Global - Head of Finance Operations

Job Description

Responsibilities

Financial Strategy

• Work closely with the Executive Director, Finance and Corporate Services to develop and implement a robust financial strategy, ensuring key financial risks are identified and managed.
• Financial Operations
• Lead the team to provide relevant and valued global finance operational support to VSO, in financial accounts, controls, statutory requirements, treasury, payroll, and financial systems.
• Work with senior managers and finance staff globally to deliver regular, accurate and reliable flows of financial information as required.
• Ensure the finance team is adequately resourced and equipped with the right tools to deliver a high quality, customer focused, and pro-active service.
• Statutory Requirements, Compliance and Financial controls
• Ensure that all relevant controls are in place and in accordance with the Charity SORP
• Ensure VSO complies with statutory, funding and tax regulations, fulfilling its requirements as a charity, company, and employer across geographies
• Provide robust and effective financial policies, processes and controls and ensure compliance across VSO.
• Lead the preparation of the statutory financial statements and the annual report for VSO and its subsidiaries. Co-ordinate the completion of year end processes across finance and lead the statutory audit process.
• Drive a culture of compliance and continuous improvement in finance compliance across the organisation
• Budgeting and Management Reporting
• Lead the organisational budgeting, forecasting and reporting process providing the right framework and tools to the organisation and consolidating budgets from different parts of the organisation.
• Ensure the planning and budgeting process is efficient for Budget Holders and delivers a sustainable budget in line with parameters defined by the International Board.
• Ensure regular reporting are available and discussed with Global teams on a monthly basis and help decisions, that relevant actions are identified and acted on based on the information received; review and ensure relevant analysis is presented well for decision making.Drive improvement in reporting process and tools.

Treasury

• Take responsibility for managing VSO’s Treasury, maximising investment returns in compliance with VSO treasury policy and producing robust cashflow forecast and managing cash flow risks. Drive evaluation of effective cash, foreign currencies and bank account management across all VSO locations.

Finance Systems

• Manage the Finance System team to ensure robust, reliable and accurate systems which consistently meet the needs of the finance team and VSO and deliver strong controls.
• Drive the development of existing and new finance systems to deliver efficiency, effectiveness gains and to respond to new requirements.
• Ensure continued integration of finance systems and processes across other organisational systems and digital transformation initiatives.

People Management

• Effectively lead and develop a global high performing team within the performance management framework.
• Ensure team ways of working and behaviours are in line with VSO People First values and policies and comply with legal and organisation requirements.
• Ensure team responds positively to change, delivers a consistent high-level customer-focused approach and achieves objectives. 

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

• Fully qualified accounting or finance professional (ACCA, ACA, or CIMA), with in depth knowledge of UK charity SORP and compliance framework.
• Experience of successfully leading a high performing finance team in a large international organisation
• Demonstrable experience of developing and delivering a financial strategy in a global organisation
• Significant practical experience of the preparation of statutory and management reporting at high level.
• Strong leadership skills to undertake a complex senior management role in a global organisation.  
• Superior analytical skills and attention to detail balanced with the ability to integrate the broader strategic picture and the help drive management decisions and action
• Ability to communicate effectively to a wide range of audiences, particularly internal and non-technical audiences.
• Advanced IT skills, including accounting and reporting packages, proficiency in Microsoft Office programs (Excel spreadsheets, word processing, power point, and electronic mail), financial technologies and Business Improvement System
• Commitment to VSO’s work and values.
• Able to undertake occasional international travel.

About the Organization

VSO is an international development charity that works through volunteers. Our vision is a world without poverty in which people work together to fulfil their potential. We bring people together to share skills, creativity and learning to build a fairer world. VSO welcomes volunteers from an ever increasing range of countries, backgrounds and ages. National agencies in Canada, Kenya, the Netherlands and the Philippines recruit volunteers from many different countries worldwide and this international approach allows us to combine and learn from a rich variety of perspectives. Tackling Disadvantage at "Grass Roots" Level Ours is a very individual "people to people" approach to development. Instead of sending food or money, we send women and men from a wide range of professions who want the chance to make a real difference in the fight against poverty. These volunteers work in partnership with colleagues and communities to share skills and learning and jointly achieve change. But we have to be realistic in our expectations. We commit to long-term development goals and long-term partnerships and focus on sustainable development rather than the short-term relief of certain problems. VSO also works to address the structural inequalities and barriers that prevent people from exercising their rights. We use our experience and our supporter networks to work for changes in policy and practice - rich and poor countries - that reduce disadvantage. VSO is by far the largest independent volunteer-sending agency in the world. Since 1958, we have sent out more than 29,000 volunteers to work in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, the Pacific region and, more latterly, Eastern Europe in response to requests from our overseas partners. At the moment we have around 1,500 people working in placements in these regions. Shared Partnerships, Shared Benefits You only have to talk to VSO volunteers to realise that they gain from their experience, personally or professionally, as much as they contribute. Many will enthuse how fascinating it was to explore a different culture at first hand. Others will point to the friendships they have made. But many will also tell you how their professional talents have been stretched, and how they have learnt new skills that will significantly enhance their career prospects on their return home. If ever it was true that "you get out what you put in", VSO is proof positive. This experience makes volunteers passionate in challenging misconceptions about developing countries. In the current climate, it is more urgent than ever that we work to achieve a global community where people of all cultures are seen as equal, learn from each other and share a common sense of rights and responsibilities as global citizens. VSO builds on this experience and passion to support a range of global education activity. To find out more about volunteering with or supporting VSO visit our website at www.vso.org.uk