Portfolio Finance Analyst

Main purpose of the role

The Portfolio Finance Analyst will be a key member of the India team, playing an important role primarily supporting the team and Portfolio Finance Manager to ensure CIFF’s programmes are structured and managed optimally from a financial perspective and are therefore cost effective. This includes providing advice and recommendations to ensure programmes not only have the intended impact but are also financially sustainable in the long term and at scale. A priority for CIFF’s Board is taking commercial approaches to the design and management of its programmes, with a view to their successful outcomes being sustainable without philanthropic financial support for the long term, for example through adoption by governments that are fiscally stretched. CIFF’s goal is to solve problems, not make grants. The role holder will support the Portfolio Finance Manager in providing commercial input to the design and management of CIFF’s programme investments, on an individual and portfolio basis, such as analysis of target costs and developing appropriate cost benchmarks. Knowledge, structures and results from all programmes should be considered and applied across that portfolio.

The Portfolio Finance Analyst will also work on an ad hoc basis with other Portfolio Finance colleagues across CIFF to ensure that the most recent learnings and approaches are shared for the benefit of the organisation as a whole.

At a more general level, the Portfolio Finance Analyst will play an important role in supporting the Portfolio Finance Manager in developing annual business plan proposals and managing those plans, while ensuring there is financial rigor and working collaboratively with the programme teams and central Finance team to ensure the team is prudently and properly using and managing CIFF’s charitable funds.

The Portfolio Finance Analyst will also support the team in ensuring that CIFF’s policies related to finance ( overheads policy and allocation of contingency) are complied with and risks are adequately managed within the portfolio, such as safeguarding CIFF’s charitable funds.

Roles and responsibilities

Strategy & planning

· Work alongside senior colleagues on the development of strategic approaches using financial models to ensure long-term sustainability and scalability of programme investments.

· Support Director Programme Excellence and Portfolio Finance Manager in development of specific strategies along with coordination, documentation and professional presentation of outputs.

Programme development, delivery & performance

· Contribute to the dynamic management of programmes to ensure financial sustainability and alignment with strategic objectives.

· Lead the preparation and dissemination of regular and ad hoc reporting to support the Portfolio Finance Manager in providing financial insights and guidance on key considerations.

· Support the Programme Team on review of deliverables from grantees and providing input on related grant payment decisions.

· Support the development and preparation of summary reports, board reports and portfolio investment reports, to ensure these are produced to a high standard and in a timely fashion.

· Work as part of the team to contribute to programme design and management based on trends across the sector and partners.

· Conduct regular reviews of the progress and performance of programmes under delivery to identify problems and delays, and work with partners to develop effective solutions (escalating to more senior colleagues for support and intervention, where required).

· Act as ‘Super-User’ for a range of financial systems (such as Fluxx and Power BI) and databases for the team, ensuring they are deployed appropriately to optimise the efficiency and effectiveness of its work, and trouble- shooting issues if they arise.

Sector knowledge and profile-building

· Working closely with the relevant teams , keep abreast of developments within the sector and grantee ecosystem and international development sectors, establishing appropriate information gathering networks and channels to deepen professional knowledge and skills.

Stakeholder and partner management

· As part of the team, work alongside senior colleagues to help develop a deep, collaborative relationship with grantees, funders and other key partners CIFF is working with and provide insights about how a grantee or group of grantees may be managed more effectively from a financial and operational perspective ( how updated financial management systems or collaboration amongst grantees in the same area might increase effectiveness and address risk).

· Keep abreast of the operating environment in which the team is developing and managing programmes ( from a regulatory, market, political perspective) and work with the Portfolio Director/Portfolio Finance Manager to share inputs to support the team in navigating those issues from a commercial and risk-based perspective.

Membership of the team

· This role does not hold line management responsibility, but we expect all employees to demonstrate good leadership behaviours; this includes adopting a coaching approach with colleagues to help build skills, confidence and capability in particular areas, processes or procedures.

· As required, support on the planning and coordination of inductions for new joiners to the team.

· We operate a matrix structure so reporting lines can vary between specific aspects of the role.

Principal Accountabilities

Supporting the Portfolio Finance Manager and other team members on:

· Publishing monthly management accounts to India team leadership

· The financial structure and business model of grant proposals

· Portfolio benchmark and target cost metrics

· Financial and capacity audit for selected partners

· Financial know-how and development for the team

· Annual team budgets prudently managed and adhered to

· Accuracy of team financial reporting information on CIFF’s systems

· CIFF financial policies complied with

Key Tasks

· Performing financial analysis and building financial models to support strategic portfolio management focused on financial sustainability of programmes

· Under the guidance of the Portfolio Finance Manager, provide input and insights into finance sections of programme investment proposals and relevant portfolio reports to support the delivery of CIFF’s missions

· Support to establish benchmarks for relevant costs, monitoring/updating as required and sharing with the team

· Support the portfolio finance manager in building financial capacity of programme team members including development and delivery of training materials or otherwise

· Supporting the Programme Managers on grantee due diligence in accordance with CIFF’s policies, and understanding grantee business models where required

· Support Portfolio Finance Manager in creation of audit plan in coordination with Programme Directors and Finance Control teams and support external auditors with relevant information to conduct the audit

· Working with the Programme team, support review of programme budgets and forecasts

· Supporting the Programme Manager on the review of deliverables as they relate to meeting grant payment requirements and supporting on payment processes

· Work with the Portfolio Finance Manager on supporting the Executive Director and Portfolio Directors to prepare annual business plan proposals

· Prepare and publish monthly management reports to India leadership team, to enable discussion on operational metrics and work proactively with Programme Managers to achieve the operational targets as set in business plan

· Collating and sharing portfolio and team financial information with the CAO, CFO and central Finance team where requested ( for monthly management reporting)

· Regular meetings with and presentations to other Portfolio Finance colleagues throughout CIFF to share learnings and best practice

Requirements

Skills & Experience

· Bachelor’s degree 2:1 or above or equivalent qualification/relevant, significant experience

· Qualified accountant or demonstrable financial experience and acumen obtained in a commercial or consultancy capacity

· Experience in the NGO or philanthropic sector (and using grant management/CRM systems) would be advantageous

· Demonstrates professional, sound judgement; can think critically, objectively and strategically

· Excellent quantitative and qualitative analytical skills, in particular advanced excel and financial modelling skills

· An innovative thinker with a pragmatic and solution-oriented mindset

· Skilled in relationship building and strengthening; able to influence others and work collaboratively, uniting groups with a shared purpose

· English is CIFF’s business language – we expect all of our people to display outstanding verbal and written communication skills across all aspects of their role

· Effective organisational and project management skills; able to be flexible as priorities and needs change, and works well under pressure

· Capacity to work in a range of cultural and socio-economic contexts, adapting style and approach appropriately and in a culturally sensitive manner to maximise effectiveness

· Experience using PowerBI or other platforms for financial reporting

· IT proficiency (most specifically in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint)

· A proven self-starter, who works with pace and resilience

Key working relationships

· Other CIFF teams – particularly Programme, EME and functional teams ( legal, HR, finance)

· Global partners and stakeholders – DFID, World Bank, USAID et al

· International charities and NGOs – Gates Foundation, Save the Children, Oxfam et al

· National governments and local NGO partners in priority geographies

· Research and academic institutions active within sector specialism

Management dimensions

· No direct budget or people management accountability but contributes towards efficient and effective performance of the India team’s portfolio

Benefits

The starting salary for this role is 2568800 INR - This is a 12 Month Fixed Term Contract

Alongside a competitive salary, we offer a generous benefits package here at CIFF that includes, but is not limited to the following:

Annual leave - 25 days per annum. Increasing by 1 day after each year of service, to a maximum of 30 days. Bonus - CIFF currently operates a discretionary bonus scheme. Training allowance Wellbeing allowance Life insurance Medical insurance

Please submit your application on or before 14th June 2024.

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