Results for Development (R4D) is a leading non-profit global development partner. We collaborate with change agents around the world — government officials, civil society leaders and social innovators — to create strong systems that support healthy, educated people. We help our partners move from knowing their goal to knowing how to reach it. We combine global expertise in health, education and nutrition with analytic rigor, practical support for decision-making and implementation and access to peer problem-solving networks. Together with our partners, we build self-sustaining systems that serve everyone and deliver lasting results. Then we share what we learn so others can achieve results for development, too.
We have a unique and vibrant culture at R4D. Diversity, equity and inclusion are at the heart of our work environment and help advance our mission. Diversity—of ideas, identities, perspectives and backgrounds—is vital to who we are and what we do. We seek people who embrace these values and will help reinforce them. Our work culture is collaborative, creative and entrepreneurial. We operate based on trust and respect. Teams across the organization frequently collaborate on programmatic work and support each other in continuously building a better R4D.
About the Innovation Practice
Around the world, individuals and institutions are finding new ways to work faster and smarter to address pressing challenges in health, education and nutrition systems. By adapting innovations to different contexts, creating novel approaches and solutions, and anticipating possible futures, these change agents are delivering better outcomes for citizens and challenging systemic inequalities.
In partnership with change agents, we facilitate the scale-up of innovations — addressing supply and demand-side barriers to scaling the impact of individual or cohorts of innovations. We also facilitate the strengthening of innovation ecosystems — addressing specific gaps, weaknesses and inefficiencies in the environment that are constraining innovation and scaling processes. To achieve these goals, we work with a range of innovation ecosystem actors, including social entrepreneurs, governments, civil society organizations, and development agencies. Read more about the practice here.
Opportunity
R4D is recruiting for a Senior Manager – Finance & Operations to join our Innovation Practice, based in our London, UK office. An integral member of the Innovation Team, the Senior Manager – Finance & Operations will collaborate closely with project and programme leads to devise and execute strategies and systems that support the financial and operational excellence of the Innovation portfolio.
We seek an individual with a strong track record of developing and managing large budgets on complex programmes with multiple partners, excellent verbal and written communication skills, and an ability to think creatively and strategically about improving organizational systems and practices. Knowledge of grants/contracts management, procurement processes, resource management, and prior experience managing UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) funds are also essential.
This role will provide advisory support to Finance & Operations across the Innovation portfolio, serve as a liaison between the Innovation practice and funders as required, and take the lead on the financial and operational management of a large, complex, FCDO-funded programme.
The Senior Manager – Finance & Operations will report to the Associate Director, Innovation (based in London) and will have line management responsibility for two Innovation Finance & Operations team members. The individual will also work closely with relevant members of R4D’s central Finance & Grants Administration teams.
Responsibilities
Line management & Recruitment
- Line manage the Finance & Operations Manager and Senior Finance & Operations Associate, including the development and monitoring of their professional goals, performance check-ins, and providing ongoing support and QA of deliverables as required.
- Lead any recruitment for the Innovation Finance & Operations Team
Innovation Practice Resource Planning
- Review practice-level forecasts for accuracy and completeness
- Proactively anticipate/identify staffing coverage gaps and propose strategies to address them where required
Business Development
- Meet with Senior Programme Director and Associate Director to understand business development opportunities/needs
- Review and provide quality assurance across initial draft budgets prepared by Finance & Operations Manager
- Input Financial & Operational content for proposals as required
Process Development Initiatives
- Lead on developing solutions to improve the speed and accuracy of financial forecasting and reporting within the Innovation Practice.
- Work with partner organizations’ Finance & Operations counterparts, programme managers, and R4D’s central Finance & Grants Administration teams to develop, refine and implement suitable finance processes for the Innovation Practice, and to ensure the Innovation Practice leverages and works per R4D systems and processes.
Other
- Provide Monthly Portfolio Analysis reports of Innovation Practice to Senior Programme Director and Associate Director
- Attend monthly meetings with R4D’s central Finance & Grants Administration teams for updates to R4D processes, compliance requirements, mandatory donor reporting, etc.
- Oversee adherence to team travel and security risk management processes
- Input into Innovation Practice risk register and support implementation of mitigating actions
PROGRAMME / PROJECT-LEVEL RESPONSIBILITIES
Project-level financial management and monitoring
- Lead on FCDO financial budgets and forecasts, in collaboration with consortium partners where required
- Provide monthly analysis reports of FCDO programme spend, including workstream breakdowns, to internal members of the consortium as appropriate
- Provide oversight and quality assurance on all other forecast updates and programme / project-level reports
Donor reporting
- Monitor donor reporting contractual deadlines and ensure donor reporting commitments are met on time
- Review/provide quality assurance across all donor financial reports
- Submit donor invoices and supporting documentation as required
Partner/supplier invoice management
- Be the main liaison for FCDO-programme subcontractors, grantees and individual consultants on financial queries including invoicing and payments.
- Review partner/supplier invoices before submission on internal accounting platform.
Procurement & Contracts Management
- Review and sign-off on innovation contracts (including FCDO consortium partners and other external consultants)
- Oversee development or edits of Terms of Reference (with programme teams) and submission of purchase or change requests
Programme/project operations
- Develop and update programme-specific processes and Operations Manuals. Coordinate and chair programme-level Operations calls as required.
- Lead consultation on and communication around new financial processes within programme/project teams and across funders and partners.
- Manage and maintain programme-level risk registers.
- Oversee and sign off on FCDO grant funding allocations in partnership with the Associate Director.
- Lead on updating other donor required documents as required, e.g. FCDO Delivery chain map, Approvals Logs, Value for Money reporting, and other ad-hoc requests for information.
- Oversee quarterly reporting to the International Aid Transparency Initiative.
- Participates fully as a member of R4D by contributing, assisting and participating in projects, activities, and initiatives as requested by management
Qualifications and experience
Essential
- Relevant MA professional degree (accounting, mathematics, economics or finance) and 7+ years of relevant experience
- Demonstrated experience in the following areas, across a range of different funders and programmes:
- Budgeting and forecasting
- Revenue/expense tracking
- Donor financial reporting
- Optimising the allocation of financial and team resources for full cost recovery
- Operations / process improvement
- Providing accurate and timely financial inputs to programme teams to inform decision-making
- Experience managing FCDO (and other donors) funds, including managing multiple sub-contractors / sub-grantees / partners
- Excellent oral and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present complex data to team leads, technical staff and funders
- Experience line managing and coaching other team members
- High level of attention to detail
- Ability to work independently in a fast-changing environment, taking initiative and balancing competing demands
- Ability to foresee or predict potential issues / problems and proactively propose solutions
- Advanced Excel and Google Sheets skills
- Legal authorization to work in the UK
Highly Desirable
- Experience managing multi-donor programs with complex revenue and pricing structures
- Experience operating using an organisation-wide ERP system
- Experience of independently planning and facilitating finance and operations meetings with funders, consortium partners and other stakeholders
- Management of procurement processes
- Demonstrated ability to work well with a wide range of team members from diverse professional and personal backgrounds, across multiple geographies / time zones.
Please note that we are eager to identify a candidate to take up this role as soon as possible. Early applications are encouraged, as candidates will be interviewed on a rolling basis.
How to apply
Please click here to apply.