate (50%)

• Provides regular reports and analysis to management, including advanced financial analysis for department budgets and labor forecasting;
• Works closely with budgeting staff and business development to produce quarterly reviews of the financial health of the portfolio, and its contributions to technical diversification within the organization;
• Serves as TLU contact for Business Administration departments, such as Grants and Contracts, Accounting and HR, to resolve transactional business process issues and region-specific support issues;
• Assists Senior Vice President in facilitating monthly operational review meetings and project review meetings;
• In coordination with the Headquarters Accounting Reporting Team, develop strategies to track expenditures and financial information for funders with unique financial reporting requirements/templates;
• Coordinates with the Headquarters Accounting Reporting Team to ensure financial reports and narrative reports are synchronized regarding financial data, particularly for awards or funders with non-standard reporting requirements/templates;
• Acts as a liaison between accounting and program teams regarding policy and procedures for complicated transactions or reconciliations;
• Monitors available budget, including variations in planned versus budgeted labor, assisting program team with monitoring workload balancing and reporting of actual hours worked; and
• Other duties as assigned.

Programmatic (50%)

• Develops and manages systems for labor analysis and tracking of staff charging across multiple budgets;
• Drafts proposal budgets and budget narratives for new projects and modifications of current budgets, across both Internews US and Internews Europe;
• Reviews and approves invoices, expense reimbursements, advance requests, payment requests, Program Management Unit expenses and recode requests;
• Oversees project start-up, including recruitment and training of core business administrative and management staff, development of workplan budgets, and setting up financial and business processes and systems;
• Oversees project closeout, including close tracking of project budgets, managing inventory disposal, coordinating with accounting on financial reports, and managing expenses and accruals;
• Works in close collaboration with regional teams and business development to draft budget components of projects which include technical expertise of the TLU. Tracks and monitors those components after project award;
• Supports Senior Vice President/Project Directors in start-up phases of new projects including launch and administration and operations systems-building in the field;
• Oversees the financial compliance of TLU sub-grants and contracts and provides direct management in the absence of in-country staff;
• Works closely with project accountants in the field during project development/handover-to-field, providing training and orientation as needed;
• Supports and provides oversight for financial and administrative requirements for Rapid Response Fund administration, small grants and other approaches for disbursing money to partners or members of our health and environmental journalism networks;
• Works collaboratively and proactively with Media Business team to build required financial processes/systems associated with revenue generation for partner media outlets;
• Other duties as assigned; and
• In all duties, an understanding of and demonstrated commitment to upholding Internews’ Core Values. https://internews.org/about-us#values

QUALIFICATIONS WE’RE LOOKING FOR:

• At least five years’ experience with non-profit project and portfolio management as well as developing or supporting USAID funded programs
• Experience with financial analysis, accounting, bookkeeping and financial management
• Budget development experience
• Understanding of direct and indirect costs, labor allocations, overhead costs and NICRA structures
• Familiarity with Internews finance and administrative systems a significant asset
• Demonstrated interpersonal skills including diplomacy, tact, and the ability to negotiate
• Excellent communication skills: speaking, writing, and listening
• Proven ability to set priorities and manage time effectively
• Proven analytical and problem-solving ability
• Proven ability to work both independently and as an effective team member
• Proven ability to prioritize and handle multiple ongoing assignments
• Proficient in MS Office, Excel, and budget analysis
• Familiarity with ERP systems, Salesforce, and other platforms/databases