Program Finance Manager Transforming Lives through Nutrition at Helen Keller International

Helen Keller is seeking a Program Finance Manager to join the central project team for a dynamic multi-country, multi-regional project, Transforming Lives through Nutrition to manage the financial and budget analysis of an assigned portfolio within the global project.  This position will be assigned a portfolio including several francophone countries so the selected candidate will need to able to speak French well enough to provide guidance to francophone colleagues.

The Program Finance Manger will review annual project and sub-award budgets, prepare budget narratives, invoices and other financial reports, conduct thorough tracking and analysis of program expenditures, manage cash-flow, ensure compliance with Helen Keller and donor policies, and conduct staff training and coordinate with Helen Keller’s Grants & Contracts unit.

This is a local hire (grade L) position: salary and benefits will align with local terms and conditions in the country where the candidate resides.  All candidates must be work-authorized in the country where they are applying.

Functional Relationships

• Reporting to the Associate Director, Operations & Finance, Transforming Lives, the Program Finance Manager serves as an internal financial liaison to the central project team, global management, and country office staff working on the portfolio, and as an external liaison with donors and consortium members. To ensure congruity and consistency of financial policies and procedures, the Program Finance Manager will be a member of both the Transforming Lives team and the Finance department.
• The Transforming Lives portfolio is managed by a central Program Management Team (PMT) with support from technical experts from across the organization. The PMT and the Program Finance Manager provide guidance to country office teams. They will liaise with country project teams and their operations colleagues to facilitate the integration of all facets of the program work with the common goal of ensuring that project objectives are met.
• Helen Keller has a matrixed reporting structure. Regular communication and a spirit of teamwork among colleagues, both hierarchically and laterally are essential to make this structure thrive.
• Specific Responsibilities
• Complaints and feedback
• Internet
• Engage in a collaborative effort with program managers and finance managers for assigned portfolio to ensure high-quality financial planning, management, reporting and auditing of all programs, including thorough budget preparation and oversight.
• Serve as the central team’s liaison to country offices as it relates to the financial management of the assigned portfolio. Present financials to donor and/or consortium members, as requested.
• Assist country offices with the preparation of proposal budgets, annual project and sub-award budgets, and budget modifications (if needed). Ensure all budgets cover the personnel and operating costs, reflect the narrative and are reviewed for accuracy and compliance with donor regulations.
• Prepare budget narratives for proposal budgets and annual project budgets.
• Prepare invoices, accruals, forecasts and other financial deliverables.
• Thoroughly track and report project expenses, burn rates, and cash received from the donor on a monthly basis. Notify the accounting team about any incorrect expenses/charges and follow up on any necessary reclassifications.
• Ensure budgets and other financial information are correctly represented in financial and project management systems. Maintain electronic files for each assigned project/country.
• Assist country offices in responding to audit requests from donors, developing financial management tools, and managing close-out processes.
• Maintain strong financial controls to guarantee compliance with Helen Keller and donor regulations.
• Conduct field visits to assess financial management of the projects and to build staff capacity, as needed.
• Guide preparation of all grant agreements, contracts, and modifications for the programs: review procurement requests, and sub-agreements for review by Grants & Contract unit.
• Model collaboration with your matrixed team: effectively consult and inform colleagues to maximize efficiency and knowledge sharing and integrate guidance and direction from subject matter experts in your office and elsewhere in the global organization to maximize performance.

Required Qualifications and Competencies

1. Demonstrated experience and ability to:
   1. prepare proposal budgets and narratives and monitor project budgets for restricted awards:
   2. analyse data;
   3. provide thorough documentation to support effective negotiations with donors;
   4. troubleshoot matters arising and flag issues to senior staff;
   5. take proactive approaches to improving financial and budget management processes;
   6. build capacity of internal and external colleagues, including ability to communicate effectively across cultures; and
   7. conduct high-quality one-on-one and group trainings for field office staff and in-country partners
2. Excellent oral and written English language skills, including the ability to clearly communicate complex financial, compliance and operational issues into layperson language. Oral proficiency in French is required.
3. Highly computer literate including knowledge of Microsoft software products, and strong Excel skills.  Experience with PowerBI or other analytical tools a plus.
4. Demonstrated interest in public health programs as well as an understanding of the synergy between the programmatic, operational, and financial components of public health initiatives.
5. Collaborative, flexible and solution-oriented. An ability to maintain balance when under stress.
6. Ability to work on multiple high priority projects at the same time; prioritize workload, assume responsibility for work, and follow through to completion.
7. Ability to perform duties that require close attention to detail and synthesize large amounts of information simultaneously. 
8. Ability and willingness to:
   1. flex work hours to accommodate multiple time zones;
   2. travel domestically and/or internationally up to 20% of the time.
9. NOTE: Helen Keller requires all staff who travel internationally to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, whether or not they have had COVID.
10. Demonstrable respect for all persons regardless of religion, ethnicity, class, or gender, with a high comfort level working in a diverse environment with a demonstrated commitment to high professional ethical standards.
11. Personal commitment to Helen Keller’s mission and goals and the values embodied by Helen Keller Intl’s co-founder, Helen Keller: courage;,compassion, rigor, and optimism.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in public administration, finance, accounting, or related field, or a relevant field; plus
• Minimum of 6-8 years of directly relevant experience, including at least 5 years managing donor-funded projects; or equivalent combination or education and experience.