Description
Are you a very passionate advocate for education? Do you want to make a difference in the lives of children? The Global Partnership for Education Secretariat (GPE) would like to hear from you.
Who We Are GPE is a shared commitment to end the world’s learning crisis. It is the only global partnership and fund dedicated entirely to helping children in lower-income countries get a quality education, so they can unlock their potential and contribute to building a better world. We bring together governments, teachers, civil society, donors, United Nations agencies, development banks, businesses and private foundations to transform education systems so that every girl and boy can have hope, opportunity and agency.
What We Do GPE helps low- and lower-middle-income countries to build stronger education systems so that all children can get the education they need to thrive. We currently support nearly 90 countries where the needs are greatest and focus on reaching the children who are the most vulnerable, including girls, children with disabilities and those affected by extreme poverty or conflict. Our unique approach works. Since 2002, 160 million more children in GPE partner countries have set foot in classrooms for the first time, more than half of them girls. GPE is also the largest provider of education grants in the global COVID-19 response, providing partner countries with vital resources to ensure that learning can safely continue.
How We Work Now, GPE is working to help governments transform their education systems to get the most vulnerable children in school, improve teaching and learning, and build equitable, inclusive and resilient education systems fit for the 21st century. Between 2020-2025, GPE will support transformative change in up to 90 countries and territories, which are home to 1 billion children. Transforming education is about creating lasting changes and achieving impact at scale. GPE sets out to deliver this transformative change by convening partners, mobilizing funds and catalyzing reforms to help partner countries accelerate access, learning outcomes and gender equality.
Raise Your Hand In July 2021, the Global Education Summit put GPE firmly on the path to be fully-funded by 2025, by raising a record US $4 billion from donors for GPE’s Raise Your Hand campaign. At the Summit, Heads of State and Government from partner countries made historic commitments to education financing and GPE also mobilized an unprecedented number of pledges from businesses, private foundations and development banks.A fully funded GPE would support transformed education systems in up to 90 countries and territories, enable up to 175 million children to learn and help get 88 million more girls and boys in school by 2025. In the longer term, this investment could add $164 billion to economies in GPE partner countries, lift 18 million people out of poverty, and protect 2 million girls from early marriage.
Governance And Organizational Arrangements The GPE Board of Directors includes ministerial-level board members and alternates representing 20 constituencies that reflect the Partnership’s breadth. The Board Chair is HE President Jakaya Kikwete and the Board Vice Chair is Dr Susan Liautaud. The Board of Directors, with its three standing committees, provides policy and strategic oversight and approves or delegates funding decisions.The GPE Secretariat, with 160 employees and hosted by the World Bank, is responsible for translating the policies and strategies set by the Board into practical support for partner countries, coordinating with diverse stakeholders and galvanizing global support for SDG4. The Secretariat’s headquarters are in the World Bank’s offices in Washington, D.C. and the European office is in Paris with a satellite office in Brussels and a support office in Chennai.
ABOUT THE TEAM
The Finance & Grant Operations team (FGO) works to maximize the impact of the GPE Fund. This is achieved through (a) sound financial planning, management, and analysis of resources, (b) robust fiduciary and risk oversight, (c) innovative financing, and (d) streamlined, well-orchestrated, clear and consistent processes to access GPE funds, including quality assurance, systems and tools, monitoring & data, and adaptive management processes to rapidly identify and support reprogramming needs.
Within FGO, there are several teams, including the Risk and Compliance team, and Corporate Finance team. The Deputy CFO will oversee the work of both of these teams reporting to the CFO.
ABOUT THE JOB
This position will be based initially in Washington DC
DescriptionThe Deputy Chief Financial Officer (DCFO) will report to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) who oversees the Finance and Grant Operations Team. The successful candidate will manage the Risk and Compliance Team, and Corporate Finance Team. He/she will set related strategy, represent GPE to external stakeholders on related work, coordinate high level relationships with GPE partners, and manage a diverse body of work, including risk management, trustee and corporate finance, and contribute to strategic corporate initiatives. The selected candidate will be responsible for ensuring an enabling work environment that promotes success of the team and its individual members, and for ensuring strong and effective coordination with other regional teams and the wider Secretariat.
Duties And Accountabilities• Deputizes for the Chief Financial Officer on all aspects of GPE finances and risk management functions.• Specific responsibility for leading the budget development and internal oversight, reporting and reallocation of a unit budget of over $60 million per year.• Provides direct technical leadership to the Corporate Finance sub-team responsible for financial planning, management, and analysis of the US$1 billion per year GPE Fund including facilitating negotiations with Trustee, and GPE donors and grant agents• Provides direct technical leadership to the Risk and Compliance sub-team responsible for corporate risk management, and ensuring compliance with GPE policies on misuse of funds, and sexual exploitation abuse and harassment, as well as fiduciary oversight of GPE grants. • Leads the financial and risk management work on high value / high risk cross cutting initiatives including on institutional arrangements, replenishment, and GPE staffing and locations.
People, talent and resource management* Provide thought leadership and drive technical excellence within the team by creating an environment of learning and innovation that attracts and retains talent that reflects the diversity of our partners.* Oversee recruitment, coaching, performance evaluation and career development within area of responsibility.* Allocate staff resources in a planned and strategic manner that meets business needs.* Promote a culture of effective teamwork and collaboration within the team and across the Secretariat.* Champion a cross-cutting gender lens in all operations and program and support diversity and inclusion in all team initiatives.* Oversee the work planning and budgeting process for the team and ensure coordination with other teams in the Secretariat.* Address staff and resource issues to ensure resolution.
Selection Criteria
Education
Master's degree in relevant field of study such as business administration, finance, assurance and risk management; accounting; and/or equivalent professional qualification such as CPA, ACA, ACCA, CIMA or other relevant qualification.
ExperienceAt least 12 years of relevant experience in a senior operations, risk, or finance role, including extensive people management experience and success. Experience in international development. CompetenciesTeam Leadership – Extensive experience building and managing teams and creating an enabling work environment. Skilled at leading and inspiring team members. Able to articulate a clear vision for the team and implement it in a way that fosters participation, shared ownership and appropriate delegation. Proven track record of taking tough decisions and addressing performance issues directly and in a timely manner.
Strategic Planning and Work Program Management – Demonstrated experience defining organizational strategy and translating that to operational objectives and plans. Extensive experience defining team and individual work programs, identifying key performance indicators and tracking and managing results. Proven ability to manage large and diverse business units or a major function with diverse capabilities and clients.
Relationship Management – Deep knowledge of GPE partner organizations and other regional stakeholders, their organizations, and their unique characteristics. Understanding of, and sensitivity to, stakeholder perspectives, interests and needs and their intersection with GPE’s goals and interests. Extensive experience forging and managing relationships and developing partnerships that expand the reach and impact of the organization, and strong professional network. Strong influencing and negotiation skills; Skilled at getting alignment behind a common goal, and support for specific courses of action or solutions. Strong political judgment, diplomatic sense, conflict resolution and problem-solving skills.
Results Focus and Accountability – Proven track record of leading organizations and/or teams to achieve results. Ensures group efforts produce clear actions and decisions and tasks conclude. Ensures staff have needed clarity to move work forward and works within and across teams to remove obstacles and resolve issues. Adapts to changing circumstances by innovating and altering plans and communicating and ensuring understanding of new courses of action. Anticipates risks and plans to mitigate or minimize impact. Demonstrates the confidence to make bold decisions quickly, balancing speed and thoroughness even in the face of ambiguous circumstances. Takes ownership of own and team mistakes, failures or oversights, and shares credit for team accomplishments.
Fiduciary, Finance and Budget – Extensive experience in financial planning, and budgeting with deep knowledge of good practices in fiduciary, finance, budgeting, and anticorruption policies and processes.
Risk management – Extensive experience in developing and managing risk policy and frameworks
BENEFITS FOR THIS POSITION
Term appointments include, but are not limited to, medical benefits, including dental and vision, Staff Retirement Plan, financial assistance program, life & disability insurance, comprehensive leave policy (minimum 26 days/annum) and parental leave policy (50-100 days).
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
Poverty has no borders. Neither does excellence. This is why we continually search for qualified individuals with a diverse set of backgrounds from around the globe. We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce, and do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, religion, creed, race, color, ethnicity, sexual orientation or disability.GPE has a zero-tolerance policy against all forms of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment in line with its PSEAH policy.Individuals with disabilities may be provided reasonable accommodations to perform essential functions of the role and support in receiving other workplace accommodations. Please contact the DAF-Disability Accommodation Fund at disabilityfund@worldbank.org for further information and support.
The World Bank Group values diversity and encourages all qualified candidates who are nationals of World Bank Group member countries to apply, regardless of gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability. Sub-Saharan African nationals, Caribbean nationals, and female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.