Portfolio Finance Manager

Financial management and reporting

• Set up and manage billing schedules in project records on BC / Progressus including raising invoices and supporting on accompanying required documentation such as funding requests
• Upload project budgets to BC / Progressus, ensuring a high level of timeliness and accuracy
• Lead budgeting, reforecasting and budget-versus-actual variance analysis across the portfolio of projects, working with project managers and budget holders to agree corrective action
• Monitor burn rates and spend-down across the portfolio, prepare forecasts to completion, and flag potential under- or over-spends early
• Monitor staff days charged against funded day allocations across the portfolio, identifying over- or under-recovery and agreeing corrective action with project managers
• Track unfunded FEC across the portfolio, monitoring the gap between the full cost of delivery and the income recovered, and report on the cost absorbed by ODI Global
• Prepare project and portfolio cashflow forecasts, and align donor instalment and funding requests to them
• Manage and maintain ODI Global’s project budget tool, troubleshooting issues and bringing in additional beneficial features as required
• Strengthen financial controls, coding and the audit trail for grant transactions within BC / Progressus
• Maintain oversight and ensure compliance with donor financial reporting deadlines and requirements
• Develop and maintain financial reporting templates, tools and a reporting calendar to support timely and accurate donor reporting
• Prepare donor financial reports and coordinate supporting financial documentation
• Supply project-level financial data for transparency and statutory returns, including the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI)
• Manage disbursements to sub-grantees and downstream delivery partners, and review their financial reports for accuracy and eligibility before consolidation
• Coordinate project financial audits and including collating supporting documentation alongside S/PMs as required
• Monitor foreign exchange gains and losses across projects and take appropriate actions / escalate as necessary

Knowledge management and team collaboration

• Attend and contribute to Research Group meetings
• Lead or contribute to regular grant and budget review meetings with Research Groups, tracking actions and financial follow-up
• Support continuous improvement of financial processes, systems, and reporting practices
• Share knowledge and guidance with Research Groups and operational teams on financial procedures and donor compliance requirements
• Provide training and guidance to project managers and budget holders on budget management, donor financial compliance and use of the project budget tool
• Maintain organised grant financial records and a working repository of donor financial rules and guidance for the Research Group
• Work with the other Portfolio Finance Managers and the wider Project Management Unit to share good practice and ensure consistent financial management across Research Groups

Person specification

Essential

Knowledge and qualifications

• Ability to build budgets, allocate resources, and adjust forecasts during project lifecycle
• Ability to track actual expenditure against planned budgets to mitigate overspends or underspends
• Strong understanding of direct vs. indirect costs, and overhead allocation.
• Awareness of charity statutory reporting requirements, including Charities SORP and FRS 102
• Understanding of full economic cost (FEC), day-rate setting and funded day allocations
• Understanding regulatory requirements, grant reporting standards, and auditing processes
• Understanding of donor financial rules and compliance requirements across a range of funders
• This knowledge may have been gained through a charity or nonprofit finance background; a formal accountancy qualification is not required

Experience

• Experience of financial management in a donor-funded environment
• Experience of grant financial management across the project lifecycle, from proposal budgeting to closure
• Experience of budgeting, reforecasting and variance analysis across a portfolio of projects
• Experience of developing accurate donor financial reports
• Experience of managing the finances of sub-grants or downstream delivery partners
• Experience of managing multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
• Experience of project audits, ideally including leading the financial response to them

Skills / Abilities

• High proficiency of Microsoft excel
• Good proficiency of financial management systems (ideally Microsoft Business Central and Progressus)
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with excellent attention to detail
• Financial management and analysis skills
• Ability to prepare and interpret project and portfolio cashflow forecasts
• Ability to interpret donor contracts and translate financial conditions into compliance requirements
• Effective teamwork, inter-personal and collaboration skills
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Ability to explain financial information clearly to non-finance colleagues
• Knowledge of foreign exchange management
• Experience of multi-currency project accounting

Key relationships and contacts

• ODI Global Chief Executive
• SLT
• Research Group Directors
• Project Management Unit colleagues, including the other Portfolio Finance Managers
• Auditors and financial regulators
• Bilateral and multilateral donors and related organisations
• Sub-grantees and downstream delivery partners
• Key foundations and business partners

All staff are expected to:

• Positively support equality of opportunity both within ODI Global and externally
• Help maintain a safe working environment and take responsibility for own and colleagues’ Health and Safety
• Undertake such other duties within the scope of their post as may be requested by their Manager

Please note that we are recruiting for multiple Portfolio Finance Manager positions.

Why should you work for us?

ODI Global is committed to developing and supporting diverse and inclusive teams of people who share our passion, where we can all be ourselves and succeed on merit. We welcome applicants from a range of diverse backgrounds including those who experience intersectional marginalisation on the basis of their