About R4D
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 and we want to keep it that way. 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.
R4D is seeking a Finance & Operations Officer in our UK London office from the end of November/early December 2021 who will support the rapidly expanding portfolio of the R4D Innovation practice.
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.
However, far too many promising innovations fail to successfully scale their impact, due to a lack of knowledge and evidence on how to manage this long and difficult process; and weaknesses or inefficiencies in the surrounding ecosystem, including access to finance, human capital, or supportive policies and regulation. This reality inhibits the acceleration of promising solutions and their sustainable integration into systems.
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
As an integral member of the Innovation Team, the Finance & Operations Officer will work closely with team leads to devise and execute strategies and systems that support operational excellence of the Innovation portfolio. The practice is at an exciting juncture of rapid growth and the team has been working over the past years to improve strategic budgeting and resource management, program management and quality control, and a team-building and human resources strategy.
We are seeking an entrepreneurial, strategic, and creative individual with strong experience developing and managing budgets, excellent verbal and written communication skills, and an ability to think creatively and strategically about how to improve organizational systems and practices. Knowledge of procurement processes, grants/contracts management, and prior experience managing UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) budgets is desired. The opportunity represents a chance to work with a highly collaborative team which embraces innovation and learning together, taking ownership over critical components of the team’s operations.
This position is based in London and will report directly to the Senior Program Officer with an indirect reporting line to the Director for Grants Administration. The position will directly manage the Senior Operations and Data Associate.**
Responsibilities
Financial Management
● Enhance / create tools to enable efficient financial tracking across the portfolio of innovation programmes.
● Lead team-wide financial forecasting to ensure team coverage, accurate financial spend down, and future fundraising needs.
● Support Innovation programme and project managers to monitor project spend ensuring accuracy and compliance with funder regulations and to track and course correct variances compared to budget/forecast.
● Lead on funder reporting processes, including the production and submission of financial reports and audit information if/when required to donors based on R4D financial systems and other financial data.
● Provide financial analysis as required and serve as a team resource for all questions related to budget development and compliance.
● Track and monitor the progress of business development opportunities within the innovation practice pipeline.
● Support the development of new funding proposals or proposals for additional funding.
● Support technical teams to scope inputs and benchmark rates appropriately to ensure Value for Money.
● Oversee the processing of sub awardee/supplier invoices carried out by the Senior Operations and Data Associate (including the requesting of invoices from suppliers and the processing of Invoices through the R4D ERP system (JAMIS).
● Oversee monitoring and reporting on UK office cashflow (including management of R4D’s UK bank account) and support to HQ in the oversight of the professional employer organisation (PEO).
Operations Management**
● Propose and implement system and process improvements for Innovation practice operations in order to facilitate leadership decision-making, and implement agreed-upon changes.
● Manage all ongoing operational and compliance needs for Innovation programmes and projects, including for FCDO-funded projects for which R4D is the prime awardee (for example, submission of IATI data).
● Set up practice level and grant / intervention specific financial and operational templates and support technical teams to use these effectively.
● Oversee the recruitment, hiring, and onboarding process for new staff members and consultants in collaboration with technical team members and the R4D Human Resources team.
● Oversee the procurement process for suppliers/consultants.
● Negotiate and implement contracts and other agreements with both donors and sub-grantees. Be the main liaison for donors, subcontractors, grantees and individual consultants on financial queries including invoicing and payments.
● Oversee contractual, administrative and compliance aspects related to the maintenance of the R4D office space in London.
Other
● Serve as liaison between R4D’s finance, operations, and human resource teams for the Innovation practice.**
● Serve as liaison between the Innovation practice and funders in respect of finance and operations
● Line manage the Senior Operations and Data Associate including the development and monitoring of their professional goals.
Qualifications
● BA required, MA/accounting qualification preferred
● 5+ years of financial management experience, preferably in the nonprofit sector, including:
○ Budgeting and forecasting;
○ Optimising the allocation of financial and team resources across the innovation portfolio for full cost recovery;
○ Revenue/expense tracking; and
○ Financial reporting.
● Advanced Excel skills
● Strategic and creative problem solver adept at developing efficient systems and decision-making processes
● Experience developing budgets, tracking and managing resources, and/or supporting recruitment and program management efforts required
● Experience managing FCDO (and other donor) funds, including managing sub-contractors / sub-grantees
● Highly collaborative and approachable team member who is enthusiastic about supporting the Innovation team and working closely with others at R4D
● Excellent oral and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present complicated and detailed data to team leads
● High level of organization, attention to detail, professionalism, and reliability
● Ability to prioritize and manage work in a fast-paced environment across multiple projects and work streams with competing time/resource demands
● Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
● Energy, good judgement, and humour
● Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the UK
This vacancy is archived.