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1. POSITION VACANT: Director - Finance, Foundation for Ecological Security, Anand, Gujarat

2. ORGANISATION BACKGROUND:

The Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) is committed to strengthening, reviving, and/or restoring, the process of ecological succession and the conservation of land, forest and water resources in ecologically fragile, degraded and marginalised regions in India, through the collective efforts of village communities.

Spread across diverse ecological and social geographies, FES also works towards the conservation of nature and natural resources through the collective action of local communities. The crux of FES efforts lies in locating forests and other natural resources within the prevailing economic, social and ecological dynamics in rural landscapes.

FES presently works with 36,400+ village institutions in 100 districts across 12 states and assists village communities in protecting 11.38 million acres of common lands, including revenue wastelands, degraded forest lands and Panchayat grazing lands, positively impacting 22 million rural people across India.

For more information about FES, please visit: https://fes.org.in/

3. JOB DESCRIPTION/ RESPONSIBILITIES:

FES is seeking an experienced Director Finance (DF) to lead the Accounting and Finance functions, providing overall direction including the management of accounting transactions, budgeting, funds management, investments, banking, grant management, financial reporting, compliance, internal control, and audits. The DF shall work closely with the Executive Director and top management, to ensure that financial processes are designed and managed in an efficient and effective manner, compliant with organizational policies, and the laws and regulations applicable in India.

S/he shall also develop and monitor systems to ensure the ongoing ability to respond to the needs of a growing organization and ensure the organization’s financial health through the close review of financial statements and analytics, budget management, risk and compliance adherence and funds flow management.

Key Responsibilities:

(Essential Functions but Not Exhaustive)

(1) Provide financial management and accounting leadership to the organisation to ensure compliance with organisation policies, donor requirements and relevant statutory compliance;

(2) Actively oversee the financial health of the organization, continuously monitor and project the organisation’s financial status and performance, and risk management plans;

(3) Continuously monitor, assess and ensure the adequacy of systems and procedures for transparent accounting, financial management and reporting;

(4) Support the Top Management and Board of Governors on the external landscape with respect to changing government legislations. Also monitor changes in the accounting framework, analyse and report the expected impact and suggest mitigation plans, as necessary;

(5) Formulate, monitor, optimize and control financial processes for the organisation, including establishing and strengthening effective and efficient planning, budgeting, internal controls, financial policies and procedures, performance-monitoring, compliance and risk-management systems;

(6) Monitor overall financials, overseeing as well as ensuring regular information flows to and from the function with respect to current performance, areas of achievement/ improvement, and variances;

(7) Conduct regular internal reviews and audits of financial systems and ensure that exceptions are highlighted analysed and managed. Lead/ participate/ drive standardization and automation projects for process efficiency;

(8) Ensure consistent communication and interpretation of the organization’s financial policies and procedures;

(9) Ensure that the internal, statutory and donor audits are managed effectively and that required corrective action has been taken to strengthen the systems;

(10) Ensure the timely submission of Statutory, Management, and Internal reports and compliance with all legal an regulatory requirements;

(11) Provide inputs on the organization’s expansion into new geographies, governance models, taxation norms, statutory requirements, etc.;

(12) Undertake effective tax planning at the organizational level (direct and indirect taxation) and provide inputs for commercial/ non-commercial decisions;

(13) Participate in the preparation and negotiation of funding agreements with donors;

(14) Establish and maintain proactive links with stakeholders to ensure compliance with established processes and procedures with the highest level of accountability;

(15) Be up to date with the changing external developments in finance, taxation, and laws and regulations apart from best practices in other similar organizations which directly or indirectly impact the organisation;

(16) Lead, monitor and train the Finance team to strengthen the effective implementation of the finance function;

(17) Any other responsibility as deemed fit or as assigned by the Executive Director from time to time.

4. QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE AND COMPETENCIES:

Qualification and Experience

(1) Applicants should be qualified Chartered Accountants/ CPAs/ MBA ( Finance)*;

(2) Minimum of 15 years of progressive experience including five years’ experience in leading the Finance function, preferably in the social development sector;

(3) Prior experience with FCRA compliance, including the management of FCRA audits;

(4) Strong experience in the overall management of the finance and accounting functions of the organisation and compliance with foreign laws relating to Charities;

* Candidates possessing equivalent professional qualifications in accounting and finance with relevant experience, as above, shall also be considered.

Skills and Competencies

(1) Knowledge of the NGO sector, including compliance requirements of the government; Knowledge of institutional funders of international development shall be a plus;

(2) Technical expertise in all aspects of accounting, financial management, statutory compliances, tax laws, risk management and applicable regulations;

(3) Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving skills; High professional maturity as well as integrity/ leadership skill;

(4) Understand FES’s vision, mission, and values with the ability to align with the same;

(5) Works collaboratively and is confident and competent in strategic planning, and management;

(6) Proven track record of working and networking with the relevant government and regulatory institutions, including banks, income tax departments, charity commissions, etc.;

(7) Strong sense of ownership for every deliverable; High attention to detail and accuracy;

(8) Ability to deal with complexity; Analytical and problem-solving abilities, and unquestionable integrity;

(9) Ability to work in an entrepreneurial setup; Passion for the cause and willingness to commit to the same;

(10) Strong interpersonal and communications skills; Ability to influence and clearly convey complex financial issues to non-finance professions;

(11) Inter-cultural understanding and an open attitude toward feedback;

(12) Ability to provide leadership and work as part of a team;

(13) Flexible with the ability to innovate and be agile enough to handle diverse situations;

(14) Ability to coordinate smooth functioning in a matrix organization structure and work effectively with a high-performing team of peers;

(15) Ability and willingness to travel both domestically and internationally;

(16) Ability to work in a matrix environment.

5. COMPENSATION OFFERED:

The gross salary and benefits package budgeted for the position ranges from Rs. 24 to Rs. 30 lacs per annum plus performance based incentives. Please note that the offer made to the selected candidate shall be commensurate with qualifications, experience and salary history. (Note: FES provides renewable contractual employment.)

6. LOCATION: Anand, Gujarat

7. REFERENCE: DF-FES

8. CONTACT INFORMATION:

Team SAMS

Strategic Alliance Management Services P Ltd.

1/1B, Choudhary Hetram House, Bharat Nagar

New Friends Colony, New Delhi 110 025

Phone Nos.: 011- 4081 9900; 4165 3612

9. APPLICATION PROCESS:

Eligible candidates interested in the position, are requested to apply at the earliest.

FES is an equal opportunity organization and women candidates are encouraged to apply.