Senior Finance Manager, Cost & Pricing

Company: World Resources Institute
Location: Washington
Posted on: February 16, 2020

Job Description:

Job Summary

In this role, you will drive decision support related to the cost and pricing function. You will lead the effort to support an environment in which proposal budgets are based on realistic estimates of required expenses to complete a project, comply with donor requirements and regulations, and in which programs are able to accurately report back against these budgets per donor expectations.

You will lead the cost and pricing team, develop and maintain the cost & pricing function, maintain standard budget checklists, review financial reports, work closely with other core functions (in particular the development team) to establish and maintain a robust revenue pipeline across the institute, and drive efforts to increase cost efficiency throughout WRI.

Job Responsibilities

Strategic Planning and Program Development (15%)

• Lead the creation of WRI's cost and pricing function and team
• Coordinate with organizational leadership on complex aspects of cost and pricing and financial reporting
• Work with internal programs, centers, and international offices to assess cost and pricing needs institutionally and develop a function to meet them
• Work with programs, centers, international offices, and other core functions to lead change management as the new function and norms are socialized
  Review, Resource, and Quality Control of Proposal Budgets (20%)
  
  • With the support of the cost and pricing team, review and maintain budget checklists which will vary depending on the WRI office implementing and on the funding source such as the US government, foundations, and international governments
  • Lead the institutionalization of and any change management associated with the budget checklists including individual or group trainings, guidance and advice
  • Liaise with the Development team in rolling out budget checklists, funder operating briefs and any other tool or resource that falls within the proposal spectrum. Close coordination with Development will be critical to ensure successful roll out of new initiatives and maintenance of existing initiatives
  • Lead the establishment of a consistent and thorough review process for complex proposal budgets and budget narratives for select proposals. Serve as the approver for these budgets prior to submission as part of this process
    Funder Coordination, Funder Communication and Due Diligence (35%)
    
    • Lead in maintaining a record of WRI's experience with funders for internal consumption and best-practice setting
    • Lead as an external-facing contact for the organization, leading conversations with funders when an explanation of WRI's funding model, rate structure or general cost structure questions need to be explained
    • Review and approve funder due diligence information requests to ensure WRI's systems and processes are accurately communicated to funders and other entities as needed
    • Serve as a decision-maker for quality control, and data input where necessary, to ensure that WRI maintains multi year accurate revenue information in the system of record
    • Work with FP&A team and others to build reports and dashboards to track revenue accurately across current and future fiscal years.
    • Monitor institutional funding requests as well as allocations and spending
      Financial Reporting, Policies and Procedures (30%)
      
      • Review and improve the existing governance structure for financial reporting, including minimum standards of expectations and a compliance checklist
      • Lead the team providing review and quality assurance on financial reports processed and submitted to funders from WRI in funder budget templates
      • Develop and deliver trainings to project teams on building non-standard budgets and reports
        Job Qualifications
        
        • Master's Degree in Finance, Business Administration, or a related field required
        • Minimum of 7 years relevant, full time work experience in financial management and operations in a non-profit setting
        • Assertive, detail-oriented, and highly organized with a strong interest in program operations, systems and processes
        • Self-motivated with an ability to juggle multiple priorities, handle assignments independently, and work under tight deadlines.
        • Demonstrated capacity to work well under pressure with competing demands
        • Strong process orientation with sensitivity to quality
        • Strong writing, database management, and proofreading skills
        • Excellent communication skills, including the ability to work well in a team
        • Strong computer skills including high level of comfort with Microsoft Office (e.g., Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Power BI, Visio etc.), web-based communications (e.g., Skype, GoToMeeting, etc.), and Internet research
        • Commitment to WRI's mission, values, and approach
        • Prior experience working in international environments, with demonstrable ability to work closely with offices based in different countries, and willingness to travel to international offices frequently
        • Familiarity with database software and management (such as Salesforce, Concur, IBM Cognos tools, etc.)Preferred qualifications:
          
          • Relevant experience working with a variety of donors strongly preferred
          • Relevant professional certification in area of expertise preferred
            How to Apply
            
            Applicants must apply through the WRI Careers portal to be considered.
            
            Program Overview
            
            WRI's Operations department is striving to make all global offices low risk and fully capable, enhancing their operational capacity, through a bond of mutual and sustainable growth, a high level of collaboration with each other and ability to share knowledge across the sisterhood of offices. This will be done through establishing mutually agreed upon standards of performance, measuring the efficiency and effectiveness for the sisterhood of offices. All offices will have a clear focus on achieving a high capacity rating and be able to pass an organizational assessment to ensure their ability to manage donor funds directly. The department strives for clear processes across the WRI network to manage and mitigate the institutional risks - operational, personnel, financial, political.
            
            WRI Overview
            
            World Resources Institute (WRI) is an independent, nonprofit global research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity and human well-being. We are working to address seven critical challenges that the world must overcome this decade in order to secure a sustainable future for people and the planet: climate change, energy, food, forests, water, sustainable cities, and the ocean.
            
            We are passionate. We value our diversity of interests, skills and backgrounds. We have a flexible work environment. And we share a common goal to catalyze change that will improve the lives of people. Our shared ideals are at the core of our approach. They include: integrity, innovation, urgency, independence and respect.
            
            The foundation of our work is delivering high-quality research, data, maps and analysis to solve the world's greatest environment and international development challenges, and improve people's lives. We work with leaders in government, business and civil society to drive ambitious action and create change on the ground. Equally important, we bring together partners to develop breakthrough ideas and scale-up solutions for far-reaching, enduring impact.
            
            We have been growing rapidly: our staff has doubled in size over the past 5 years and our operating budget is now $120 million. Founded in 1982, WRI has a global staff of 900+ people with work spanning 60 countries. We have offices in Africa, Brazil, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Mexico and the United States as well as a growing presence in other countries and regions.
            
            WRI is committed to advancing gender and social equity for human well-being in our mission and applies this principle to our organizational and programmatic practices.
            
            The World Resources Institute (http://www.wri.org) is an environmental and development research and policy organization that creates solutions to protect the Earth and improve people's lives. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, it is WRI's policy to recruit, hire, and provide opportunities for advancement in all job classifications without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, parental status, protected veteran status, or disability. WRI's global agenda requires a staff that is diverse - with respect to race, gender, cultural, and international background. Diverse perspectives and experience enhance the way WRI selects and approaches issues, as well as the creativity and applicability of WRI's policy research and analysis. WRI, therefore, encourages applications from U.S. minorities, persons from other countries (especially developing nations), and from women of all backgrounds.

Keywords: World Resources Institute, Washington DC , Senior Finance Manager, Cost & Pricing, Executive , Washington, DC