Senior Manager Financial Control

Save the Children International has an exciting opportunity for a Senior Manager Financial Control to join our global team.

Team and Role Purpose

To ensure SCI's financial control framework operates effectively by identifying and addressing control and compliance issues through quality reviews and analysis, while engaging with country, global, and member teams to develop action plans to minimize financial risks. Drive standardization and automation of fnancial control processes, embed best practices and support professional development across finance teams. Lead on global donor audits; ensuring accurate reporting, minimising disallowances and developing action plan to address audit findings.

Role purpose

To ensure Save the Children International’s financial control framework operates effectively and compliance issues are identified promptly, by conducting thorough reviews and analysing country and global team financial reporting and KPIs. Engage with country, global and member teams to develop action plans addressing financial risks and control weaknesses, ensuring continuous improvement and standardisation across the organisation. Lead the Financial Control and Donor Audit teams in delivering accurate reporting and successful audits, driving best practices and expertise in financial control globally

• Job Title: Senior Manager Financial Control
• Reports To: Global Financial Controller
• Work Pattern: Hybrid/Remote with flexible working options available
• Location: Any approved Save the Children International office location. For a full list of locations that Save the Children International can hire in, please visit: SCI Careers
• Required Time Zone: Any
• Contract Length: Permanent
• Right to Work: The successful candidate must have the right to work in the country where the role is based, for the duration of employment.
• Language Requirements: English
• International Travel: Yes, up to 20%
• People Management: Number of people managed in total: 9; Manager of a team: Yes ; Team Manager (manager of multiple teams): Yes
• Budget Responsibility: USAID audit fee $0.6m
• Remit: Global

Principal Accountabilities

• Ensure SCI's financial control framework is operating effectively and control and compliance issues are identified in a timely manner through quality reviews and analysis of country financial returns and KPIs.
• Engage with country, global and members teams to develop action plans to address/minimise financial risks and control weaknesses.
• Manage QRR financial control and compliance process; prepare KPI reporting and risk commentary for discussion with Finance SMT and IP SMT
• Continuously seek to improve the quality and impact of financial information for decision support and drive standardisation and automation across global and country teams.
• Provide expertise and support country and global teams to embed best practice financial controls. Support development of professional financial control skills across global and country finance teams; ensuring documentation of policies, procedures, guidance in Quality Framework and appropriate training available.
• Lead on annual donor and member award audits, engaging with members and donors regarding audit requirements and manage day to day relationship with auditors to deliver accurate reporting and successful audits. Support with development and monitoring of action plans to address and reduce donor audit findings, reporting back to and report back to donors and members on audit results.
• Lead the Financial Control and donor/award audit teams.
• Lead on financial control unput to TDIT projects to ensure financial control matters are fully considered and implemented effectively to achieve project deliverables and benefits.

Experience and Skills

Essential

1. Experience in leading a financial control function, including experience in managing donor audits and engaging with external auditors.
2. Exceptional analytical abilities to review and interpret financial data and KPIs, identifying trends and areas of risk.
3. Meticulous attention to detail to ensure accuracy and reliability in financial reporting.
4. Strong written and verbal communication skills to effectively engage with country, global, and member teams, and to manage relationships with auditors and donors.
5. Ability to develop pragmatic solutions to complex financial issues and compliance challenges.
6. Experience of driving standardisation and automation across global teams.
7. Experience in developing and documenting financial policies, procedures, and training materials to support organisational financial competence and compliance.
8. Strong leadership skills to manage and develop teams, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning.
9. Aptitude in providing training and guidance to finance teams to embed best practice financial controls.
10. Ability to operate in a changing environment: adaptable, flexible and supportive approach.

Desirable

• Experience in operating within the charity or non-profit sector, with an understanding of charity accounting and financial regulations.
• Experience of working in a large global multi currency organisation.

Education and Qualifications

Essential

• Accounting qualification or equivalent or relevant experience

Working at Save the Children International

Save the Children is the world's leading organisation for children, employing ~25,000 staff. We save children's lives. We fight for their rights. We help them fulfil their potential. Through our work in 116 countries, we put the most deprived and marginalised children first.

We know that great people make a great organisation, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive environment where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.

The work here is challenging but is also immensely rewarding. At Save the Children, you will be in good company, working with talented, like-minded individuals who are determined to ensure that all children survive, learn, and are protected. Your contribution will help ensure children's voices are heard at the highest levels, and that we achieve our global strategy, Ambition for Children 2030, and reach every last child.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Equal Opportunities

DEI is core to our vision, values and global strategy. Save the Children is committed to creating a truly diverse, equitable and inclusive organisation, and one which will support us in our vision to ensure every child attains the right to survival, protection, development, and participation.

We are committed to equal employment opportunities, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, colour, ethnic origin, nationality, disability, marital or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, caring or parental responsibilities, age, or beliefs and religion. We are committed to diversifying our staff to better represent the communities we serve and actively welcome underrepresented groups to apply.

Reasonable adjustments will be made should any candidate invited to interview require this.

Application Information

Please attach a copy of your CV and cover letter with your application. A full copy of the role profile can be found at SCI Careers. It is recommended that you save a copy of the role profile as it will no longer be available after the advert closes.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the job advert may be closed earlier than advertised subject to the volume of suitable applicants. Please submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.
Due to the high volume of applications we receive, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Candidates who are successfully shortlisted should expect to hear from us within 2 weeks of the advert deadline.

Our Recruitment Process

1. Application review by our recruiting team based on your CV and cover letter
2. Two-stage competency-based interviews with the hiring team
3. Some recruitment may include an additional assessment or case study stage, or a third stage interview
4. If successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment, followed by your contract subject to passing background checks

We need to keep children and adults safe so our selection process includes rigorous background checks and reflects our commitment to the protection of children and adults from abuse. All employees are expected to carry out their duties in accordance with our Code of Conduct and all policies and procedures relating to Anti-Harassment, Health and Safety, Safeguarding, and DEI and Equal Opportunities.

Save the Children does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.