Cipfa jobs
Finance and Grant Controller
Contract: Permanent, Full Time, 35 hours per week.
Location: London, United Kingdom
UK hybrid working – a minimum of 40 % of working time is spent face‑to‑face (London office, external meetings or travel).
60/40 hybrid working at WaterAid means roughly three days wherever you work best and two days together in person.
Salary: £48,867- £51,439 per year with excellent benefits
Change starts with water. Change starts with you.
Every day, millions of people live without clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene. WaterAid exists to change that – for everyone, everywhere. Join us, and your energy will help unlock people’s potential and create a fairer future.
About WaterAid:
We’re a global federation driven by one vision: a world where everyone, everywhere has clean water, sanitation and hygiene by 2030. Powered by our values of Respect, Accountability, Courage, Collaboration, Integrity and Innovation, we work alongside communities, partners and supporters to make change happen.
About the team:
The Finance and Grant Controller role is part of the central finance team and sits within the Management Accounting function which provides our country programmes and the region offices with professional and technical finance leadership for WaterAid UK’s international work. The role will work closely with the Project Delivery Lead and the Monitoring and Learning Coordinator for the Multi-country Urban Water Project.
About the role:
The Finance and Grant Controller will manage all financial aspects of WaterAid’s Multi-country Urban Water Project, ensuring rigorous financial oversight, compliance with donor requirements, and alignment with organisational financial policies. This is a bold initiative aiming to raise $40 million and reach two million people with clean water in urban areas across six anchor countries: Colombia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Mozambique, Bangladesh, and Cambodia.
In this role, you will:
1. Financial Monitoring and Reporting
- Prepare and review all financial reports in line with specific contract requirements and deadlines
- Monitor project budgets, tracking actual expenditures against budget allocations and flagging variances to the project team
- Monitor movement in exchange rates and local currency budget variations
2. Budget and Forecasting Development & Grant Support
- Assist program staff in preparing detailed budgets in each country project
- Deliver regular reforecasts, ensuring realistic timing of spend
- Conduct cost allocations and ensure appropriate coding of expenses
3. Compliance and Controls
- Review contracts and grant agreements to identify financial requirements, restrictions, and deliverables
- Ensure financial activities comply with contractual terms, organisational policies, and legal and regulatory requirements, including guiding eligible costs, procurement, and financial compliance to programme teams
- Support related audits, ensuring all necessary documentation is available and compliant
4. Finance Business Partner
- Collaborate closely with programme lead, providing consolidated financial reporting, financial insights and supporting decision-making.
- Coordinate timely reporting to cross-federation leadership teams from multiple country programmes
- Advise on reallocation of budget if required to meet programme delivery targets
Requirements
To be successful, you will need:
Technical Qualifications and Skills
- Professional accounting qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA)
- Experience in the use of SUN, or a similar multi-dimensional accounting system.
- Experience in managing programme or project finance funded by institutional donors ( e.g. USAID, FCDO or other reputable organisation)
- Excellent Microsoft Excel skill
- Working knowledge of Business Intelligence tools such as Power BI
- Knowledge and experience of donor fund management in an international context
- Experience of financial planning, budgeting, and forecasting of projects
- Ability to analyse financial data and provide insightful narrative for range of audiences
- Finance Business Partnering experience with senior stakeholders
Desirable skills
- Proven ability to work effectively with staff at different levels and from different cultural backgrounds including experience of coaching or training
- Knowledge of development issues and the sector, preferably gained in an International Development Organisation
- Knowledge of French or Portuguese will be an advantage
Closing date: Applications close 12:00 PM UK time on 11th August 2025.
How to apply: Click Apply to complete the pre-screening questions and upload your CV and cover letter.
Can I use Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology in my application?
At WaterAid, we strongly advise against using AI technology at any stage of the recruitment process. Our goal is to ensure a fair and transparent process that provides every applicant with an equal opportunity to succeed. We value hearing about your unique experiences and perspectives in your application, and, if shortlisted, during the interview as well.
Pre‑employment screening
To apply for this role, you must be able to demonstrate your eligibility to work in the respective country. All pre-employment checks will be carried out according to local law and WaterAid’s Safer Recruitment policy. All UK based roles require a basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
Benefits
- 36 days’ holiday (including 8 Bank Holidays)
- Option to buy an extra 5 days’ annual leave
- Employer pension contribution up to 10 %
- Flexible and hybrid working arrangements
- Season ticket loan
- Free annual eye tests
- ‘Give as you Earn’ charitable giving scheme
- Enhanced parental leave (maternity, adoption/surrogacy, shared parental and paternity)
- Sabbaticals
- One paid volunteer day each year
Our Global Commitment:
Our people promise
We will work with passion and focus to make sure everyone everywhere has clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene. WaterAid is a place of purpose – where people have a real commitment and shared responsibility for the impact we have. We are a global community with diverse backgrounds and perspectives, motivated by inspiring, stimulating work. We are determined to be a place where people feel safe and able to contribute their voice and truly live our values.
Equal Opportunities
We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, beliefs, customs, traditions, ways of life and status. This includes, but is not limited to, race, ethnicity, caste, colour, gender, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, disability status, neurodiversity, age, marital and family status, sexual orientation and gender identity, health status, place of residence, economic and social situation.
Safeguarding
We are committed to protecting everyone we come into contact with. We have a zero- tolerance approach to abuse of power, privilege or trust across our global work, and to any form of inappropriate behaviour, discrimination, abuse, bullying, harassment, or exploitation. Safeguarding the people and communities we work with, our staff, volunteers and anyone working on our behalf is our top priority, and we take our responsibilities extremely seriously. All offers of employment are subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks (which can include counterterrorism, safeguarding and criminal records checks).
Together, we’ll change the world through water.
Join us and be part of the change !
Registered Charity
More than 1000
Our vision is a world where everyone, everywhere has sustainable and safe water, sanitation and hygiene.
Thank you!
Ivy Rock Partners is proud to be supporting a values-driven organisation in the search for a Finance Business Partner to join their central finance function. This is an excellent opportunity for a commercially minded finance professional who is passionate about influencing strategic decisions and working collaboratively with senior stakeholders.
This is a pivotal dual-focused role with responsibility for:
- Business Partnering: Supporting central (head office) service teams in managing their budgets, identifying financial risks, and translating complex financial information for non-finance stakeholders.
- FP&A: Working closely with the Senior FP&A Manager on organisation-wide budgeting, forecasting and long-term financial planning, including involvement in a 30-year business plan.
- You'll lead the monthly reporting process for central services, improve financial systems and templates, and have the chance to deputise for senior leadership when required.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead on the month-end process and regular review of management accounts with corporate service teams.
- Deliver annual budgets and quarterly forecasts for Central Services.
- Support long-term financial planning and scenario modelling across the wider organisation.
- Partner with non-finance colleagues to build financial capability and understanding.
- Drive process improvements in financial planning, systems, and reporting.
- Evaluate new initiatives for financial viability and strategic alignment.
We're looking for someone with:
- A full accounting qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA or equivalent).
- Strong experience in financial planning, budgeting and reporting in a large or complex organisation.
- Excellent communication skills and confidence engaging with senior stakeholders.
- Proven ability to drive change, improve systems, and build financial understanding across teams.
- Advanced Excel skills and ideally experience with planning software (e.g., Bricks).
Why Join?
This is a unique opportunity to work for an organisation that truly makes a difference, where finance is seen as a key strategic partner. You’ll join a collaborative and supportive team, gain exposure to senior leadership, and have genuine impact on long-term business planning.
Thank you!
We're looking for a collaborative, analytical and detail-oriented Business Partner to join our Finance Team located at our Head Office in Islington.
£55,000.00 per annum, working 35 hours per week.
Want to feel in control of your career? You'll feel at home here.
Making you feel at home here means helping you thrive in every way. That's why we offer a wide range of benefits, award-winning Learning & Development and a culture that welcomes all. These aren't token gestures - we've thought long and hard about how best to support our team. After all, our people are doing something amazing: helping to transform lives every day.
Our benefits include:
- Annual leave increasing up to 30 days with length of service
- Free DBS
- Exclusive discounts and cashback via Reward Gateway® and opportunity to buy a Blue Light Card
- Fully paid induction programme and further training
- ILM courses and Apprenticeship Programmes
- Cycle to work scheme
- Employee Assistance Programme for 24-7 confidential support
- Online wellbeing resources
- A generous pension - we will contribute up to 4% and life assurance cover up to £10,000 (T&Cs apply)
- Quarterly Staff Awards to reward & recognise our amazing staff's commitment and contribution
All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the UK by the start of employment as Look Ahead are not able to offer sponsorship.
We reserve the right to close the job advertisement early, so we encourage you to apply at your earliest convenience.
For a full job description, please visit our website.
This role encompasses two critical functions:
- Business Partner to Central Services - Assisting head office functions in managing their budgets.
- Financial Planning & Analysis - Supporting the Senior Manager for FP&A in overseeing the budgeting, forecasting, and business planning processes.
About you:
- Previous experience of planning and budgeting and delivery of key reports in a large organisation.
- Be capable of managing (sideways and upwards) senior individuals across multiple disciplines and have extensive, demonstrable people management experience and a clear understanding of the people implications and people agenda on the success of the business.
- Financial expertise to understand requirements, produce reports, provide financial analysis and to identify underperformance and risks.
- Confident, ability to lead, and communicate with others to influence business decisions and financial performance.
- Meticulous, accurate and attention to detail
- Experience in business modelling and financial forecasting.
- Advance skills in using Excel and to learn specific planning systems such as Bricks
What you'll bring:
Essential:
- ACA, ACCA, CIPFA, CIMA or equivalent full professional qualification.
- Ability to analyse complex financial information, identify issues, recommend solutions and express them clearly to "lay" managers.
- Ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of individuals and all levels internally and externally.
- Able to work under pressure and to tight deadlines.
- Constructive contributions and relevant recommendations to senior management to improve the performance.
Desirable:
- Experience in business partnering of FP&A
About us:
Look Ahead is a leading, not-for-profit care and support provider in London and the South East. Our vision is to build better lives through social care and housing in local communities. As an organisation we deliver over 100 services, providing support to thousands of customers each year. Our mission is to co-design and deliver services that offer innovative social care solutions and support people to thrive. We work across mental health, homelessness and complex needs, young people and care leavers and learning disabilities so there are plenty of opportunities to grow and progress your career with us.
We have a strong social purpose and we live and work by our values:
- We focus on Excellence and innovation.
- We are Caring and Compassionate.
- We are Inclusive and Trusted.
- We work in Partnership and are One-Team.
Look Ahead is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk, and expects all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment. If your application for this role is unsuccessful, but we feel that you would be suitable for another role, we may contact you to discuss alternative opportunities. If this occurs you would not need to submit another application for the alternative role. We reserve the right to close this advert early if we are able to appoint to the vacancy before the advertised closed date. We are committed to diversity and inclusion at work and are accredited with Silver in the Inclusive Employers Standard 2021. We are a proud member of the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant and encourage applications from a diverse range of applicants of all backgrounds.