Project Co-Ordinator Jobs
We are looking for an experienced Grants and Commissioning Manager to join our dynamic Fundraising team. This role will lead on all our trusts and foundations approaches, playing an integral role in growth and development of the portfolio and work in partnership with the CEO to lead on bids/tenders for commissioned services. It is a fantastic opportunity to shape the future of these high value income streams to realise its full potential.
Role Purpose
Responsible for developing and delivering our Fundraising strategies, to secure appropriate funding to ensure the sustainable delivery of high-quality services by Home-Start Essex.
As Grants and Commissioning Manager you will use your experience and skills to identify and lead approaches to trusts, foundations, company foundations, statutory and other organisations securing funding from £5k-£800K+. You will create high quality approaches and deliver against financial targets, proactively supporting opportunities to source income to support children and families within Essex.
The successful candidate will be a self-starter with high levels of motivation, and a skilled writer with the ability to work autonomously and build on the strong foundations we have in place.
Specific Responsibilities
· Lead on delivering key areas of the Grants and Commissioning strategy and operational plan to establish a strong and sustainable funding base and support our growth ambition by delivering income targets year on year.
· To write compelling applications/bids, cases for support and reports, working in collaboration with the Finance Manager, Family Services Manager and Systems and Information Officer and tailoring the information for the audience, ensuring submission within required deadlines.
· Develop first class relationships with the portfolio of existing and new trust funders, commissioning partners, delivering the highest levels of donor care, by always providing excellent stewardship and ensuring all reporting requirements are fully met.
· Lead on horizon scanning for trust funders, creating a prospecting programme for new opportunities to grow the portfolio. Utilising existing networks, specialist funding sites and referrals.
· Lead on researching prospects for commissioned services, seeking opportunities to work in partnership where appropriate through utilising existing networks and procurement/tender platforms.
· Develop processes to be used across Home-Start Essex, to codify our approach to grant management and ensure appropriate escalation points across the organisation.
· Work both independently and with colleagues to develop content for proposal to funders, ensuring information is accurate and compelling, to generate funding for restricted and core work.
· Maintain and develop Home-Start Essex’s case for support templates and support materials, liaising closely with the senior management team and marketing team and adhering to brand guidelines and key messaging.
· Manage the grant/trust fundraising programme via Beacon CRM, developing account management and stewardship activities and maintaining detailed records of all communications.
· Ensure that successful bids/tenders and grant/trust applications are handed over to the Family Services Manager and Area Lead Co-ordinators with clear milestones, outputs, outcomes and evaluation/reporting requirements via Implementation meetings.
Reporting
· To provide regular activity, income and pipeline updates to the CEO and Finance & Business Development Committee.
· Maintain accurate records of income and restrictions.
· Ensure that progress against KPIs and pipeline is effectively monitored and reported, flagging concerns and developments in good time.
· Ensuring pipeline development by maintaining the database, recording all stewardship actions and communications.
Other duties
· To help at fundraising events from time to time.
· To work closely with other members of the fundraising department to provide data and leads to help them maximise income for the charity.
· Manage resources for the Fundraising team and contribute to budgeting and preparation for financial audits/reviews.
· To develop an in-depth knowledge of HSE and understanding of HSE’s work.
· To keep up to date with best practice in fundraising and comply with relevant legislation.
· To act as an ambassador for the fundraising department and the charity both internally and externally.
· To undertake any other assignments within the fundraising department and wider organisation as required.
· To develop and implement short, medium and long-term strategic business and funding plans for Home-Start Essex, as part of the senior management team, subject to Board approval.
Marketing
Work with the Digital Communications & Marketing team to ensure consistent and co-ordinated approach to the promotion of Home-Start Essex in the following areas:
· Create and distribute press releases to ensure regular and positive promotion of Home-Start Essex.
· Coordinate and schedule key promotional messages to our supporters and the wider public.
· Ensure branding, language and content for all fundraising communications are in line with the Home-Start Essex’s strategy, vision and values.
This role is part of the Senior Management Team within Home-Start Essex.
Please email us to request a recruitment pack or go to our website to download the recruitment pack, job description and person specification.
Please apply by sending in a covering letter and CV – referring to the job description and person specification in your application.
Relevant candidates will be required to complete further information as part of the recruitment process.
An enhanced DBS check will be required.
If you would like to arrange a confidential discussion about the vacancy, please contact us.
This post is subject to a successful 6-month probationary period.
Closing date for applications: Wednesday 10th April 2024
Interviews are scheduled for: 18th/19th April 2024
Home-Start Essex is committed to equality of opportunity and works to safer recruitment practices as an important part of safeguarding and protecting children and vulnerable adults.
Our Home-Start Essex Values
Supportive - We will support families to address the challenges of bringing up children themselves.
Non-judgmental - We do not judge families or measure them against others’ standards.
Approachable - We will be approachable and friendly at all times and develop good relationships with the families we support.
Professional - We will maintain the very highest professional standards.
Collaborative - We will work in partnership with any individual, group or agency who can help us achieve our goals.
Inclusive - We value and celebrate diversity and offer our services to all families, irrespective of their circumstances or backgrounds.
Family-led - We place children and families’ needs at the heart of our work.
Safe - The safety of the families and children we support, and the staff and volunteers we engage, is our highest priority.
Bringing up children can be hard work and all parents and carers will, from time to time, encounter problems which can often make the task even harder.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
Job Title: Programme Finance Manager - based in Sierra Leone
International applications: Strongly encouraged
Reporting to: West Africa Regional Finance Manager (Street Child UK) / Street Child of Sierra Leone Country Director
Hours: 37.5 Hours per week
Principal Location: Freetown, Sierra Leone, with frequent travel to regional office / project sites
Time Frame: 18 month contract envisaged (possibility of extension based on performance and funding)
Background:
Street Child believes that every child deserves the chance to go to school and learn. Our projects focus on a combination of education, child protection and livelihood support to address the social, economic and structural issues that underpin today’s education crisis. We partner with local organisations and communities to deliver our locally rooted programmes, using evidence to drive learning and the refinement and scale up of programmes to create maximum impact for the most children at the lowest cost. We pride ourselves on being willing to go to the world’s toughest places where others won’t, including remote, hard-to-reach areas and fragile, disaster-affected states across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Since 2008 we have helped over 900,000 children to go to school and learn.
Overview:
This unique and vital role has two key, linked, accountabilities.
Firstly, from a short-term and day-to-day perspective, this role will in effect be co-Financial Director of Street Child of Sierra Leone (SCoSL). Working alongside SCoSL's national FD, the holder of this role will be fully accountable to the Country Director of SCoSL, and relevant leaders within Street Child, for ensuring the efficient and effective delivery of all key functions of SCoSL's finance department.
Secondly, from a long-term development perspective, this position will take a lead in optimising all aspects of SCoSL's finance capability - with the goal of developing a robust 'best in class' department with optimal systems, processes and structures and personnel in place at all levels.
The absolute definition of success for this role-holder would be that whenever their time comes to move on, perhaps in 2025 or 2026, there is no need for this role to be replaced, with the SCoSL finance leadership and team well placed to effectively discharge all their key duties without the need for the type of assistance envisaged by this position.
The professional challenge inherent in this role, and the importance of its success is well appreciated by Street Child leadership and this role will be closely supported from multiple angles - in particular by Street Child's Senior Finance Manager for West Africa, Africa Finance Director, Global Finance Director and HQ Finance team - as well as the Freetown-based Head of Sierra Leone / Liberia Programmes and Global Programmes Co-ordinator.
Part 1: Role Purpose:
The purpose of this role is to lead improvements in the financial management of Street Child of Sierra Leone (SCoSL), a national education and child protection organisation with nationwide presence and annual budget of £1.5-2m. The role holder will also manage Street Child’s financial reporting and compliance requirements in delivering programmes in Sierra Leone.
The role will have dual reporting lines to Street Child’s West Africa Regional Finance Manager and Street Child of Sierra Leone’s Country Director, with oversight of Street Child of Sierra Leone’s finance team, and a close working relationship with SCoSL SMT and Street Child’s Head of Sierra Leone Programmes.
The role provides financial oversight of programmes in Sierra Leone, facilitating accurate and timely donor reporting, strong budget management and excellent record keeping. Key aspects of this role include: the development and implementation of robust financial management and reporting systems; strengthening the control environment and record keeping; empowering programmes and leadership teams to have strong financial management and grant management capabilities. The role also serves as a link between Street Child of Sierra Leone and Street Child UK, delivering monthly requisitions, annual budget information and other information as required.
Part 2: Key Responsibilities:
1) Development and implementation of robust financial management and reporting systems to facilitate accurate donor reporting, strong budget management and transparency for budgeting. (40%)
- Ensure that all staff are using the QuickBooks finance system in place at Street Child of Sierra Leone to provide accurate and timely recording of transactions – providing training, review, support and direct input as needed.
- Ensure that all month end processes are carried out in a timely manner including month end closure processes, bank reconciliations, balance sheet reconciliations, and generating reports.
- Providing reliable donor reports, Budget vs Actual reports to the Director and Programmes staff to facilitate good planning and anticipation of any changes needed to programmes delivery.
- Ensure that donor expenditure is recorded accurately and finance reports are of high quality with full supporting transaction listings reconciled to the finance system and delivered to deadlines in accordance donor requirements. Report on all costs incurred both at Street Child of Sierra Leone and Street Child HQ.
- Preparation of all donor reports, working with Partner Finance teams and programmes staff as needed to ensure that they are delivered on time and with appropriate sign off.
- Lead donor due diligence and donor audits by provision of information required.
- Provide input as necessary for all donor budget proposals, ensuring that costs requested are complete and reasonable seek approval for all donor proposal budgets before they are submitted to donors.
- Facilitate the year end audit, over-setting the end to end of the annual audit process.
2) Strengthening the control environment and record keeping. (30%)
- Review and assess the effectiveness of internal controls and recommend changes and improvements as required , and review any improvements in internal controls recommended by auditors or donors.
- Based on these reviews, devise a delivery plan to ensure that improvements are met, and support the delivery of that plan.
- Strong financial procedures are in place to accompany all payments and improvements are made to the payments system including in particular justifying the use of cash and advances.
- Ensure appropriate bank & cash management procedures are in place and operating effectively, including bank reconciliations for all accounts, cash counts and cash transfers to field sites.
- Ensure robust procurement processes are in place and being followed, working with the procurement team to make any changes needed and ensure that all staff are clear on the required procurement process.
- Developing Financial management tools, including policies and procedures as required.
- Ensure that monthly requisitions (the process for requesting monthly transfers from HQ) are robust, evidence based and submitted on time each month upcoming up with an annual budget, approved in accordance with SC budget timetable, working with the Senior West Africa Finance Manager to develop consistent templates to use in each template.
- Regularly advise and provide support on other issues as the need arises.
3) Participate in finance related meetings and initiatives for all SCoSL programmes, providing budget and financial guidance, including provision of training to colleagues. (10%)
Objective:
- To ensure the smooth-running of the programme with respect to its financial obligations.
Benchmarks:
- Compliance with the organisational procedures; quality of budget monitoring; quality of the budgets drawn up; quality of financial reports for donors; anticipation of financial problems
Activities:
- Provide BVAs every month by the 10th of M+1 of all contracts.
- Plan and lead the BVA analysis meetings every month before the 15th.
- Ensure coherency between the programme budget and the donors' budgets.
- Conduct the monthly, bi-annual and annual accounts closing operations · Raise programme teams' awareness of contractual budget and financial obligations.
- Analyse donor guidelines and inform the teams about these procedures and their application.
- Train programme teams in internal budget and financial management procedures so as to ensure a realistic budget, accurate expenditure codification and robust budgetary steering.
- Draw up and monitor cost allocation tables for office and staff costs.
- Check the budgetary monitoring of the funding schedule.
- Substantiate the financial accounts with regard to local legislation · Monitor and organise internal and external audits, assume the role of the auditor's primary contact in liaison with head office.
4) Managing the finance team. (10%)
- Train the finance team
- Manage and lead the finance team, fix objectives and review progress
- Set up communication and coordination mechanisms for the team
- Manage contractual monitoring (leave, end of trial periods, etc.) of finance team members; if necessary, co-validate disciplinary procedures with Operations Manager
- Oversee finance team's career development: define training needs and provide guidance on professional development
5) A liaison and link with Street Child UK Finance team to enable management of operations in Sierra Leone. (10%)
- Develop the annual budget for Sierra Leone, which includes costs budget, programmes costs, cash flow forecasting.
- Enter Street Child of Sierra Leone costs on the HQ finance system (Aqilla) and ensure that all monthly transfers to Street Child of Sierra Leone are fully accounted for and reconciled.
Part 3: Person Specification:
Attributes Essential Desirable
Education / Qualifications:
- Educated to degree level or higher
- Recognised Accountancy Qualification
- Degree in International Business Administration, finance or related field; or attendance at specific relevant training courses
Experience and Knowledge:
- 5 years post qualification experience
- Experience of implementing internal controls and finance procedures
- Experience of managing multi donor grants and good knowledge of donor compliance rules and requirements – in particular working with DFID, UN, EU, USAID
- Knowledge of development issues and concepts
Skills and Abilities:
- Extensive knowledge of finance & logistics policy within non-governmental organizations
- Knowledge of computer applications and software finance packages –in particular Quickbooks and Aqilla or other “mid-tier” finance system
- System design and implementation of finance software packages
Other:
- Strong interpersonal, management and team work skills
- Ability to influence change in teams not directly managed
- A self-starter, capable of working independently and flexibly to a high level
- Fluent English –written and spoken
- Good communication and staff training / capacity building skills
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Job Title: Programme Finance Manager – based in Liberia - International Applications strongly encouraged!
Reporting to: West Africa Regional Finance Manager (Street Child UK) / Street Child of Liberia Country Director
Hours: 37.5 Hours per week
Principal Location: Monrovia, Liberia, with frequent travel to regional office / project sites.
Time Frame: 18 month contract envisaged (possibility of extension based on performance and funding)
Background:
Street Child believes that every child deserves the chance to go to school and learn. Our projects focus on a combination of education, child protection and livelihood support to address the social, economic and structural issues that underpin today’s education crisis. We partner with local organisations and communities to deliver our locally rooted programmes, using evidence to drive learning and the refinement and scale up of programmes to create maximum impact for the most children at the lowest cost. We pride ourselves on being willing to go to the world’s toughest places where others won’t, including remote, hard-to-reach areas and fragile, disaster-affected states across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Since 2008 we have helped over 900,000 children to go to school and learn.
Overview:
This unique and vital role has two key, linked, accountabilities.
Firstly, from a short-term and day-to-day perspective, this role will in effect be Financial Director of Street Child of Liberia (SCoL). Working alongside SCoL's national Finance Manager, the holder of this role will be fully accountable to the Country Director of SCoL, and relevant leaders within Street Child, for ensuring the efficient and effective delivery of all key functions of SCoL's finance department.
Secondly, from a long-term development perspective, this position will take a lead in optimising all aspects of SCoL's finance capability - with the goal of developing a robust 'best in class' department with optimal systems, processes and structures and personnel in place at all levels.
The absolute definition of success for this role-holder would be that whenever their time comes to move on, perhaps in 2025 or 2026, there is no need for this role to be replaced, with the SCoL finance leadership and team well placed to effectively discharge all their key duties without the need for the type of assistance envisaged by this position.
The professional challenge inherent in this role, and the importance of its success is well appreciated by Street Child leadership and this role will be closely supported from multiple angles - in particular by Street Child's Senior Finance Manager for West Africa, Africa Finance Director, Global Finance Director and HQ Finance team - as well as the Freetown-based Head of Sierra Leone / Liberia Programmes and Global Programmes Co-ordinator.
Part 1: Role Purpose:
The purpose of this role is to lead improvements in the financial management of Street Child of Liberia (SCoL), a national education and child protection organisation with nationwide presence and annual budget of up to $1m. The role holder will also manage Street Child’s financial reporting and compliance requirements in delivering programmes in Liberia.
The role will have dual reporting lines to Street Child’s West Africa Regional Finance Manager and Street Child of Liberia’s Country Director, with oversight of Street Child of Liberia’s finance team, and a close working relationship with SCoL SMT and Street Child’s Monrovia based Programmes Manager and Freetown based Head of Sierra Leone / Liberia Programmes.
The role provides financial oversight of programmes in Liberia, facilitating accurate and timely donor reporting, strong budget management and excellent record keeping. Key aspects of this role include: the development and implementation of robust financial management and reporting systems; strengthening the control environment and record keeping; empowering programmes and leadership teams to have strong financial management and grant management capabilities. The role also serves as a link between Street Child of Liberia and Street Child UK, delivering monthly requisitions, annual budget information and other information as required.
Part 2: Key Responsibilities:
1) Development and implementation of robust financial management and reporting systems to facilitate accurate donor reporting, strong budget management and transparency for budgeting. (40%)
- Ensure that all staff are using the QuickBooks finance system in place at Street Child of Liberia to provide accurate and timely recording of transactions – providing training, review, support and direct input as needed.
- Ensure that all month end processes are carried out in a timely manner including month end closure processes, bank reconciliations, balance sheet reconciliations, and generating reports
- Providing reliable donor reports, Budget vs Actual reports to the Director and Programmes staff to facilitate good planning and anticipation of any changes needed to programmes delivery.
- Ensure that donor expenditure is recorded accurately and finance reports are of high quality with full supporting transaction listings reconciled to the finance system and delivered to deadlines in accordance donor requirements. Report on all costs incurred both at Street Child of Liberia and Street Child HQ.
- Preparation of all donor reports, working with Partner Finance teams and programmes staff as needed to ensure that they are delivered on time and with appropriate sign off.
- Lead donor due diligence and donor audits by provision of information required.
- Provide input as necessary for all donor budget proposals, ensuring that costs requested are complete and reasonable seek approval for all donor proposal budgets before they are submitted to donors
- Facilitate the year end audit, over-setting the end to end of the annual audit process.
2) Strengthening the control environment and record keeping (30%)
- Review and assess the effectiveness of internal controls and recommend changes and improvements as required , and review any improvements in internal controls recommended by auditors or donors.
- Based on these reviews, devise a delivery plan to ensure that improvements are met, and support the delivery of that plan.
- Strong financial procedures are in place to accompany all payments and improvements are made to the payments system including in particular justifying the use of cash and advances.
- Ensure appropriate bank & cash management procedures are in place and operating effectively, including bank reconciliations for all accounts, cash counts and cash transfers to field sites.
- Ensure robust procurement processes are in place and being followed, working with the procurement team to make any changes needed and ensure that all staff are clear on the required procurement process.
- Developing Financial management tools, including policies and procedures as required.
- Ensure that monthly requisitions (the process for requesting monthly transfers from HQ) are robust, evidence based and submitted on time each month.
- upcoming up with an annual budget, approved in accordance with SC budget timetable, working with the Senior West Africa Finance Manager to develop consistent templates to use in each template.
- Regularly advise and provide support on other issues as the need arises.
3) Participate in finance related meetings and initiatives for all SCoL programmes, providing budget and financial guidance, including provision of training to colleagues (10%)
Objective:
- To ensure the smooth-running of the programme with respect to its financial obligations
Benchmarks:
- Compliance with the organisational procedures; quality of budget monitoring; quality of the budgets drawn up; quality of financial reports for donors; anticipation of financial problems
Activities:
- Provide BVAs every month by the 10th of M+1 of all contracts.
- Plan and lead the BVA analysis meetings every month before the 15th.
- Ensure coherency between the programme budget and the donors' budgets.
- Conduct the monthly, bi-annual and annual accounts closing operations · Raise programme teams' awareness of contractual budget and financial obligations.
- Analyse donor guidelines and inform the teams about these procedures and their application.
- Train programme teams in internal budget and financial management procedures so as to ensure a realistic budget, accurate expenditure codification and robust budgetary steering.
- Draw up and monitor cost allocation tables for office and staff costs.
- Check the budgetary monitoring of the funding schedule · Substantiate the financial accounts with regard to local legislation. Monitor and organise internal and external audits, assume the role of the auditor's primary contact in liaison with head office.
4) Managing the finance team (10%)
- Train the finance team.
- Manage and lead the finance team, fix objectives and review progress.
- Set up communication and coordination mechanisms for the team.
- Manage contractual monitoring (leave, end of trial periods, etc.) of finance team members; if necessary, co-validate disciplinary procedures with Operations Manager.
- Oversee finance team's career development: define training needs and provide guidance on professional development.
5) A liaison and link with Street Child UK Finance team to enable management of operations in Liberia (10%)
- Develop the annual budget for Liberia, which includes costs budget, programmes costs, cash flow forecasting.
- Enter Street Child of Liberia costs on the HQ finance system (Aqilla) and ensure that all monthly transfers to Street Child of Liberia are fully accounted for and reconciled.
Part 3: Person Specification
Attributes / Essential / Desirable / Education / Qualifications:
- Educated to degree level or higher
- Recognised Accountancy Qualification
- Degree in International Business Administration, finance or related field; or attendance at specific relevant training courses
- Experience and Knowledge
- 5 years post qualification experience
- Experience of implementing internal controls and finance procedures
- Experience of managing multi donor grants and good knowledge of donor compliance rules and requirements – in particular working with DFID, UN, EU, USAID
- Knowledge of development issues and concepts
Skills and Abilities:
- Extensive knowledge of finance & logistics policy within non-governmental organizations.
- Knowledge of computer applications and software finance packages –in particular Quickbooks and Aqilla or other “mid-tier” finance system.
- System design and implementation of finance software packages.
Other:
- Strong interpersonal, management and team work skills
- Ability to influence change in teams not directly managed
- A self-starter, capable of working independently and flexibly to a high level
- Fluent English –written and spoken
- Good communication and staff training / capacity building skills
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.