Program Finance Manager – EU System for an Enabling Environment for Civil Society (EU SEE)

Reports to:        Global Program Manager

Period:               6 years, starting with a one-year contract

Scope:               Global

Location:           Hivos Global Office, The Hague, the Netherlands

Hours:                36 hours a week (full-time)

Deadline:           10 December 2023

We are looking for a Program Finance Manager to manage and oversee finance aspects of the EU System for an Enabling Environment for Civil Society program_._ This new program has a budget of EUR 30 million, five global civil society partners and implementation across more than 80 countries supported through financial support to third parties (FSTP).

About the program

The EU System for an Enabling Environment for Civil Society (EU SEE) is a six-year program that will engage and support civil society organizations across more than 80 countries where civic space is under pressure. Through this program, we aim to improve the capacity and ability of civil society partners to detect and respond to situations of a deteriorating or improving enabling environment, and address and contribute to structural and systemic prerequisites for such an environment.

The EU SEE Monitoring Index, a civil society-led monitoring system designed to continuously assess the state of the enabling environment for civil society across all EU SEE partner countries, will be at the heart of the program. It will be complemented by a comprehensive Early Warning Mechanism to support the anticipation and rapid response to emerging threats and opportunities by civil society and diplomatic actors. In addition, the program will develop civil society partners’ capacity to promote an enabling environment for civil society and amplify their voices in national, regional and global fora through knowledge exchange, policy dialogue and advocacy.

Led by Hivos, the program will be implemented by a global consortium of civic space and democracy support organizations and networks, including CIVICUS, Democracy Reporting International, the European Partnership for Democracy, Forus and Transparency International. The consortium will closely collaborate with EU counterparts at Brussels and EU Delegation level, as well as EU Member States.

As the Global Lead of the program, Hivos is responsible for effective global coordination and oversight over all activities and partners, as well as for managing the EU SEE Secretariat and associated governance bodies.

This EU-funded project has a budget of EUR 30 million and will be implemented over a duration of six years.

Job context

The Program Finance Manager (PFM) leads and oversees all financial and budgetary aspects of the EU SEE from a strategic and operational perspective in line with donor guidelines and internal Hivos procedures. You are the first point of contact for consortium members, other Hivos colleagues and the donor on financial and budgetary matters relating to this program. You report to the Global Program Manager as well as to the Regional Finance Manager of the Hivos Hub Global Office Department.

You are responsible for overseeing budgetary cycles, monitoring program expenditure and resolving emerging issues. You are the first in line to safeguard financial assets by establishing financial policies, procedures, controls and reporting systems; overseeing cash and operating capital, monitoring cash flow and projections and preparing month-end and yearly financial statements at program level.

You ensure that financial management and donor requirements are met in accordance with internal processes and recognized financial standards and provide financial expertise and financial monitoring support to Hivos program staff and if needed to consortium and local partners in their finance/grant management responsibilities.

You are a key team member of the EU SEE Secretariat, where you collaborate closely with five Hivos colleagues and three additional partner staff. You report to and closely collaborate with the Global Program Manager, who is spearheading the entire program. Within Hivos’ Global Office, you closely collaborate with the Program Finance Team of the Hub Global Office and other departments.

Responsibilities

Financial management

• Take overall responsibility for day-to-day financial management and oversight across the program, covering activities directly implemented by Hivos as well as those implemented by global consortium partners
• Lead on financial planning for the program including (development of formats for) budgets, annual plans, and forecasts for integration with the wider organization business planning
• Prepare and manage the program’s annual audit cycle and process to ensure that the audit is delivered to the donor by the agreed timeline
• Advise the Global Program Manager on the design of the financial accounts and the formulation of financial targets

Grant management and compliance

• Design and implement core principles, policies and procedures for the overarching management and coordination of all financial support to third parties (FSTP) provided under this program in close collaboration with other relevant consortium members
• Collaborate with the Community and Network Officer to conduct organizational assessments and due diligence with newly identified local partners (EU SEE Network Members)
• Oversee and ensure compliance of Hivos, consortium members and local partner organizations with agreements made, and promote dynamic and mutual accountability

Financial reporting

• Be the first point of escalation with the donor and partners pertaining to the implementation of signed agreements
• Design and implement financial reporting templates and guidelines for consortium partners and local partners.
• Consolidate and review partner financial reports for submission to the donor
• Oversee and review the financial control environment across the program to ensure compliance with financial regulations, prevent/detect significant fraud and generally manage financial risk, both within Hivos expenditure and among consortium members
• Prepare monthly depletion reports and prepare and consolidate quarterly finance reports for the program

Requirements

• A minimum of five years of work experience in financial management and accounting, particularly in an international context.
• An academic degree (or equivalent work experience) in finance, accounting, business economics, or another relevant field
• Demonstrable experience with financial management and reporting in an international, EU-funded context. Particular experience with multi-year, multi-country consortium projects would be a strong asset.
• Knowledge and understanding of common political and administrative constraints affecting the ability of civil society organizations to receive and spend international donor funding in contexts of shrinking civic space.
• Experience with overseeing (sub-)grants to local partners in the Global South from a financial and compliance perspective.
• Imagination and creativity for solving challenging strategic and operational issues.
• Full professional proficiency in English; proficiency in another widely spoken language would be an asset (e.g. Spanish, Arabic, French, Swahili, etc.).
• A team player with strong professional integrity and cultural sensitivity.

What we offer

In this position you will work at Hivos’ Global Office in the city center of The Hague. This is will be the primary location of the EU SEE Secretariat headed by you, with most other Hivos program staff to be located there as well.

Being part of the wider EU SEE consortium, you will be part of an international team with colleagues spread across the world.

We offer a contract for 36 hours per week based on Hivos Global Office labor conditions. The gross salary ranges from € 3.857 to € 5.132 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.

How to apply

Please submit a cover letter and CV by 10 December 2023 at the latest, by clicking on the ‘Apply here’ button. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and early applications are encouraged. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Background checks for final candidates

If you are 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/