Finance Business Partner, Cross Cutting Programmes

About Fauna & Flora

Fauna & Flora saves species from extinction and habitats from destruction, while improving the livelihoods of local people. Our guiding principles are to work with and alongside local partnerships, act as a catalyst for change, make conservation relevant, and base decisions on sound science. Founded in 1903, Fauna & Flora is the world’s longest established international conservation body; our conservation work, and impact, spans the globe.

Organisational Setting

Fauna & Flora employs circa 570 people across 20 jurisdictions. We have 200 employees in the UK, and 25 international and 345 national employees working across Africa, Asia-Pacific, Eurasia and the Americas & Caribbean. Our Cambridge Finance Team is composed of a Transactional Finance Team, Finance Systems Team and Finance Business Partners. Our growing team comprises friendly and supportive colleagues with a customer service mindset who are keen to help colleagues across the globe to support the important work of Fauna & Flora.

Fauna & Flora is seeking a Finance Business Partner, Cross-cutting Programmes to enable and champion best practice financial management across the organisation and build strong integration between finance and conservation teams. This exciting role provides vital support to our Cross cutting Programmes teams in delivering conservation impact through provision of high-value management information and analysis to enable decision-making. You will work closely with the UK and overseas-based Finance and Project Managers, Programme Directors and Administrators to ensure the efficient and effective management of financial resources and information, contributing to the delivery of Fauna & Flora’s mission and strategy.

Key to this role will be the following deliverables:

1. To enable best practice financial management within Fauna & Flora by giving finance support to internal customers throughout the organisation, through provision of management information and analysis and insight into variances to budgets and forecasts.
2. To support relevant internal customers with financial management of projects and compliance with grants, contracts and agreements, including co-financing requirements and donor reporting.

You will have extensive management reporting experience, including budgeting and forecasting, and have excellent analytical and problem-solving skills. Your strong communication, interpersonal skills and customer focus will enable you to build effective working relationships and your proven experience of working closely with non-finance managers will enable you to provide them with essential financial support to ensure successful project delivery. You will be a good team player and enjoy working in a busy environment, with the ability to balance competing demands. With a proactive approach to your work, you will seek to add value and have opportunity to contribute your skills and expertise to Fauna & Flora’s growth and development.

In return, the role offers the opportunity to work within an international, impactful and ground breaking organisation, at the forefront of global conservation. In addition, Fauna & Flora offers a generous pension contribution, attractive annual leave allowance and life insurance. Our offices are located in The David Attenborough Building in central Cambridge, just a few minutes’ walk from glorious historic buildings and museums, the picturesque River Cam, the central market and shopping centre, and a host of cafés and restaurants.

Fauna & Flora Values

Values underpin who we are and how we act. Just as values shape who we are as individuals, they define us as an organisation, creating the culture of success for which Fauna & Flora is renowned. Our people exemplify our shared values, which are interconnected and interdependent:

• We act with integrity
• We are collaborative
• We are committed
• We are inclusive, supportive & respectful
• We get things done

Responsibilities

• Provide high quality management reporting to internal budget holders and management within Cross-cutting Programmes
• Support early identification of financial risks within Cross-cutting Programmes projects and where necessary conduct forensic accounting enquiries
• Monitor project income and expenditure within Cross-cutting Programmes teams on an ongoing basis and provide written and verbal commentary on project balances and key variances to management as required
• Assist in the investigation of variances and discrepancies against budgets and forecasts and escalate concerns to management where necessary
• Make accounting adjustments to correct/amend transactions where necessary to facilitate accurate project accounting
• Ensure budget and grant information is updated in a timely manner within Finance and related systems for projects within Cross-cutting Programmes
• Coordinate the quarterly forecasting and annual budgeting process for Cross-cutting Programmes
• Support project managers to comply with the requirements of grant agreements, contracts etc. (as they pertain to finance processes and procedures), including understanding and complying with co-finance and procurement requirements
• Support donor reporting processes to ensure accurate financial reporting to funders
• Support project finance officers and/or project managers in the formation of project proposal budgets to maximise cost recovery and minimise liability (including costings, calculation of staffing charges and overhead rates)
• Assist project finance officers and/or project managers to ensure that project income is correctly accounted for (including ensuring that invoices are raised and paid promptly)
• Work with the Financial Controller and the Finance Manager, Reporting & Systems to ensure accurate staffing charges and overhead charges are applied to projects managed by the Cross cutting Programmes department, in line with internal policies and procedures and grant funding conditions
• Assist in enforcing compliance with internal Finance policies and procedures within Cross-cutting Programmes
• Support local/regional Finance staff within Cross-cutting Programmes in writing and applying internal policies and procedures, adapted to local requirements
• Provide finance inductions to new budget holders/managers within Cross-cutting Programmes, including finance systems training where necessary
• Provide finance system support/training to local/regional Finance staff, including new system rollouts where necessary
• Provide finance support to local country/regional offices where capacity gaps arise
• Provide finance support for establishing new country operations or/projects
• Process local cashbooks/accounts into the Fauna & Flora Finance system where offices are not yet using the Fauna & Flora Finance system for direct input
• Work with the Finance Director to facilitate and coordinate funding audits when necessary
• Contribute to internal process improvement, Finance Team knowledge sharing and participate in team and organisational meetings/events where necessary
• Provide ad hoc support and analysis to members of the Cross-cutting Programmes department, Finance Director and SLT, creating customised reports where necessary
• Carry out any other reasonable duties which are consistent with the post and the aims and objectives of the position and the business need Duties may be altered, reasonably added or delegated from time to time to reflect changes within the organisation’s activities and structure

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

Essential

• Very high level of numeracy and analytical skills, including variance and costing analysis
• Excellent Microsoft Excel and finance /accounting/ reporting systems skills
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including ability to liaise cross-functionally and cross culturally with all levels of staff in the organisation
• Excellent business writing skills
• Ability to plan, organise and prioritise workload to meet deadlines
• Fluency in written and verbal English
• Extensive management reporting experience, including budgeting and forecasting
• Experience in providing financial coaching/training for non-financial managers

Desirable

• Qualified Accountant (CCAB or overseas equivalent) with at least 3 years of PQE
• Second language (used in a relevant Fauna & Flora office/programme)
• Experience of the Charity sector
• Experience with Access Dimensions accounting software
• Experience of new system implementation and/or systems management
• Understanding of grant management requirements of key donors, such as the EU and USAID

Behavioural Qualities

Essential

• Customer service focus
• Builds positive working relationships
• Excellent team player, with ability also to work well independently
• Strong commitment to organisational compliance
• Demonstrates rigor, diligence and meticulous attention to detail in approach to work
• Strong in problem-solving and critical thinking
• Flexible to respond to demands of operating across different cultures and time-zones
• Commitment to Fauna & Flora’s values and empathy with its mission

Desirable

• Willingness and ability to travel internationally

Business Partnering

Ensuring the delivery of high quality and value-adding analysis, advice and support to the organisation. “Hands on”, with excellent business partnering skills, you will be comfortable providing advice and support for day-to-day decision-making, while also considering the bigger picture of the organisation to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

Accounting and Financial Management

You will facilitate best practice financial management, while also helping to develop and implement improved processes, tools and shared resources. You will work closely with non-finance managers and be comfortable providing analysis and insights to enable effective project delivery, while also helping to minimise risk to the organisation and maximise cost recovery.

Team

An excellent team player. We are looking for someone who will take the time to listen to key stakeholders, in order to develop an in-depth understanding of the organisation, its activities and how the Finance Business Partnering team support the achievement of its strategic objectives.

Ideal Background

Experience of the Charity sector, preferably in an international organisation, and understanding of statutory funding compliance requirements of USAID & EU audits is desirable, but not essential.

Culture and Mission

Fauna & Flora’s values underpin who we are and how we act; they define us as an organisation, creating the culture of success for which Fauna & Flora is renowned. As an organisation we pride ourselves on being inclusive, supportive and respectful. We are committed, collaborative, we act with integrity and we get things done. We are looking for someone who is values-driven, culturally sensitive, with an ability to build positive personal and organisational relationships.

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