Finance Officer - Walking the Talk

Period:                December 1, 2023 (or sooner pending on availability) to June 30, 2026, starting with one-year contract

Reports to:          Program Manager Walking the Talk

Location:             Hivos Global Office, The Hague, the Netherlands

Hours:                 24 hours a week (3 days)

Deadline:            October 29, 2023

We’re looking for a committed and qualified Finance Officer for the Walking the Talk program. For this new program, we seek an enthusiastic and competent person who manages the project finances and is able to start-up, implement and oversee a financial way of working that facilitates an effective and smooth implementation of the program, while complying with donor requirements and Hivos' internal processes and procedures.

Background

European countries contribute significantly to advancing gender equality worldwide. But there is increased pressure on Official Development Aid (ODA), especially on funding for gender equality and feminist values. At the same time, when decisions are made about Feminist Foreign Policy (FFP) or ODA for gender equality, (young) feminists and LGBTIQ+ persons from the Global South are not structurally engaged, even though these decisions directly affect their lives and work.

On the positive side, there is momentum to give gender equality, and more specifically, feminist approaches, a decisive boost. Various governments are now developing or already implementing FFPs in recognition of the importance of feminist approaches to ODA.

About the program

To boost the momentum, the Walking the Talk consortium brings together four European organizations: Equipop (France), Restless Development (United Kingdom), the Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy (Germany), and Hivos (the Netherlands, and lead of the consortium). Together we will utilize our extensive collective experience to embed gender equality in foreign policies, practices and ODA spending and to ensure that the perspectives and ideas of (young) feminists from the Global South are included in decisions about gender equality ODA and FFP.

The program started in August 2023.

Job context

Being the Finance Officer of the lead organization, you maintain oversight of financial and contractual compliance of the grant and develop and consolidate program budgets and financial reports. You revise budgets and financial reports, including of consortium members, and provide feedback on those. You also provide guidance and support to Hivos staff and consortium members on financial matters, thus ensuring that the grant is well-managed and contributes to the objectives of the program. In case bottlenecks appear, you come up with creative solutions to resolve those. Scope of work is with the above-mentioned organizations in Germany, France, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, and a small team in Brussels to collaborate with the various bodies of the European Union.

Responsibilities

• Day-to-day financial management and oversight of Walking the Talk, including the implementation of sound financial controls, budgeting, monitoring and forecasting processes.
• Develop and implement a financial way-of-working of the program. Ensure this is in line with procedures of the donor and of Hivos, and that it supports the objectives and spirit of the program.
• Develop Hivos' part of the budget and financial reports, and provide guidance, support and feedback to consortium members on the development of their budgets and financial reports.
• Consolidate budgets and financial reports on overall program level
• Ensure budgets and reports are in line with the original Walking the Talk plan, and respond to requirements and procedures of the donor and of Hivos.
• Play an active role in Walking the Talk's coordination team, providing financial expertise and knowledge.
• Mitigate financial risks (following Hivos' risk management process) and in case a financial problem occurs, provide potential solutions for it.

Your profile

• Minimum of three years’ relevant work experience
• Proficiency in financial management including budgeting, forecasting and reporting, and consolidating budgets and financial reports.
• Ability to work with financial systems as well as with Excel and donor-formats. Experience in working with All Solutions is an asset.
• A Bachelor, ACCA or other higher education degree in Business Administration, Economics or a similar relevant discipline
• Ability to develop and monitor a financial way-of-working that aligns with Hivos' procedures and the donor-requirements.
• Committed to objectives of the program and its' values. Enthusiastic to work in a feminist and diverse team.
• Experience in working with consortia
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Proficiency in spoken and written English is essential. French, Spanish or Dutch is an asset.
• Demonstrated high integrity
• Ability and willingness to travel occasionally, mostly in Europe.
• Sense of humor and positive attitude.
• Imagination and creativity for solving challenging problems

What we offer

In this position you will work at Hivos’ Global Office in the city center of The Hague, where the overarching program team is located. Part of the team is also based in Brussels. Consortium members are based in the UK, France, Germany, and Brussels.

You will be part of an international community of highly motivated and dedicated people working to advance gender equality, diversity and inclusion.

We offer a contract for 24 hours per week based on Hivos Global Office labor conditions. The gross salary ranges from € 3.282 to € 4.448 per month based on a 36-hour work week.

We provide a laptop and travel expenses according to our commuting policies, as well as participation in our pension fund. Hivos additionally works according to a 50/50 schedule, which means you may work from home during half of your contract hours.

Want to apply?

Please submit a cover letter and CV by October 29, 2023 at the latest, by clicking on the ‘Apply here’ button. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Candidates are highly encouraged to provide a clear track record in their CV and description in cover letter that matches the requirements of the position elaborated above.

Background checks for final candidates

If you get selected for the final stage of the selection process, please note that professional references and a certificate of conduct (VOG) will be requested due to our Safeguarding Policy. Exceptions will only be made, if there is a local legislation prohibition or when the candidate is unable to obtain such a certificate due to activities on LGTBIQ+ and Human Rights. We may check social media - unless applicants state they do not wish us to do so. Accuracy of information in the curriculum vitae will also be checked.

(*) https://www.hivos.org/who-we-are/our-organization/integrity/

Keywords

Finance OfficerWalking the Talkfinancial managementbudgetingforecastingreportingfinancial controlsfinancial reportsfinancial way-of-workingfeministdiverse teamconsortiainterpersonal skillscommunication skillsEnglishFrenchSpanishDutchintegritytravelproblem-solving