Consultancy: Business Operations Officer

Do you want to help journalism survive in the globalized, digital world? Are you an Excel person first, Word person second? Do you love being the one who can answers questions like “Great, but how do we pay for it?” and “Does anyone know how this works?” Under the supervision of the Senior Business Officer, the Business Operation Officer’s primary responsibilities are to fill in gaps, put out fires, figure out tough questions, and clear out logjams that keep programs in the field from running. If you love helping colleagues solve problems, this may be the position for you.

LOGISTICS

This is a remote-first consultancy, and candidates from any time zone will be considered. You should apply with the understanding that work hours will need to be coordinated to align in part with the schedule of colleagues working in UTC -5 time zones. The consultancy has an expected duration of 5 months but may be extended, contigent upon availability of funding.

OUR COMMITMENT TO FOSTERING A CULTURE OF BELONGING

We are an organization of dynamic, mission-driven individuals who are passionate about our core values and about supporting positive change in the world. We pride ourselves on our commitment to innovation and flexibility. We believe that diverse teams are strong teams and work to support an ethic of belonging, dignity, and justice for all people. Our current team includes a mix of genders, parents, and non-parents, and people of multiple races, nationalities, ages, sexual orientations and socio-economic backgrounds. We are EEO employer and encourage candidates of all races, genders, ages, orientations, ethnicities, and national origins to apply, and welcome those with alternative backgrounds and experiences.

SCOPE OF WORK

Global and US Programs operational support – 70%

• Provide budget analysis for centrally-managed, US-based programs and other portfolios;
• Develop and monitor subgrants and subcontracts of these portfolios. May include:
  • Direct budget/agreement negotiation with subrecipient
  • Submitting required request documentation to Grants and Contracts
  • Following up with subrecipient to get responses
  • Initial review of financial reports
  • Direct report/payment clarification/negotiation with subrecipient
  • Following up with program staff for approval of subrecipient narrative reports
  • Managing amendments to agreements with subrecipients
  • Tracking and submitting payment requests
• Assist with development of budgets for proposals for new funding opportunities;
• Track and review invoices, expense reimbursements, advance request, and payment requests, including review for proper coding and approvals;
• Significant communication and interaction with program staff and HQ Accounting, Human Resources and Grants & Contracts Departments;
• Assist in the development of Resource Sharing Agreements and other shared cost instruments for projects conducted with European funding;
• Responsible for reconciling monthly credit card statements; and
• Other duties as assigned.

General business operations – 30%

• Provide financial analysis for smaller multi-program portfolios;
• Assist in resolving financial and business operations issues impeding the implementation of programs;
• As needed provide surge support to PMUs during peak business development periods or during periods of transition for business managers and officers;
• Support implementation and development of policies, procedures and tools for better project implementation.

QUALIFICATIONS WE’RE LOOKING FOR

• Very good knowledge of Microsoft Excel and eagerness to organize information via Excel a must
• Two to four years of relevant experience expected, international development experience with USAID or US Department of State funding preferred
• Experience managing US-government funded contracts or subcontracts and/or experience with European donor-funded programs preferred
• Educational or professional qualification in a field such as financial management, accounting, economics, management, or public administration
• Excellent written and spoken English. Additional language skills such as Spanish, Arabic, French, Russian or others a plus
• Demonstrated interpersonal skills including diplomacy, tact, and the ability to listen
• Optimism, a sense of humor, and excitement at joining a supportive, skilled, multi-cultural team that is distributed across the globe
• Strong attention to detail
• Proven ability to organize information, prioritize tasks, and maintain accurate records
• Proven ability to work both independently and as an effective team member
• Proven ability to prioritize and handle multiple on-going assignments
• Understanding of and demonstrated commitment to upholding Internews’ Core Values.