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Senior Programme Finance Officer
peace direct

Job Description

Peace Direct is an international charity with a big mission: to work with local people to stop violence and build sustainable peace in some of the world's most conflict affected countries. More than that, we want to change the international system so that it better supports the role that local people and communities play in preventing violence and building and sustaining peace.

We are looking for an experienced Senior Programmes Finance Officer, available to start ASAP.

Key Responsibilities:

Grant finance management:

  • To lead on financial management of Peace Direct grants, including donor reporting and closing project restricted balances in all financial records
  • To support production of budgets for funding proposals
  • To produce accurate financial reports to donors (including institutional and multilateral donors such as FCDO (DfID), SIDA, PPL, GHR, USAID and the EU) in donor’s currency
  • To review financial reports from Peace Direct’s partners and to support partners to improve financial reporting
  • To keep financial programme records up to date both in spreadsheets and QuickBooks Online
  • To update grant reports vs. budgets in grant currency (currently USD or EUR)
  • To update financial forecasts for grants, and to work with the relevant project staff to incorporate potential budget over or under-spends
  • To coordinate all project audits
  • To monitor matched funding requirements and needs where relevant, coordinating closely with staff to ensure accurate understanding of fundraising needs and correct reporting

Organisational finance:

  • To update organisational budgets and forecasts with grants to partners, Peace Direct’s direct project expenditure, direct staff and overheads contribution
  • To lead on aligning programmes finance processes with organisational finance
  • To lead the tracking of staff and overheads recovery from project grants, working closely with the Finance Officer and coordinating with all relevant staff to ensure information is kept up-to-date
  • To supply required programmes finance info for management accounts
  • To work with the Finance team and other staff to improve financial systems and processes in order to ensure effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability in our financial practices

Person specification:

Essential Requirements:

  • Part-qualified or fully qualified accountant
  • At least 2 years experience in charity finance
  • Good understanding of UK charity SORP and fund accounting
  • Good technical accountancy skills and a high degree of numeracy
  • Experience of working in a complex, multi-entity, multi-currency financial environment
  • An understanding of the financial risk environment within the international development sector
  • Experience in working with a range of donors (FCDO (DfID), SIDA, PPL, GHR, USAID and the EU) and understanding of their financial compliance
  • Experience in creating multicurrency budgets and in reporting in donor currency (USD or EUR)
  • Knowledge of financial processes and control environments
  • Intermediate or Advanced Excel
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
  • Fluency in written and spoken English
  • Good team player, culturally sensitive, with the ability to work with a range of staff and internal & external stakeholders, in-person and remotely

Desirable Requirements:

  • Written and spoken French
  • Overseas/field experience

While the post is based in our London office, we have closed our office due to Covid and do not expect to reopen it until September 2021. Therefore the successful candidate will be expected to work from home until September at the earliest.

This role will require an occasional overseas travel, sometimes to remote locations, as required (after-Covid).

Peace Direct strives to be a diverse and inclusive employer, with equality of opportunities regardless of personal identity, and we are committed to improving our systems and ways of working to support this, including creating a Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) working group, DEI strategy and recruitment guidelines. We strongly encourage individuals from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds to apply, including Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME), LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and people with mental health challenges.

The deadline for applications is Monday 10th May; however due to the urgent need to fill this post, we will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis. Only completed applications will be accepted and only applicants with the right to work in the UK will be considered. The application form and Job Description are available on Peace Direct’s website.

Peace Direct works hard to ensure its staff have a good work life balance and feel valued. Some of the benefits we have include:

  • 25 days annual leave plus the office closing between Christmas and New Year.
  • Study support - time off for exams, exam fees, study materials and professional body membership
  • 6% Pension Contribution
  • An interest free season ticket loan for the purchase of a commuter season ticket
  • Flexible working hours
  • Enhanced maternity and adoption leave pay (12 weeks full pay, 12 weeks half pay)
  • Training budget available for all staff (we have secured 'Investors in People’ accreditation and are committed to the development and support of all staff).
  • A warm and friendly work environment!

The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.

Application Instructions

Please send your cv with cover letter. We will follow up with an application form.