Head of Finance

16 April 2024

As the Head of Finance, you will be responsible for overseeing all financial operations, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and providing strategic financial guidance. The Finance unit forms part of the Director’s Office. You will report to the Director Strategic Management, and work with the Executive Team to ensure the financial management of the organization is carried out in an accurate and timely manner by following internal financial management procedures, that accounting is up-to-date, and all grant reporting and audits are completed and accurate. This position will prepare accurate information for the budget process.

With over 1900 members in nearly 130 countries, Climate Action Network (CAN) is one of the largest civil society movements fighting for climate justice. Climate justice cannot be separated from social and racial justice, and this forms the basis of our work. Resolving the climate crisis requires urgent transformational change at the systems level.

CAN has 24 regional and national nodes, which act as convening spaces for members and collaboration with communities at the frontlines of climate change, connecting local and national spaces with regional and global levels to help ensure that policy is shaped bottom-up by the people it is for.

We hold governments and leaders accountable to their climate pledges and demand putting people and the planet first. We bring civil society across the world together for our evidence-based policy work. In turn, we collaborate to socialise these global policies and pledges into national and local plans. We build alliances and work with movements, networks, coalitions from local to global levels and stand in solidarity with them, as part of the wider climate movement.

CAN International (CAN-I) is the International Secretariat of the global network. We are committed to justice, equity, decoloniality, inclusion, diversity, bottom-up participatory processes and transparency. We are looking for individuals with passion, hope and drive to work for a better world for our current and future generations, guided by the principles of climate justice.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

Financial Management

Oversee all aspects of financial management, including budgeting, forecasting, cash flow management and financial reporting.
Coordinate the organization’s audits, manage audit processes and implement recommendations, identify and mitigate financial risks.
Ensure timely and accurate monthly and annual closing of accounts.
Lead the accurate and compilation of financial reports for all donors and ensure they are submitted in a timely manner.
Review all financial and accounting processes, monitor progress and changes; and keep the management team abreast of the organization’s financial status.
Accounting and implementation of QuickBooks.
Oversee, manage and process the internal payment approval system via Expensify and memo database and manage payments.
Collaborate with the CAN-I Board and Director Strategic Management to develop a new membership fee system.
Manage the physical archive of the organization.
Coordinate with the organization’s bank and manage the bank account. Review bank reconciliations.
Oversee the management and development of the organizational reserves.

Budget development, oversight and reporting

Work closely with the Executive Team and respective budget holders to coordinate the development, implementation and monitoring of annual budgets.
Oversee budgeting for proposals, renewals and reporting in conjunction with programme and fundraising staff.
Guide finance and program staff to ensure funds are used in accordance with donor intentions or appropriate modifications are requested as necessary.
Ensure fiscal requirements for grants and contracts are identified, realized and monitored through regular monitoring meetings.
Provide budget execution and spending through a tracking system.
Provide oversight on monthly budget-to-actual analysis.
Support the Director Strategic Management in the financial reporting to the CAN-I Board and the General Assembly.

Grants Management

Oversee grants management of the organization and direct the Senior Finance and Grants Officer and the Finance & Grants Officer in this.
Work closely with the Senior Manager Resource Mobilization in forecasting and tracking income.

Institutional strengthening

Build and ensure a strong team that forms the Finance unit.
Continuously strengthen financial management systems.
In collaboration with the Director Strategic Management, continuously strengthen the strategic integration of Finance in the overall organizational processes.
Oversee and line-management of staff in the Finance unit. Ensure high standards of performance through clear roles and responsibilities, on-going feedback, and appraisals. Proactively address performance issues through timely constructive feedback and coaching.
Develop, oversee and implement training for budget holders.
Support the strengthening of financial systems and resourcing across the network, incl. support to Nodes in this area.
Other tasks that contribute to the strengthening of the network’s financial management as required.

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

The job holder must possess the following requirements with or without a reasonable accommodation:

Education and professional qualifications:

Advanced University degree, in financial management or related field and or Chartered Accountancy certification.

Job-related experience and knowledge:

Minimum five years of related experience or the equivalent combination of education and experience.
Demonstrated experience working effectively in a senior financial role.
Experience working in Germany managing finances for tax-exempt non-profit associations is an advantage.
Proficient in financial accounting software.
Proven experience in successful organizational online banking, managing finances in multi- currency systems, and in implementing and managing budgets.
Experience coordinating financial and narrative reporting to donors on contracts and grants. The incumbent should also understand international accounting best practices.
Experience in change management building highly effective teams, ideally in highly fluid and fast-growing organizations.

Job-related skills/abilities:

Strong organizational and time management skills.
Excellent line-management skills and experience.
Ability to work independently and in a remote office environment.
Ability to meet deadlines and work under pressure.
Strong interpersonal skills, and trustworthy.
Extremely detail-oriented.
Experience with and ability to handle confidential matters.
Proven understanding of organizational development and institutional capacity building, including a keen understanding of the challenges in communication, resource constraints, and other unique circumstances found in NGOs, including a keen sense of contextual and cultural differences of different geographies.
Strong knowledge of ethics and compliance standards for non-profits.
Adaptability, flexibility and resilience. Remains calm in highly pressured situations, accepts new assignments and challenges and responds productively to change.
Cross-cultural sensitivity and ability to work effectively in different socio-cultural contexts.

IT Skills:

Ability to coordinate and administer meetings using digital communication platform applications, such as Slack and Zoom and Project Management Software such as Microsoft Project.
Highly experienced in Excel, electronic filing, and electronic systems development
Excellent computer skills, including word-processing, accounting software -preferably experience with DATEV and Quickbooks.

Language ability:

Fluency in written and spoken English.
German is an advantage.

Travel:

Ability to travel internationally up to 20% of the time, incl. ability and availability to travel for 2-3 weeks at a time.

PREFERRED SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

Prior experience working for an international NGO, or an organization focused on environmental issues.

Other:

Remuneration Range: EUR 69,600 – 84,000 per annum

Location: flexible

Capacity: 100% – Full Time

Reports to: Director Strategic Management

To apply:

Please complete this form to submit your application.

Recruitment deadline: 20 May 2024.

Please, no telephone inquiries. Based on the expected large interest in this position and limited capacity, only candidates chosen for interviews will be contacted.

CAN is an equal opportunity employer. We strive to make positions accessible to all regardless of race, nationality, ethnicity, age, disability, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation or identity, religion, marital or parental status, etc.