Director of Operations & Finance

Job Description

GKI is seeking an experienced Director of Operations & Finance to develop, manage and continuously refine business processes and practice around project management, financial management, good governance, human resources and office administration.

The ideal candidate is a problem solver, diligent and detail-oriented self-starter looking bring experience and leadership to a growing organization. This position will cultivate a talented and high functioning project management team, providing expertise and experience in government contract and grant management, particularly with USAID-funded projects. The Operations and Finance Director will be responsible for ensuring high quality project start-up, management, close down and compliance across a portfolio of projects and awards.

This role will require development of relationships with our funders, clients, partners, staff and consultants and will collaborate with GKI’s Practice Directors to ensure that there is effective leadership support for both technical and project management excellence. It’s an exciting opportunity to join the Senior Leadership Team at GKI to design and refine the organization’s business infrastructure, preparing it for growth.

Project Management

• Supervise and mentor project management staff, leading, co-leading or supporting the refinement and development of standardized policies, procedures and systems to ensure operational and programmatic effectiveness, transparency and agility;
• Design procedures in management of projects (across a diverse client and funder portfolio, including US government, multi-national and other bilateral donors, foundations, universities and private sector), including advising on profitability analysis, client invoicing, consultant onboarding and subaward management
• Represent GKI with relevant government, donor, NGO and other agencies particularly cultivating and maintaining strong relationships with points of contact with current clients and potential partners
• Support new business development and initiatives;

Financial Management and Compliance

• Design and continuously refine policies and procedures to support USG contracting and grants requirements
• Support CEO in matters related to financial analysis across the organization’s portfolio, including analyzing projects for quality control and decision making, regular reporting to board and designing custom reports
• Manage systems to support project compliance, including checks and balances for review of time and expense reports in the GKI systems, such as BigTimeand Abacus, and preparing client invoices
• Liaise with contracted finance and accounting vendors and firms, including legal, audit and accounting firms as needed to execute regular project operations
• Regularly review and update all corporate governance policies and procedures to ensure GKI is operating according to best practice and funder requirements and regulations

Recruitment and Partners

• Support subcontracting arrangements including developing, negotiating and managing subaward agreements
• Maintain recruitment and consultant database and manage and execute human resources processes for project employees and consultants including those related to recruitment, negotiation, new hire paperwork, onboarding and exit procedures
• Ensure that GKI complies with all federal requirements and federal and local employee laws and protections

Qualifications

• 10 + years of project management and/or business experience required
• Previous experience in international development managing US Government awards
• Highly organized, detail oriented and ability to proactively build solutions to meet client expectations of high quality operational management.
• Knowledge of project management operational procedures, such as coordination of people, planning, and resource allocation, and development of project procedures and policies
• Experienced in staff support and ability to maintain a positive working culture
• Strong interpersonal skills able to manage multiple demands and requirements of diverse set of clients
• Highly efficient, self starter and action driven problem solver. Ability to establish priorities, meet deadlines under pressure, be responsive to clients and team and juggle competing demands.
• Excellent written, oral, and communication skills, including ability to develop and prepare presentations, reports and business correspondence.
• Demonstrated proficiency using business or design software and tools, such as Google Suite, Microsoft Office, QuickBooks, InDesign, or other specific administrative online platforms and a strong aptitude for learning new technology systems.

How to Apply

To apply, please send your resume, cover letter to jobs@gkinitiative.org with the subject line “Operations and Finance Director”. Due to the high volume of applications we receive only shortlisted contacts will be contacted.

About the Organization

About GKI

Are you ready to join a team committed to addressing some of the world’s most pressing development challenges? Are you eager to lead innovation and emergent practice in the social impact sector? Are you a self-starter that enjoys design, facilitation, experimentation, and learning?
Do you believe in collaboration and lead with a high degree of optimism, humility and service-orientation? If yes, you will be a good fit for our team at the Global Knowledge Initiative.

Our mission at GKI is to empower people to lead transformational change within themselves, their organizations and collectively together, the systems around them to create the future we want to live. Named “one of the world’s top 100 social innovators for the next century” by The Rockefeller Foundation, the Global Knowledge Initiative is a purpose-driven organization that specializes in systems change through the development of leadership, facilitation of collaborative design, delivery of insights, analysis and advice, and the mobilization of collective action networks.

We work to solve complex challenges at the forefront of the global development conversation, with diverse clients in government, philanthropy, civil society, academia and industry. GKI’s current portfolio includes a diverse range of initiatives focused on food systems, health systems, political and economic systems and environmental systems at the global and local level.

What we offer

Because of the nature of our work, GKI offers a dynamic workplace where no two projects, and no two days are the same. New hires will have the opportunity to contribute to organizational development across a diverse set of clients and projects and develop skills at the frontier of the global development sector. GKI believes in fostering a mission-driven, empowerment-based, collaborative team culture which supports professional growth, mutual-accountability and learning. GKI offers a competitive salary, paid leave, and health benefits.