The Portfolio Finance Manager will be a key member of the India team, playing an important role primarily supporting the team and Senior Portfolio Finance Manager, India  to ensure CIFF’s India programmes are structured and managed optimally from a financial perspective and are therefore cost effective. This includes providing advice and recommendations to ensure programmes not only have the intended impact but are also financially sustainable in the long term and at scale. A priority for CIFF’s Board is taking commercial approaches to the design and management of its programmes, with a view to their successful outcomes being sustainable without philanthropic financial support for the long term, for example through adoption by governments that are fiscally stretched. CIFF’s goal is to solve problems, not make grants. The role holder will be part of the team delivering programme investment proposals to the Board and its Committees and will principally ensure that those presentations address the Board’s requirements in this respect.    

Given the focus at CIFF on long-term sustainability and strategic scaling using optimal cost and business structures, the Portfolio Finance Manager will support the Programme Excellence Director and the Senior Portfolio Finance Manager in providing commercial input to the design and management of CIFF’s programme investments, on an individual and portfolio basis, such as analysis of target costs and developing appropriate cost benchmarks. Knowledge, structures and results from all programmes should be considered and applied across that portfolio.  

The Portfolio Finance Manager will also work on an ad hoc basis with other Portfolio Finance colleagues from other teams across CIFF to ensure that the most recent learnings and approaches are shared for the benefit of the organisation as a whole. 

At a more general level, the Portfolio Finance Manager will play an important role in supporting the Senior Portfolio Finance Manager, Programme Excellence Director and the India team in developing annual business plan proposals and managing those plans, while ensuring there is financial rigor and working collaboratively with the CAO, CFO and central Finance team to ensure the team is prudently and properly using and managing CIFF’s charitable funds.  

The Portfolio Finance Manager will also support the team in ensuring that CIFF’s policies related to finance (e.g. overheads policy and allocation of contingency) are complied with and risks are adequately managed within the portfolio, such as safeguarding CIFF’s charitable funds. 

Role’s and responsibilities  

Strategy & planning 

• Contribute to the development of strategic approaches using financial models to ensure long-term sustainability and scalability of programme investments. 
• Lead on the development of specific strategies within India, working with the Senior Portfolio Finance Manager and Director – Programme Excellence, India for guidance.  

Programme development, delivery & performance 

• Contribute to the dynamic management of programmes to ensure financial sustainability and alignment with strategic objectives. 
• Provide financial insights and guidance on key considerations for programme integration, scalability, and commercial viability. 
• Support and coach the Programme Managers on budgeting and forecasting for programme investments 
• Support the Programme Team on review of deliverables from grantees and providing input on related grant payment decisions. 
• Work as part of the team to contribute to programme design and management based on trends across the sector and partners.  
• Conduct regular reviews of the progress and performance of programmes under delivery to identify problems and delays, and work with partners to develop effective solutions (escalating to more senior colleagues for support and intervention, where required). 
• Work as part of a team to shape and implement plans for scaling up, replicating or leveraging additional support for successful programmes and initiatives, in accordance with agreed priorities. 
• Identify opportunities and options for improving processes, procedures and programme management approaches within (and beyond) the team, to support increased organisational efficiency and effectiveness. 

Sector knowledge and profile-building 

• Keep abreast of developments within the sector and grantee ecosystem and international development sectors, establishing appropriate information gathering networks and channels to deepen professional knowledge and skills. 

Stakeholder and partner management 

• With a variety of external audiences, develop and maintain strong partnerships and act as a knowledgeable resource about CIFF’s programmes and priority areas. 
• As part of the team, work alongside senior colleagues to help develop a deep, collaborative relationship with grantees, funders and other key partners the team is working with and provide insights about how a grantee or group of grantees may be managed more effectively from a financial and operational perspective (e.g. how updated financial management systems or collaboration amongst grantees in the same area might increase effectiveness and address risk).  
• Keep abreast of the operating environment in which the team is developing and managing programmes (e.g. from a regulatory, market, political perspective) and work with the Portfolio Director/Portfolio Finance Director to share inputs to support the team in navigating those issues from a commercial and risk-based perspective.  

Membership and leadership of the team 

• Be a role model to less experienced team members, demonstrating CIFF’s leadership behaviours and providing mentorship to aid their growth. 
• Adopt a coaching approach with colleagues which instils a culture of openness and trust, embraces diverse thinking, and encourages continuous improvement and learning. 

Principal Accountabilities 

• Supporting the Portfolio Finance Director/Portfolio Director and other team members on: 
• The financial structure and business model of grant proposals  
• Programme investments meeting financial sustainability target outcomes 
• Portfolio benchmark and target cost metrics  
• Financial know-how and development for the team 
• Annual team budgets prudently managed and adhered to  
• Accuracy of team financial reporting information on CIFF’s systems 
• CIFF financial policies complied with 

Key Tasks 

• Supporting the Senior Portfolio Finance Manager and other colleagues by providing commercially focused financial advice on the design and ongoing management of programme investments 
• Performing financial analysis and, as required, building financial models to support strategic portfolio management focused on financial sustainability of programmes  
• Providing input and insights into finance sections of programme investment proposals and relevant portfolio reports  
• Work with Senior Portfolio Finance Manager to establish benchmarks for relevant costs, monitoring/updating as required and sharing with the team 
• Support the Senior Portfolio Finance Manager in building financial capacity of programme team members including development and delivery of training materials or otherwise 
• Supporting the Programme Managers and teams on grantee due diligence in accordance with CIFF’s policies, and understanding grantee business models where required 
• Supporting review of programme budgets and forecasts 
• Supporting the Programme Managers on the review of deliverables as they relate to meeting grant payment requirements and supporting on payment processes 
• Supporting the central Finance team in planning, implementing and monitoring the general grantee audit plan 
• Conduct programme reviews with the Programme Manager 
• Work with the Senior Portfolio Finance Manager on Supporting the Executive Director and Programme Directors to prepare annual business plan proposals 
• Support the Senior Portfolio Finance Manager in monitoring team business plan implementation through PowerBI and providing regular updates to the Director – Programme Excellence and Executive Director 
• Collating and sharing portfolio and team financial information with the CAO, CFO and central Finance team where requested (e.g. for monthly management reporting) 
• Regular meetings with and presentations to other Portfolio Finance colleagues throughout CIFF to share learnings and best practice  
• Where applicable, management and development of more junior portfolio finance team members to optimise potential of individuals and continuity of high-quality support to the team 
• Provide financial input into internal / external projects as required to support the delivery of CIFF’s missions 

Requirements

Skills & Experience  

• Bachelor’s degree 2:1 or above or equivalent qualification/relevant, significant experience  
• Experience working in one or more areas that the team works in (including the relevant geographies) 
• Qualified accountant or demonstrable financial experience and acumen obtained in a commercial or consultancy capacity 
• Experience in the NGO or philanthropic sector (and using grant management/CRM systems) would be advantageous 
• Qualification (e.g. PRINCE2) or experience in managing complex programmes or projects also advantageous 
• Excellent quantitative and qualitative analytical skills, in particular advanced excel and financial modelling skills 
• An innovative thinker with a pragmatic and solution-oriented mindset 
• Effectively champions and promotes causes – credible and professional, they always present the Foundation’s programmes in a compelling way to engage the audience 
• Skilled in relationship building and strengthening; able to influence others and work collaboratively, uniting groups with a shared purpose 
• English is CIFF’s business language – we expect all of our people to display outstanding verbal and written communication skills across all aspects of their role 
• Capacity to work in a range of cultural and socio-economic contexts, adapting style and approach appropriately and in a culturally sensitive manner to maximise effectiveness  
• Experience using PowerBI or other platforms for financial reporting 
• IT proficiency (most specifically in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint) 
• A proven self-starter, who works with pace and resilience

Key working relationships 

• CIFF Board members 
• ED India Office 
• India programme teams 
• CEDO office 
• Other CIFF teams (e.g. legal, HR, finance) 
• Global partners and stakeholders  
• International charities and NGOs  
• National governments and local NGO partners in priority geographies 
• Research and academic institutions active within sector specialism 

Management dimensions 

• Contributes to the effective performance of the India team’s whole portfolio 

Benefits

The salary for this role starts from 37,70,303 INR. CIFF operates a hybrid work policy across all locations, which means employees work in the office and some of the time from home. We are happy to provide more information on this as part of the recruitment process.

Alongside a competitive salary, we offer a generous benefits package here at CIFF that includes, but is not limited to the following.

• Annual leave - 25 days per annum. Increasing by 1 day after each year of service to a maximum of 30 days.
• Training allowance
• Wellbeing allowance
• Life insurance
• Medical insurance

Please submit your application on or before Tuesday 6th January. CIFF reserves the right to close the job advert early if we receive a high number of suitable applications.