AD, Humanitarian Finance & Compliance at Save the Children in Washington, DC

Summary

The Associate Director of Humanitarian Finance and Compliance (HFC) will oversee a portfolio of highly prioritized and/or high-risk awards, focused on ensuring effective resourcing and financial management of the portfolio, and in compliance with Save the Children’s accounting policies and donor requirements. You will be responsible for ensuring that accurate, complete and reliable financial information is maintained in both award and financial systems, and monitoring the timely internal closeout of humanitarian awards, and will work closely with the Humanitarian Program Portfolio Unit to ensure coordinated and effective management of response-specific awards that the two units jointly manage. You will supervise a team of award finance and compliance specialists and senior specialists, providing supportive, compliant and effective guidance in the management of individual portfolios, and will report to the Humanitarian Finance & Compliance Director, acting as deputy for the Unit, and actively engaging in key objectives to ensure overall effectiveness of the Unit.

What You’ll Be Doing (Essential Duties)

Financial Leadership for Prioritized Responses and Key Institutional Account (55%)

Provide financial management oversight to a portfolio of high-risk and prioritized humanitarian programs, engaging in the start-up, implementation and closing of projects.

Actively contribute to the development of cost proposals, including: sharing and conducting necessary trainings on cost proposal templates; ensuring SCUS costs are appropriately budgeted into the projects; conducting thorough review of partner budgets in collaboration with country office and HQ colleagues; and ensuring proposal budget documents are ready for donor submission.

Identify and effectively respond to risks affecting humanitarian awards; determine mitigation plans; share knowledge with appropriate program, implementing partners and other staff as relevant; and escalate concerns to the Director, Finance and Compliance on high-risk issues exposing Save the Children to compliance risks.

Collaborate across department and with technical staff in International Programs Division to ensure that awards budgeted Level of Effort (LOE) are appropriately utilized on a timely basis for technical support.

Oversee effective compliance with systems and procedures for sub-grant financial management and financial reporting.

Serve as point person for invoices and humanitarian financial reporting. Monitor financial reporting key performance indicators. Oversee accuracy and compliance with donor requirements and internal organization policy. Support department to maintain knowledge management systems around financial compliance.

Lead and monitor the timely internal close out of awards including, closing out any sub awards issued by DHR including financial reconciliation; monitor Award Management System (AMS) close-out status and on-time close out key performance indicators. Determine shifts in strategy as needed to award close out metrics.

Develop tools and systems for training Country Offices on institutional donor financial compliance.

Participate in quarterly reviews for the assigned institutional donor.

Identify trends, best practices and challenges of financial compliances with this donor.

Propose solutions and ways forward to advance engagement with this donor on financial compliances.

Management Support (30%)

Lead, supervise and develop a team of humanitarian finance and compliance staff.

For direct reports, oversee recruitment, orientation, development of individual and unit work plans, performance evaluations, objectives, professional development opportunities, timesheet management/approval; and provide training and supervision of day-to-day tasks.

Work as deputy of the Finance and Compliance unit, supporting the Director to ensure that there are clear systems and tools for managing the full team. Engage on Department of Humanitarian Response management initiatives, as needed.

Support the Director of Humanitarian Finance and Compliance with implementing human resource management strategies (recruitment, orientation, retention, leadership development, succession planning) to support achievement of strategic/operational goals.

Serve as backstop and support for team members in the finance and compliance aspects of award management. Help team members identify problems and develop plans to address these issues. Monitor finance and compliance risks. Work with award management focal points, HF&C Director, and CO leadership to agree on risk mitigation strategies; escalating issues as appropriate.

Provide management support when the Director is deployed, on leave, or traveling.

Systems, Capacity Building and Cross-Department Coordination (15%)

Ensure appropriate information management systems are in place for the HF&C unit.

Support alignment of award management and financial systems (AMS and Agresso, respectively).

Support roll-out of High Performing Organization initiatives related to the finance and compliance aspects of award management within DHR.

Engages with the program unit to develop improved LOE budgeting guidelines and propose/roll out improved processes for inter-departmental collaboration and information sharing around award budget utilization and compliance issues.

Work closely with the Humanitarian Program Portfolio (HPP) unit to ensure coordinated award management of jointly managed awards, including preparation for DHR award manager meetings. Coordinate with other DHR units and with other SCUS teams as appropriate.

Lead and/or participate in working groups and continuous improvement projects.

Required Qualifications

Minimum 5-7 years of relevant experience

Bachelor degree or equivalent related experience required

Demonstrated technical or managerial knowledge, skills, and experience to manage the operational activities of a unit or team,

Proven ability to work with colleagues across the organization, and at all communicating effectively and building understanding of financial processes and procedures

Demonstrated ability to multi-task and work well under pressure, many times with competing priorities and deadlines

Demonstrated experience working across the full cycle of grant/award management from proposal and budget development through to reporting and close-out

Proven ability to think and act strategically

Professional proficiency in both spoken and written English

Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate and collaborate across teams to deliver results

Demonstrated analytical and organizational skills, with proven attention to detail,

Proven ability to multi-task and able to make independent decisions

Ability and willingness to travel internationally (up to 10% of time)

Preferred Qualifications

Experience providing training to both finance and non-finance staff

Experience working with general ledger and financial systems

Knowledge of OFDA, BPRM, UNHCR and WFP

Experience in humanitarian settings in the field