Key Responsibilities

1. Financial Management & Reporting

• Prepare the annual budget and present consolidated financial plans to the CEO.
• Oversee bookkeeping and expense verification processes managed by the Finance & Compliance Officer.
• Review monthly reconciliations and management accounts, monthly grantee reports, cash flow plans, and investment recommendations; provide sign-off and present reports to the CEO on a monthly basis and to the board on a quarterly basis.
• Oversee payroll processing for our entities.
• Approve banking operations and vendor payments; review and develop vendor selection processes and onboarding, and employee/contractor set-ups for Suvita UK.
• Contribute to the development, maintenance, and automation of financial processes, systems, and the Finance Handbook.

2. Compliance & Regulatory Oversight

• Hold accountability for all UK CIO compliance obligations, including Charity Commission annual returns, statutory accounts, and the annual audit.
• Drive the development of Suvita’s Indian legal entity and review Indian entity compliance filings.
• Contribute to GDPR and CIO compliance, India’s Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act compliance, and data governance frameworks.
• Contribute to compliance with UK and Indian employment law.
• Contribute to the development and maintenance of the Legal Handbook and legal processes and policies.

3. Grants & Donor Financial Management

• Review financial inputs for grant applications and ensure budgets are accurately constructed.
• Review incoming grant operations, grantor/grantee due diligence materials, and grants to partners.
• Review donor grant reports prepared by the Finance & Compliance Officer before submission.
• Ensure grant funds are correctly tracked against budget lines and grant conditions.

4. Programmatic Support

• Review and deeply understand the impact objectives and operational flows of Suvita’s programmes, and how financial flows map to them.
• Support the development and implementation of financial KPIs for our programmes.
• Provide inputs for financial optimisation and increased cost-effectiveness of our programmes.

5. Governance & Board Support

• Review and approve board meeting materials prepared by the Finance & Compliance Officer; present financial updates at Trustee meetings.
• Develop and maintain the organisation's financial risk register and proactively identify emerging financial and compliance risks.
• Review and approve financial updates for the Trustees’ Annual Report.
• Act as the senior finance point of contact for Suvita’s Trustees.

6. Team Leadership

• Line-manage the Finance & Compliance Officer (India-based): set clear priorities, review their outputs, provide regular feedback, and support their professional development.
• Review and triage the shared finance and legal inbox, delegating tasks to the Finance & Compliance Officer as appropriate.
• Build the capability and confidence of the finance function over time, as Suvita scales.

Who we're looking for:

Essential Experience:

• Significant relevant finance work experience, including experience operating at a senior finance leadership level.
• Experience reviewing or preparing management accounts, budgets, and financial reports for senior stakeholders or a board.
• Experience holding or supporting compliance obligations for a UK registered charity.
• Experience managing a direct report.
• High attention to detail and ability to manage competing priorities with accuracy and dependability.

Strongly Preferred:

• A professional accounting qualification (e.g. CA, ACCA, CIMA) or equivalent.
• Experience in grant-funded organisations, including donor financial reporting and multi-funder budget management.
• Experience working across multiple currencies and/or legal entities.
• Comfort with financial process automation and tools (e.g. Airtable, Google Sheets, and Xero. Strong experience with Xero is preferred).
• Experience in the international development or global health nonprofit sector.
• Experience working at a startup or similar fast-paced organisation.
• Familiarity with Indian nonprofit regulatory requirements (FCRA, 12AA, 80G, Section 8 company compliance, DPDP).

Personal Qualities:

• You share Suvita’s values - mission-driven, evidence-based, impact-focused, and collaborative.
• This is a high-trust role, requiring someone with high integrity and who is discreet with sensitive information.
• Detail-oriented: You ensure a very high level of accuracy of our financial records and data.
• Highly organised and conscientious: you don't drop balls and are highly dependable.
• Excellent risk anticipation and risk management skills.
• Excellent judgment and decision-making skills.
• Clear communicator: able to translate financial and compliance information for non-finance audiences, including the CEO and Trustees.
• Proactive systems thinker: you don’t just maintain what exists, you look for ways to make it better.
• High agency and comfortable with ambiguity: willing to chart a course where no established protocol yet exists.
• Someone who won’t hesitate to roll up their sleeves and jump into the weeds if needed.

Additional Requirements:

• Comfortable with self-managed remote work.
• Fluency in spoken Hindi is a plus.
• Given the strategic nature of this role, we're looking for someone interested in making a longer-term contribution to the organisation. Ideally, the successful candidate would expect to work with Suvita for at least two years.
• Available for work travel as needed - We anticipate a trip to London each quarter and ~2 trips to India per year.

What we offer

• Work that directly contributes to saving children’s lives.
• A high-autonomy, high-trust working environment with a friendly, passionate, and mission-driven team.
• Full-time employment with statutory employer pension contribution.
• Full flexibility on when and where you work, with collaboration across India and UK time zones - this is primarily a remote role with occasional visits to the office in London to collaborate with the CEO. We can offer coworking space in London to work out, if needed.
• 35 days off per year across holiday and paid leaves, plus 10 days’ sick leave at full pay.
• Health insurance for India-based team members.
• Scope for role growth as Suvita scales.

Application Process

We will review applications on an ongoing basis until the position is filled. To ensure consideration, please submit your application by 2nd August using this form: [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeTBx4WIKIL4Ad7jFbSjAb2hPsTizKmHJNLHFNDFTHCxP-WSA/viewform?usp=publish-