Internews Europe
Location: Central London with some remote working
Duration: Permanent subject to 6 month probationary period
Commencing: Sept 2022 onwards
Line manager: CEO, Internews Europe
Hours: Full-time
Salary range: £81,175 – £95,500
About Internews
Internews is an international non-profit organisation whose mission is to empower local media worldwide to give people the news and information they need, the ability to connect and the means to make their voices heard.
Internews provides communities the resources to produce local news and information with integrity and independence. With global expertise and reach, Internews trains both media professionals and citizen journalists, introduces innovative media solutions, increases coverage of vital issues and helps establish policies needed for open access to information.
Internews programs create platforms for dialogue and enable informed debate, which bring about social and economic progress.
Internews operates internationally, with administrative centres in California, Washington DC, and London, as well as regional hubs in Bangkok and Nairobi. Formed in 1982, Internews has worked in more than 90 countries, and currently has offices in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and North America.
About the role
We are seeking a highly skilled finance professional to perform this essential senior leadership financial strategy and management position for our London headquarters. The approximate annual income for Internews Europe and its subsidiaries, of which the post-holder has oversight, is c. £18m.
The post-holder will report directly to the CEO for Internews Europe with a functional reporting line to the Vice President for Finance and Accounting based in California, USA. The post-holder will be a leader on matters of corporate financial strategy, budget management, inter-organisational financial transactions and overall accounting operations.
This is an exciting opportunity to drive systems and process improvements in corporate financial management and planning, whilst also ensuring the smooth running of the financial service centre of the organisation.
S/he forms a central part of the Senior Management Team (SMT) in London, in addition to the wider Corporate Management Group and other international management units.
The main areas of responsibility of the role will include:
- Day-to-day Corporate Finance oversight including banking, cash-flow planning and foreign exchange management
- Provide leadership, mentoring and staff development to the IEU finance team
- Annual budgeting, planning, reforecasting, monitoring and reporting
- Oversight of reporting functions including Board, Management, and Statutory reporting;
- Establish and ensure strong financial controls
- Develop andstrengthen financial analysis including regular reporting on KPIs
- Audit preparation and management;
- Represent IEU finance operational and strategic concerns to global Internews Sr Staff team
- Close collaboration with other members of business operations Senior Staff team for optimisation of business policies and processes
Financial Management & Strategy
Advising the IEU executive management team and global senior staff team, leading where appropriate, this post will contribute to ensuring the efficient management of Internews Europe’s financial resources overall. Reporting topics to include use of resources, internally and externally; ensuring that appropriate financial control systems are in place and effective; effective monitoring of budget to actual.
Specific duties will include the following:
- Co-ordination of the annual organisational budget preparation process;
- Collaboration with the global Internews Financial Planning and Analysis, and Strategic planning functions to develop and ensure effective budget oversight and management.
- Collaboration with project and department managers regarding actual results compared against budget, including leading periodic budget adjustments
- Treasury management to minimise organisational risk and negative foreign exchange valuations;
- Budget compliance monitoring for both direct project spending and indirect department spending.
- Delivery of timely statutory, financial and management accounts;
- Reporting and presenting to the trustee board on all of the above;
- Ensuring professional and compliant delivery of all Internews Europe financial processes, to drive improvements in processes and ensure all staff members understand and adopt such processes
- Reporting on Internews Europe’s cash-flow, with particular focus on ensuring external reporting deadlines are met for prompt drawdown of grant tranches
Finance Department operations
The post will be responsible for the efficient performance of the day-to-day functions of the corporate finance department, both personally and through delegated accounting staff.
Specific duties will include the following:
- Oversight of accounting team, including managing managers , for effective leadership, staff development and strategy formation
- Oversight of international banking processes (GBP and foreign currency, income and payments);
- Banking relationship management, including monitoring banking arrangements in international offices
- Identify and implement opportunities for procedure enhancements, with an emphasis on simplicity and consistency for non-accounting global Internews staff
- Headquarters payroll process (through payroll bureau)
- Oversight of core accounting processes including cash-flow management and planning, purchase ledger processes, accounts receivable processes, including personal data entry into the accounting system of select transactions
- Oversight of accounting for IEU subsidiaries, including ensuring subsidiary financials are sufficiently reconciled for both stand-alone and consolidated reporting.
- Oversight of accounting treatment for collaboration and resource sharing between Internews Network to facilitate combined management/programmatic reporting when required, while ensuring sufficient financial controls to ensure distinct financial reporting and protection of separate legal entity status.
- Ad-hoc trouble-shooting on financial processes, transactions and issues.
Oversight of subsidiary financial processes
Currently Internews Europe has two subsidiaries, Internews International (II) based in France and Internews Media Development based in Ireland, currently dormant.
- Oversight of financial processes including relevant controls, policies and procedures
- Oversight of financial reporting in accordance with relevant GAAP and regulatory requirements.
- Monitor local regulatory requirements and ensure compliance with relevant tax and reporting requirements
- Liaison with auditors, preparation and management of audit work
- Advise SMT of ramifications of strategic decision, including finance, tax and other regulatory impacts
- Significant participant in strategy development regarding appropriate utilization of subsidiaries.
Compliance, both with the UK regulatory regime and with the requirements of our principal funders and supporters
- Lead responsibility for ensuring the maintenance and regular review of all statutory and best practice policies and procedures, staff training and update programmes
- Liaison with auditors, preparation and management of audit work [1]
- Ensuring that all aspects of the Internews Europe annual report are compliant with regulatory requirements and best practice for UK registered charities and companies limited by guarantee
- Assisting the Programme Support team, in interpretation of donor compliance requirements, their translation into Internews Europe operational and/or financial procedures, and their effective implementation
Participation in global business operations leadership
- Collaborate with other members of the global senior leadership team for efficient operations and execution of the mission
- Collaboration with Information Technology and solution for effective implementation of software and other technology solutions, providing information and expertise and support for appropriate budgeting and expense allocation.
- Collaboration with Enterprise Risk Management and Security team regarding identification and mitigation of financial and other risks, as well as preparing policy and reports in accordance with Charity Commission guidelines
- Collaboration with People and Culture team to ensure appropriate labour regulations, Internews policy, procedures and financial controls are adhered to in the processing of payroll and other benefits; includes oversight and development of payments to employees and consultants working outside of the UK on Internews projects.
Other ad hoc tasks, as directed by senior management
This summary of responsibilities is not exhaustive, and the post holder may be expected to take on additional responsibilities consistent with the role. These may include for example support to the executive team in relation to strategic planning, preparation and implementation of accounting software and technology solutions and similar tasks.
Line management and Team leadership responsibilities
The post supervises:
- Senior Programme Finance & Accounting Manager
- Corporate Finance Associates & Bookkeepers
Person Specification
The criteria below are the minimum necessary for effective performance in the post. The applicant must demonstrate how they meet each of them through the application form and, when necessary, through job-specific tasks and at interview.
Experience
Experience of managing financial and management accounts processes, including annual accounts, audits and external reporting
Essential
Experience in a management capacity within an organisation of at least similar size and complexity to Internews Europe
Essential
Experience of liaising with and advising non-financial managers and staff
Essential
Experience of line management and leadership
Essential
Experience of managing external professional and service provider relationships
Essential
Experience of HR and facilities responsibilities
Essential
Experience of major multi-lateral and bi-lateral donor requirements
Desirable
Experience of managing the external reporting and/or compliance functions of a comparable size of organisation
Desirable
Experience of working in, or dealing with, developing countries and fragile states
Desirable
Knowledge
Good understanding of charity finance regulations and systems
Essential
Professional qualification, or qualification by experience, in finance or accounting
Essential
Knowledge of UK SORP
Essential
High degree of proficiency in Excel
Essential
Person skills / aptitudes
A willingness and ability to adopt a hands on approach to your work
Essential
A contemporary, supportive and transparent approach to management and leadership
Essential
Be comfortable working in a collaborative, highly-diverse and mutually accountable environment
Essential
Strong communication, liaison and interpersonal skills to work effectively with people at all levels, and represent the organisation
Essential
Strong analytical, problem solving and creative thinking skills
Essential
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• Deadline: position open until filled, please apply as early as possible
• First Round Interviews: starting June 20th
• Start Date: Negotiable, asap