Job Description

Background:

Kaleidoscope Trust is a London-based NGO dedicated to promoting and advancing the equality and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT+) people internationally. We work with activists and organisations in 50+ countries to create positive change for LGBT+ people wherever they face discrimination, criminalisation and violence.

Since its foundation in 2011, the Trust has established itself as a leading human rights NGO by developing strategic networks that bring international LGBT+ activists together with British and international policy-makers, parliamentarians, civil society organisations and business leaders.

Last year, the Trust successfully implemented an advocacy programme with its partners in The Commonwealth Equality Network, raising the visibility of the human rights of LGBT+ people to an unprecedented degree during the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. As a member of the Equality & Justice Alliance, we also co-created and began implementing a programme focused on building intersectional movements to push for the reform of discriminatory laws, combat violence, eliminate hate crimes and increase access to justice for women and girls, LGBT+ people and youth in a number of Commonwealth countries.

The role:

This is an exciting opportunity to join a small, creative and influential NGO, as we expand our staff team and international activities championing the equality and human rights of LGBT+ people and women and girls to accelerate change to end discrimination.

To accommodate this growth, we now seek a hands-on Finance and Compliance Manager to join our team supporting operations. The post-holder will be responsible for leading on strengthening and streamlining Kaleidoscope Trust’s compliance and financial management and control processes and procedures, as required. The successful candidate will work collaboratively with a variety of stakeholders, including the programme teams, the Executive Director and the Treasurer, to provide high quality financial data and analysis to support making strategic financial decisions at both the organisational and programmatic levels. They will ensure strong, compliant financial performance, and that the Trust’s resources deliver value for money and are being used efficiently for maximum impact. The post-holder will also liaise with the auditor on bookkeeping matters as required. 

Key Responsibilities:

Finance

Systems

1. Review and strengthen Kaleidoscope Trust’s financial control processes and procedures in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, ensuring financial administration is streamlined and complies with both internal policies and external legal obligations

2. Upskill colleagues on finance and compliance, ensuring a good level of knowledge of and adherence to relevant policies, processes and procedures

3. Keep abreast of changes to relevant charity law and best practice to ensure high quality financial management

Administration

1. Ensure efficient book-keeping and records management for the organisation’s accounts, including the collation of all receipts in line with donor guidelines

2. Manage the monthly payroll process

3. Raise invoices and process payments to suppliers/partners

4. Investigate and implement methods for cost-effective and rapid international money transfer and withdrawal

5. Reconcile expected programmatic spend with expenditure in the finance system, at regular intervals and as needed for reporting, in conjunction with programme staff

6. Prepare documentation to facilitate programme operations, including contracts, requests for expressions of interest, procurement notices, bidding document and tender evaluation reports

7. Advise colleagues on financial matters for proposals and donor reporting and contribute to the preparation of related documents (e.g., budgets, risk registers)

8. Process donations (online and otherwise) and Gift Aid claims

Reporting and analysis

1. Establish and manage regular financial planning and review processes, and prepare and communicate accurate reports and analysis of the financial performance of different organisational and programmatic budgets, to support informed decision making by budget holders

2. Manage period and year-end close, including reviewing and making journals in the finance system, ensuring records and documentation are in order, sense checking data and making recommendations and decisions on the application of related policies

3. Prepare financial statements for audits and expenditure verification, as needed

Compliance

1. Review and strengthen Kaleidoscope Trust’s compliance processes and procedures, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, ensuring they are streamlined and fulfil requirements of both internal policies and external legal obligations

2. Upskill colleagues on compliance issues and matters as needed, ensuring a good level of knowledge of relevant policies, processes and procedures

3. Advise colleagues and develop systems to ensure handling of data is in line with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirements and those of other applicable data protection laws and policies

4. Review our system for due diligence checks on new suppliers, sub-awardees, etc.,

5. Execute due diligence checks on new suppliers, sub-awardees, etc., who are receiving payments from Kaleidoscope Trust and ensure proper management of related documentation

Skills and Competencies:

We are looking for a candidate with at least five years’ experience working in the third sector, ideally in an international context, who can demonstrate:

Education and experience with:

• Setting up financial management and reporting systems
• Activity-based budget management, budget reconciliation and reporting
• Establishing and carrying out regular financial planning and budgeting processes
• Providing precise bookkeeping and maintaining accurate records
• Timely payroll management
• Contributing to the design, management of and reporting on high-value, complex, multi-stakeholder grants

Knowledge and understanding of:

• Proper financial management and compliance principles, processes and procedures
• Using Microsoft Excel (Google Sheets a bonus) to create reports
• Financial management and accounting systems, ideally Xero
• Risk management and mitigation, with regard to organisational compliance and financial matters especially
• Gift Aid regulations, processing and reconciliations

Personal qualities/skills:

• Commitment to Kaleidoscope Trust’s mission to advance the human rights of LGBT+ people
• An understanding of how a human rights organisation operates in an international context
• A collegial, adaptable and detail-oriented approach to facilitating the inputs of people contributing to a multi-stakeholder process, including in cross-cultural environments
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and experience of presenting complex issues to audiences with differing levels of knowledge of and confidence with finance and compliance matters
• Good time management and problem-solving skills
• Confident working as part of a team and with managing the on-time delivery of tasks from various colleagues
• Willingness to “pitch in” and support colleagues outside the parameters of the job description where necessary

Terms and Conditions:

• This role is part-time (three days per week) for a fixed term until 30 June 2019 (with possibility of renewal)
• The salary is £37,000 pro rata plus pension contributions
• The post-holder is entitled to pro-rata standard annual leave plus bank holidays
• The post-holder will be managed by Kaleidoscope Trust’s Executive Director
• The post-holder will be based at Kaleidoscope Trust’s offices in Dalston, London
• Standard core hours of work are 9:00am - 5:30pm with requirement to work occasionally at evenings and weekends (which will accrue Time Off In Lieu)
• The post-holder must possess the right to live and work in the United Kingdom for the period of the contract
• Start date: As soon as possible

How to apply:

Kaleidoscope Trust is committed to equality and diversity and we particularly encourage applications from all sections of the LGBT+ community and black and minority ethnic communities.

Please send your CV and a one-page covering letter explaining:

(i) your interest in joining Kaleidoscope Trust, and

(ii) your relevant experience as per the skills and competencies outlined above.

Please email the documents, along with a completed Recruitment Monitoring and Analysis Form, to recruitment[at]kaleidoscopetrust[dot]com, titling your communication: “Vacancy: Finance and Compliance Manager”.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, however the deadline is 11:59pm (London time) 7th April 2019.

Interviews will be held on 9th April 2019.