Head of Finance

The Head of Finance & Administration leads all support functions of the Secretariat composed of a team of 15 employees: finance, administration, human resources, information technology, logistics and procurement. They are accountable for the systems, controls and capacity that allow the Secretariat to deliver its mandate safely,
lawfully and sustainably.

The Secretariat directly implement activities and acts as coordinator of the consortia it represents. The Head of Finance & Administration is accountable for the financial dimension of that role: consolidation of members' financial reporting for submission to
donors, coordination of members' payment requests, guidance to members on eligibility under each donor's rules, and financial monitoring of members and grantees, including Secretariat-led activities. Consortium multi-annual budgets currently under coordination exceed €30 million across four donor contracts.

The Head of Finance and Administration is expected to take an organisation-wide view of how support services are structured, staffed and resourced, and to identify where current arrangements can be improved. The post-holder is expected to bring leadership with hands-on management.

As a member of the Leadership Team, the Head of Finance & Administration works closely with the Head of Programmes & Partnerships to support the Director in the overall management of the Secretariat, and provides the Director and the Board with the financial and operational analysis required for sound governance.

Tasks

Key responsibilities

Financial management, control and donor compliance

• Provide the Director and the Board with clear, timely and accurate financial reporting, analysis, forecasting and trend information, together with recommendations on matters requiring decision.
• Lead the implementation, development where needed and periodic revision of the Secretariat’s financial policies, guidelines, procedures and the Finance Manual, and steward compliance with them.
• Coordinate the annual budget and annual accounts in collaboration with the Director, the Head of Programmes & Partnerships and senior programme staff, and lead budget implementation and monitoring.
• Ensure accurate and timely financial reporting to institutional donors and external auditors, and lead the preparation and management of audits.
• Oversee secure, traceable and timely transfer of funds between the Secretariat and grantees, including in high-risk operating contexts.
• Ensure treasury, cash-flow planning, banking relationships, and currency exposure.
• Maintain relationships with external auditors, accountants, payroll provider, bank and other financial service providers.

Consortium Financial coordination and monitoring

• Responsible for the consolidation cycle end to end: timetable, templates, instructions to members, consistency and eligibility checks, and the internal deadlines that make donor deadlines achievable.
• Coordinate members' payment requests and the consolidated submission.
• Coordinate audit with members, and set the backward-planned internal calendar
  for consolidated reports and audits
• Manage risk-based financial monitoring and verification of consortium members

Human resources

• Lead the human resources employment cycle: recruitment, contracting, onboarding, performance, development and exit.
• Ensure the Secretariat’s employment framework is compliant with Belgian law, including working time, leave, and remuneration.
• Ensure effective and updated HR policies are in place, including a transparent function classification and remuneration framework
• Oversee payroll and HR administration in liaison with the social secretariat.
• Review the use of consultancy, fellowship and other non-employment engagements and ensure that each is correctly characterised and contracted.
• Support the Director in maintaining a working environment consistent with the Secretariat’s values, including psychosocial risk prevention and the statutory well-being framework.

Administration, logistics, procurement and IT

• Oversee the administrative functioning of the Secretariat, including office premises, insurance, supplier contracts and general services.
• Ensure sound management and tracking of assets and equipment.
• Establish and maintain a procurement framework proportionate to the rganisation’s size and to institutional donor rules, including supplier selection, contracting and record-keeping.
• Ensure capacity building of programme staff to lead on events, missions and travel or