1. POSITION VACANT: Chief Operating Officer Finance (COO Finance), Bharat Rural Livelihoods Foundation, New Delhi

2. BACKGROUND:

Bharat Rural Livelihoods Foundation (BRLF) was setup by Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India (GOI) as an independent organization under the Societies Registration Act to facilitate civil society action in partnership with State and Central Government, for transforming livelihoods and lives of rural households, with an emphasis on women, particularly in the Central Indian Tribal Region.

BRLF is a unique and first-of-its-kind initiative and the Foundation is constituted as a partnership between Government on the one hand and private sector philanthropies, public and private sector undertakings (under Corporate Social Responsibility) on the other. Major functions of BRLF is fostering strategic partnerships with state govt for improving programme outcomes, provide financial grants to Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to meet their human resource and institutional costs for up-scaling of proven interventions, invest in institutional strengthening of smaller CSOs, capacity building of professional human resources working at the grassroots, and to create a Knowledge Hub for the sector.

The General Body and Executive Committee of BRLF are constituted by eminent individuals as well as ex-officio representatives from private philanthropies, public and private sector organizations, financial institutions, State Governments and GOI.

For more details on BRLF, please refer to website www.brlf.in

3. THE POSITION:

The Foundation seeks an experienced finance professional to serve as the Chief Operating Officer Finance based out of their Delhi Head Office and reporting to the CEO-BRLF. The Chief Operating Officer Finance will serve as a senior management team of the organization and will be responsible for providing an overarching leadership to the organisation, particularly the Finance & Accounts vertical. S/he will play a pivotal role in ensuring robust financial systems and controls, adherence to compliances, and maximizing organisational resources. This is a replacement position as the current post holder would be superannuating soon.

4. KEY JOB RESPONSBILITIES:

Leadership for BRLF as a member of the senior management team of the organization

Provide leadership, insights and guidance to BRLF on the organization’s financial health, investments, potential risks & mitigation strategies with respect to finance and compliance issues, coordinate information needed for finance strategy development and participate in key senior management meetings of the organization
Assist the CEO on BRLF’s strategic plans and represent/participate in various initiatives/forums on Finance and strengthen BRLF’s position with respect to finance and governance.
Participate in discussions of policy and share fully in the work of the organization as a member of the management team
Travel outside Delhi, to remote locations to perform duties as deemed necessary

Financial Management and Planning

Overall management of office finance as per the approved finance rules
Responsible for developing and suggesting amendments to the finance rules
Responsible for planning and managing grant fund flow to the partners
Ensure timely payment of dues to all clients and staff
Ensure finance books are balanced at end of each month
Responsible for preparation of annual budget of BRLF under the guidance of the CEO.
Prepare Budget Estimates for the FY and Revised Estimates in the course of the FY to be presented to the FAC for consideration and approval
Prepare monthly expense report for internal management
Ensure compliance with the normal accounting and auditing requirements; responsible for annual financial audit
Ensure compliance with the donor grant agreements requirements
Ensuring proper management of fixed assets and inventory registers
Responsible for due process for disposal of assets
Ensure Inventory control and management
Maintain a good filing system
Handle internal & external Audits, including C&AG audits and donor audits. Organize audits of BRLF partners by external auditors.
On the job support and training of the other finance staff
Make sure proper handling of office cash
Recording of expenses on a standard accounting package used by BRLF
Ensure statutory compliance with the law of the land – IT, FCRA and so on in a time-bound manner
Ensure, under the guidance of the Finance and Audit Committee (FAC) of BRLF a proper and judicious investment of BRLF corpus funds in avenues which maximize returns while ensuring maximum capital protection

Funding and donor related:

Oversee and ensure that all funding related information and briefing is done to the CEO.
Creating donor specific budget heads etc, and ensure proper financial reporting in all reports to donors
Ensure expenditures are as per donor agreements.
Conduct proper financial due diligence of grantee partners by checking the balance sheets and audited reports of grantees during proposal assessments. Conduct periodic checking of utilization of funds against predefined milestones, as well as during reporting.
Coordinate with programme officers on grantee release of tranches and ensure compliance from finance side is met.
Provide monthly expense and budget balance reports against donor grants and advice CEO and Programme Officers on budget management
Check expenses incurred in the offices are followed through normal approval process and are supported with the proper backups.
Play an active role in advising on the budget and financial section of donor Proposals. Engage effectively with the donor CFO/Finance Director during negotiations and on any query as may arise regarding funds disbursed and their utilization related to the project.

IT and Procurement:

Provide oversight and guidance to all activities of procurement and IT function.
Plan the implementation of new systems and ensure smooth running of MIS system and software for incorporating grant making process online
Ensure and oversee all financial approvals and processing are done online
Responsible for developing, updating procurement procedures that meet government’s General Financial Rules (GFR) and prudent financial practice norms.
Responsible for procurement and ensuring procurement procedures are followed correctly

Team Management and external representation

To develop, mentor and support team members for successful financial and operational management at BRLF
Play an active role in external representation for various audits, income tax and financial compliances
To strengthen collaboration with programs, fundraising, M&E, HR etc teams so that finance is seen as an enabling function while ensuring that compliances at all levels and best financial management practices are being followed
To conduct performance appraisal of the team members
To coordinate with the HR department for payroll
To ensure excellent communication and a good working relationship with Government of India’s
Departments and Ministries as relevant and with other stakeholders- institutional and corporate donors, Board members, relevant BRLF stakeholders, grantee partners and other non profit organizations as required.

BRLF India Board meetings

To work with the CEO in planning and organizing the Board meetings and other relevant Board events as and when required.
Report to the Finance and Audit committee of the Board on the proposed budget, twice a year, along with the Audit report, before it is presented to the BRLF Board.
Attend Board and Committee meetings, as and when required
To assist the CEO on any matters regarding the finances of the company before it is tabled to the Board.

5. EXPERIENCE AND COMPETENCIES

MUST HAVES

Applicants must have a CA/ ICWA or Master’s degree in Business Administration (Accounting/Finance) from any recognized university with minimum 12- 15 years of relevant work experience of which at least 5 years should have been in a leadership role
Prior experience of interacting with senior leadership of an organization and the Board on strategic matters.
Sound experience in financial management, budgeting, statutory compliances, government regulations, financial trouble shooting and audits.

PREFERRED

Demonstrated leadership and a track record of working with government/civil society organizations having nation wide programs in a senior finance role.
Demonstrated experience in handling range of Indian and FCRA grants is helpful.

Key Skills and Competencies

Excellent understanding of financial systems, policies and procedures.
Someone who is solution oriented and can think out of the box without compromising on proper financial management discipline and compliance.
Good communication and representational skills along with the ability to build value based relationships.
Ability to successfully work with other verticals and functions and with own team to enhance overall efficiency and effectiveness.
Mature professional with the ability to handle multiple stakeholders and complex situations
Ability to understand the demands and work under pressure
Ability to work strategically in close alignment with the vision of the organization

6. COMPENSATION OFFERED

The remuneration for the COO Finance will be attractive and determined after considering the qualifications and experience of the selected candidate.

7. LOCATION: The position will be based at New Delhi.

8. REPORTING: Chief Executive Officer, BRLF

9. APPOINTMENT: The initial contract will be offered for a period of three years, renewable based on performance. This is a full-time position.

10. REFERENCE: BRLF-COO Finance

11. APPLICATION PROCESS: Interested Candidates, please send your latest curriculum vitae, three references and a covering letter explaining your interest, suitability and fitment for the position of COO Finance at BRLF to Coofinance2022@gmail.com by or before 18 February 2022.

BRLF is an equal opportunity organization without discrimination by virtue of religious belief, social class, caste, special ability or gender.

To apply for this job email your details to Coofinance2022@gmail.com