United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Grant Finance Officer

Sightsavers implements projects in over 30 countries in Africa and South Asia. Our aim? To eliminate avoidable blindness and promote the rights of people with disabilities. The Grant Finance Officer works closely with country office staff and other support teams to ensure that projects funded by donors run smoothly.

Salary: £28,000 - £31,000

Location: Haywards Heath, UK (Head Office)

This job may be for you if:

You are proactive by nature and have initiative. You are comfortable taking decisions and have a good sense of when to escalate issues.

You are quick to notice irregularities yet you do not lose sight of the bigger picture. You enjoy solving problems and have a keen eye for improvement.

You communicate clearly. You adapt your language and pace to suit your listeners. You are confident holding close working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.

Last but not least, you are comfortable working in an international context and travelling to the countries we work in.

A typical day could include:

• Calling the finance manager of a partner to discuss pending issues in the financial report of their stigma and discrimination project
• Noticing an area for improvement during your review of the report. Making a note of it to bring up in our team meeting next week
• Dealing with ad-hoc requests about exchange rates and budget flexibility
• Attending a meeting with stakeholders across several organisations to kick-start the implementation phase of the project
• Filling out a payroll journal that charges staff time to the grant
• Pausing your work on the payroll journal to review and sign-off the financial report that just came in your inbox a day late. You send it to your manager who then submits it to the UK’s Department for International Development. Job done.

Jobholder Requirements

Essential:

• Willing and able to travel (up to 5 weeks per year in total)
• Excellent numerical skills
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel
• Organised and able to prioritise, especially in the face of competing deadlines and various risks
• Good communication and stakeholder management skills

Desirable:

• Some experience of institutional donor contract management, especially DFID (UK Government) funding
• Strong attention to detail with a willingness to follow issues through to resolution
• Continuous improvement mind-set
• Awareness of international development context
• Understanding of the project cycle from financial and programmatic perspective
• Finance and accountancy experience (computer-based)

Interview dates: 28 and 29 August 2018 (new dates)

https://jobs.sightsavers.org/job/grant-finance-officer/