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Project Finance and Risk Officer (24 month fixed term contract)

Employer
Sightsavers
Location
Haywards Heath, West Sussex
Salary
£30,000
Closing date
19 Aug 2018

View more

Function
Finance & Legal
Sector
Health & Medical
Hours
Full Time
Contract Type
Contract

Job Details

Sightsavers implements projects in over 30 countries in Africa and South Asia. Our aim? To eliminate avoidable blindness and promote the rights of people with disabilities. The Project Finance and Risk Officer works closely with country office staff and other support teams to ensure that projects funded by donors run smoothly.

This job may be for you if:

You are proactive by nature and have initiative. You are comfortable taking decisions and have a good sense of when to escalate issues.

You are quick to notice irregularities yet you do not lose sight of the bigger picture. You enjoy solving problems and have a keen eye for improvement.

You communicate clearly. You adapt your language and pace to suit your listeners. You are confident holding close working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.

Last but not least, you are comfortable working in an international context and travelling to the countries we work in.

A typical day could include:

  • Calling the Finance Manager of Senegal to discuss pending issues in the financial report of their Eye Health project
  • Noticing an area for improvement in our review process. Making a note of it to bring up in our team meeting next week
  • Dealing with ad-hoc requests about exchange rates and budget flexibility
  • Attending a meeting with stakeholders across the organisation to kick-start the proposal application for a £1mn European Commission grant in Mali
  • Filling out a payroll journal that charges staff time to donors
  • Pausing your work on the payroll journal to review and sign-off that Senegal financial report that just came in your inbox. You send it to the Institutional Funding team who then submit it to the UK’s Department for International Development. Job done.

Jobholder Requirements

Essential:

  • Willing and able to travel on average twice a year if required (1-2 week trips)
  • Excellent numerical skills
  • Proficient in Microsoft Excel
  • Finance and accountancy experience (computer-based)
  • Organised and able to prioritise, especially in the face of competing deadlines and various risks
  • Good communication and stakeholder management skills

Desirable:

  • Fluency in French is highly desirable
  • Some experience of institutional donor contract management, especially USAID, EC, and DfID[1] funding
  • Strong attention to detail with a willingness to follow issues through to resolution
  • Continuous improvement mind-set
  • Awareness of international development context
  • Understanding of the project cycle from financial and programmatic perspective
  • Conversational or fluent in Portuguese

[1] USAID – United States Agency for International Development; EC – European Commission; DfID – Department for International Development (UK government).

Company

Sightsavers Head Office

35 Perrymount Road,
Haywards Heath,
West Sussex RH16 3BW

Postal Address

Bumpers Way,
Bumpers Farm,
Chippenham SN14 6NG

Sightsavers is an international charity that works in more than 30 countries around the world to eliminate avoidable blindness and support people with visual impairments to live independently. Sightsavers is headquartered in the UK and has over 400 employees. It also has branches in Norway, Sweden, Ireland, Italy, India, the United States and the United Arab Emirates.

Sightsavers works with partners in order to provide a comprehensive range of eye care services. In 2013, Sightsavers' projects provided eye health examinations for nearly 14 million people, performed 300,000 eye operations, and treated over 100 million people for neglected tropical diseases.

People are also referred for treatment to prevent blindness or restore sight. Through community volunteers in developing countries, Sightsavers distributes medication to prevent blinding diseases. The charity also trains eye care workers and surgeons and funds operations.

Of the 30 countries Sightsavers works in, 23 are in Africa. These include Mozambique, Mali, Liberia and Kenya. Sightsavers is also present in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Caribbean.

In addition to its medical work, Sightsavers works with partners in order to train specialist teaching staff and supply glasses, Braille kits and other learning tools. The charity aims to educate communities and reduce stigma around visual impairment and blindness. Through its work, people with visual impairments and other disabilities are supported to live independently, get an education and earn an income.

Sightsavers is also a campaigning organisation, working with national governments to tackle the root causes of avoidable blindness, such as lack of access to clean water and sanitation facilities. The charity’s ‘Put us in the Picture campaign calls on the international community to make global development inclusive of the world’s 800m people with disabilities. The campaign’s vision is for all people to have equal access to employment, education, healthcare and participation in society.

Backing up Sightsavers’ work around the world is a strong research capability. Research and policy work revolves around three priorities – health, education and social inclusion. Gathering and disseminating sound research evidence helps to ensure the charity’s programmes meet the needs of the people they are designed to serve. Research evidence is also a strong tool when advocating for policy changes with governments.

Sightsavers has many partners that assist with its aim of eliminating avoidable blindness and may also provide funding. Partners include the UK government’s Department for International Development, the European Union and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Read our latest article on Third Sector: Sightsavers: Work for an award-winning charity tackling blindness worldwide

Company info
Website
Telephone
01444 446600
Location
35 Perrymount Road,
Haywards Heath,
West Sussex
RH16 3BW
GB

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