Grant Finance Manager (maternity cover)

Reporting to: Director of Finance

Direct reports: Senior International Grant Accountant, International Grant Accountants

Key Relationships: Regional Office finance teams, Project Team, Grant Managers

Contract: Fixed term, approx. 10 months Jan-Oct 2024 (with potential for extension)

Working Hours: Full time (37.5 hours per week)

Salary: £54,770 gross per annum

Location: Hybrid: London office and working from home

About Us

ARTICLE 19 works to protect and defend freedom of expression and information (FoE/I), particularly individual advocates of these rights. Our goal is that those at the front line of defending freedom of expression and information are supported by effective networks of institutions and activists at the local, regional and global levels, and by strong legal frameworks and mechanisms, thus ensuring that violations are known, perpetrators held accountable, and effective relief or redress is secured.

The protection of these rights requires a holistic approach encompassing physical, digital, psychosocial and legal security. ARTICLE 19 works to improve the security conditions and protection tools and mechanisms for journalists, media workers, human rights defenders (HRDs), bloggers and others engaged in defending human rights, particularly freedom of expression and information, and exposing corruption. We work to systematise our global monitoring and reporting methodologies, linking them to international and regional mechanisms, as well as specific governments, to raise cases of violations.

ARTICLE 19 focuses in improving access of women and sexual and gender minority journalists, HRDs, media workers and other communicators to specific tools and knowledge to protect themselves online and offline from physical, digital and legal risks or threats. Protection mechanisms and support networks are nuanced to effectively mitigate risk and threats for women and sexual and gender minorities.

JOB SUMMARY

The Grant Finance Manager will lead the Grant Accounting team to support project management in the International Office (IO) as well as providing technical support to the Regional Offices (RO). The role is responsible for leading grant accounting, contract compliance, donor reporting across ARTICLE 19’s portfolio of projects.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Budgeting

• Work closely with the fundraising team to review donor budgets in advance of submission, ensuring budgets are complete, accurate and consistent with the proposal. In addition, review budgets to ensure good direct and indirect cost recovery.
• Support the budget holders to revise budgets where appropriate.

Grant implementation and donor compliance

• Support the production of financial reports in compliance with donor and internal ARTICLE 19’s requirements for all projects implemented by ARTICLE 19.
• Monitor grant cash flow, ensuring that funding is requested and received in a timely manner.
• Verify cash requests from Regional Offices relating to projects where cash is managed by the International Office, and other intra-company cash transfers.
• Manage partner due diligence process, ensuring due diligence is complete in a timely manner and refreshed as per the partnership + due diligence policies.
• Support the roll-out of the new partnership + due diligence policies to all teams and regional offices.
• Support the grant accounting team to ensure that donor reports are always reconciled to the accounting system.
• Own and develop internal tools that track the active grants portfolio, secured and pipeline funding, reporting schedule and other compliance, cost recoveries and cash balances and ensure they are kept up-to-date.
• Design, implement and/or improve already existing internal controls, policies, procedures and tools to ensure compliance with donor requirements.
• Participate in SLT meetings, updating on major grants and donor compliance issues.

Donor audits

• Lead on donor audits, including the US audit, ensuring ARTICLE 19 is prepared for the audit, issues are identified and resolved in advance of the audit and any audit findings are addressed in a timely manner.
• Ensure all donor audits are well planned, so that donor deadlines are respected. Manage and update grant audit lists, and prepare FGPC paper on recent and upcoming audits.
• Maintain the audits and disallowances tracker, and request regular updates from the team.
• Review and implement recommendations from previous audits.

Team and change management

• People management of team through a coaching and supportive approach ensuring accountability and supporting ongoing professional development.
• In close collaboration with the Financial Controller, Systems Accountant and Director of Finance, lead and motivate the finance team to deliver high quality work that provides value-add to ARTICLE 19.
• In close collaboration with the Financial Controller, Systems Accountant and Director of Finance, support and drive the implementation of changes to create an increasingly efficient and effective finance function.
• Build effective working relationships with senior leaders across ARTICLE 19.
• Support the potential transition to a new finance system, and subsequent roll out.

Others

• Support the annual budgeting and reforecasting process.
• Prepare the grant finance elements on the statutory financial statements and all supporting working papers.
• Lead the grant finance team, and support regional offices, ensuring a consistent approach to grant financial management across all ARTICLE 19 offices.
• Support with the implementation of the NICRA, once agreed.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

ESSENTIAL

Education and Qualification

• Qualified or qualified by experience with a CCAB recognised qualification, or working towards qualification, or qualified through relevant work experience.
• Understanding of accounting for restricted income and expenditure under UK charity law and guidelines.

Work Experience

• Strong experience in financial grant management, ideally in an international development context.
• Experience of managing business partnering in a complex and constantly evolving environment, adding value to decision-making, and introducing change where required.
• Experience in producing grant budgets in compliance with donor requirements, and the recovery of overhead and central costs.
• Experience of developing policies, procedures and tools to improve internal controls.
• Experience of managing and motivating a team, ensuring they have the knowledge, skills and motivation to achieve team objectives.

Knowledge, skills and ability

• Excellent Excel skills, including vlookups, sumifs and ability to self-learn in this area.
• Ability to work quickly, methodically with close attention to detail.
• Good inter-personal skills and excellent communication skills, including experience of working cross-culturally, across different time zones and with people from different cultural and professional backgrounds.
• Ability to work to tight deadlines and in high pressure situations whilst maintaining a calm and positive attitude.
• Ability to negotiate but understanding where the ‘red lines’ are and to gain compliance with them through dialogue.
• Fluency in written and spoken English.

Other

• A mandatory requirement is the right to work in the UK – ARTICLE 19 does not sponsor individuals for employment-based visas for this position. Please do not apply for this position unless you already have the right to work in the UK.
• Commitment to work within ARTICLE 19’s vision, mission, core values and objectives.
• Cultural sensitivity and commitment to equal opportunities and non-discrimination.
• Willingness and ability to undertake regular travel.

DESIRABLE

• Experience of using Access Dimensions.
• Ability to speak at least one other official ARTICLE 19 language (French, Portuguese or Spanish)

Closing date: Sunday, 19th November 2023

Interviews: w/c Monday, 27th November 2023