Job Opportunity for Head of Finance at Digital Green in New Delhi

About Digital Green

Digital Green is a development organization that empowers smallholder farmers to lift themselves out of poverty by harnessing the collective power of technology and grassroots-level partnerships. We join forces with governments, private agencies and, most importantly, rural communities themselves to co-create digital solutions that are of the community and for the community. When farmers have the tools they need to connect with one another, they’re far more likely to apply what they’ve learned on their farms and in their households–improving their own livelihoods and those of others in their community, in a manner that’s nutrition-sensitive, climate-resilient, and inclusive. For more information, please visit Digital Green’s website: digitalgreentrust.org.

Job Summary

Reporting to the India Country Head and serving as a key member of the India Leadership Team as well as an integral member of the global finance team, the Head of Finance is responsible for managing the day-to-day activities of the local finance and accounting function for Digital Green India (DGI). This includes: coordination and oversight of country-level annual audits; statutory and organizational compliance monitoring, training and enforcement; development and/or support of country-level and project-specific budgeting; contributing to internal and external financial reporting along with analysis, when needed; ensuring that field office accounting activities meet locally required and organizational standards; and contributing to and supporting global initiatives within the finance function. 

In summary, this role is responsible for establishing and maintaining effective and efficient financial practices and systems in DGI to meet the strategic objectives of the organization, while ensuring financial prudence and compliance with Digital Green global policies, systems and procedures as well as government and funder requirements. 

Key Responsibilities

Financial Management

• Build and sustain strong internal control and accountability systems
• Ensure that the functions of the unit are aligned with the organizational and programmatic framework of DG globally
• Oversee the effective implementation of DGI’s financial policies, procedures and systems ensuring that they reflect good practice and are within Digital Green’s global management policy
• Oversee the completion of all necessary tasks required for the local annual external audit as well as periodic internal audits in coordination with the global operational leads, engaging DGI leadership as required
• Ensure all legal and statutory compliance requirements are tracked and met, researching requirements, when needed
• Develop and adapt internal processes where needed to ensure maximum efficiency, adherence to local requirements and risk mitigation. Regularly assess current internal processes, with an eye towards creating greater efficiency and simplicity, and surface issues identified within the global finance function to create consistency, where possible.
• Monitor usage of budget and overall cash flow, ensure sufficient cash is available for program needs at all times, and provide recommendations to leadership on managing any related issues that may arise
• Design and oversee the process for cash reconciliations each month and closing of monthly books and bank statements in a timely manner, providing hands on support as needed
• Ensure compliance of all DGI programs with third party financial agreements, operational standards and terms and conditions
• Participate in the development, iteration, and improvement of global financial policies and processes

Reporting & Documentation

• Keep leadership abreast of financial status at the country, project and functional levels by conducting regular reviews highlighting key insights (eg. budget to actual variances, trend analysis, low or high spending concerns, etc.). Provide expert support and advice to all budget holders to help alleviate any concerns by proactively addressing issues observed and/or raised by leadership.
• Oversee the preparation and management of internal and external financial documents and ensure the required financial documentation is prepared accurately and submitted on time to the right external authorities
• Maintain the financial dashboard and net asset schedule on a monthly basis while proactively communicating with leadership regarding financial health across the country portfolio
• Contribute to organizational risk matrix and scorecards as they relate to the country portfolio

Strategic and People Leadership

• Inspire, lead and manage the finance team to be efficient, high performing and customer service oriented. Create a supportive culture for career and personal development. Motivate team members to perform and excel in a happy and stimulating environment.
• Manage, on an interim-basis, Senior Operations Manager, providing support and guidance as needed to ensure they can be successful in their role
• Determine individual and team goals in alignment with global goals with employees, assess performance, provide regular feedback, and reinforce performance expectations
• Support leadership in strategic oversight of mission and objectives, proactively providing data for decision making
• Build and strengthen internal finance and compliance capacities, while also enhancing budget management skills for non-finance staff leading projects, activities, functions and initiatives
• Ability to engage with multiple stakeholders (eg. program, functional – including the Tech Team- and initiative leads, Global Finance Director, etc.) to assess and address the needs, priorities and concerns 

Qualifications, Skills and Competencies

• Masters degree in Accounting, Finance or Business Administration required, Chartered Accountant preferred
• Minimum 10-15 years of demonstrated work experience in financial analysis and financial management/leadership, some of which must be in nonprofit accounting as well as in a global organization
• Experience working with a diverse team, including across time zones, cultures and backgrounds
• Fluency in written and spoken English
• Excellent representation skills, networking and relationship management with relevant government and non-governmental stakeholders
• Experience with diverse donor base and funding streams along with financial reporting/data requirements against these various streams
• Outstanding communication skills (written and oral); ability to communicate in a diplomatic, friendly, yet effective manner internally and externally
• Excellent strategic thinking skills and experience
• Excellent people management and coaching skills with proven track record for developing and leading effective, multicultural teams
• Demonstrated ability to work as part of a collaborative team with a focus on high professional standards, strong follow-up and successful project execution
• Clear understanding of legal and statutory requirements, including FCRA registration/renewal requirements
• Ability to present information effectively and respond to questions from different internal and external audiences
• Highly focused on providing accurate data analysis and reports with solutions, makes strategic decisions for larger interest, generates a goal-oriented, problem-solving team mentality
• Very high attention to detail; organized and thorough with a desire for continuous improvement
• Demonstrated knowledge of business/financial planning, risk management, and general management practices
• Knowledge of systems and processes related to financial management
• Experience with implementing process improvements and new systems. Willingness to continually improve processes to increase efficiency while managing risk.
• Strong management skills and work ethic, the ability to lead by example
• Demonstrated experience supporting multiple projects concurrently under deadline pressure and changing priorities
• Willingness to not only lead the local finance function but to actively contribute to day-to-day tasks of team, as needed
• Be comfortable with some degree of ambiguity and be able to define/create tools and processes when needed