Job Description
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Job title
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Director - Finance & IT
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Grade
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2
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Location
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New Delhi
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Reporting to
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Chief Executive Officer
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Reporting from
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Manager Accounting and Compliance
Manager Grant Management and Reporting
Assistant Manager – IT & Systems
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Contract period
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Three Years
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About the Organisation:
Jal Seva Charitable Foundation (JSCF) is registered in India as a not-for-profit company under Chapter 8 of the Companies Act, 2013. JSCF, is an associate member of the WaterAid federation and uses the brand name ‘WaterAid’ in India.
WaterAid India seeks to improve the quality of life of 5,000,000 households – with a special emphasis on the vulnerable by 2029 through the provision of climate-resilient and sustainable WASH services via demonstration, institution strengthening, and the effective utilization of public resources. We work in rural and urban areas and seek to deepen our presence in states we operate in and to work in small towns. Thanks to our amazing supporters, we have reached millions of people with these three essentials – clean water, decent toilets, and good hygiene – enabling communities to unlock their potential to break free from the cycle of poverty and to change lives for good.
We will not stop. Not until clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene are a normal part of everyday life for everyone, everywhere.
WaterAid India’s (WAI) country office is based in New Delhi with State Offices in Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Patna and Raipur. We currently have a presence in ten states in the country.
WAI’s Programme focus in the next five years is on ensuring access to safe and assured drinking water in the households, as well as safely managed sanitation at both the household and habitation level. Further, we seek to ensure that anganwadi’s, schools and health care facilities have adequate and appropriate water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure. Finally, we seek to create integrated water and sanitation solutions in small towns. In all of these efforts, ensuring climate resilience of infrastructure and systems is critical. We seek to do this through demonstration and the provision of technical and knowledge support to governments at all levels who can facilitate adoption on scale. Implementation is primarily through our own field teams. Further details about WAI can be accessed at https://www.wateraid.org/in/
Purpose:
- To provide strategic leadership for the Finance and Information Technology functions across the organisation.
- Primary responsibility for financial management, accounting and treasury functions.
- To ensure the application of financial policies and procedures in collaboration with the other members of the Senior Management Team; consolidate and produce financial, statutory and management reports; ensure that robust accounting processes are in place whilst ensuring decentralisation, efficiency of operations and integrity of systems; facilitate adequate capacities for accounting, treasury, financial management, assurance and compliance.
- To ensure compliance with all relevant laws of the land pertaining to accounting, finance, income tax, goods and services, corporate law, Foreign Contribution Regulation Act etc.
- The role includes ensuring proper recording, documentation, controls, monitoring and reporting of financial operations to all stakeholders of JSCF with correctness, consistency, and timeliness.
- Primary responsibility to support Information Technology systems which ensure ease of operations at all levels with appropriate security safeguards and compliance with prevalent data security and safety laws that may be applicable.
- Support the Chief Executive in good governance by ensuring compliance and reporting related to donors, the Board, and other legal and statutory procedures.
- As a member of the Senior Management Team, to provide strategic leadership and guidance to the organisation.
Responsibilities:
Finance:
Internal controls
- Ensure required financial policies, guidelines, and other essential documents exist, remain current and applied across the head office and state offices
- Review and update Finance procedures and manuals.
- Ensure JSCF assets are adequately safeguarded, and report to Chief Executive any financial irregularities
Finance systems & Accounting
- Develop and/or improve financial information systems
- Ensure that the requisite skills to use Tally Prime 4.0 and Global Accounting Package in Tally system and other financial management systems as may be appropriate exist in the team and that the accounting software are used effectively.
- Ensure all data is accurate, complete, and relevant for JSCF, donor, budget-holder and compliance related information requirements (E.g.: FCRA / TDS Returns etc.)
- Ensure that all accounting at head office and state offices are in line with the finance operations manual
- Ensure that balances for all vendors across head office and state offices are in line with contracts and expenditure is booked in a timely manner.
- Arrange for partners’ audited funds utilization certificates on an annual basis
Policy & procedure
- Review, update, implement, and maintain financial management policies, procedures, systems, and tools across the organisation, ensuring compliance with WaterAid’s overall policies, good practice standards, external donor requirements, and national laws and regulations
- Ensure that procurement related procedures are followed as per the Procurement SOP and documentation maintained at both HO & State Offices
- Identify corrective measures and implement amendments in line with compliance requirements as per Indian laws.
Risk management & Donor Management
- Develop and implement financial and risk assessment processes to ensure risk is appropriately identified and mitigated, and financial compliance achieved
- Ensure that donors are informed of the expenditure on the project and status of funds through timely and proactive reporting
Funds management & Treasury Operations
- Lead the financial forecasting process to produce relevant, accurate, and timely financial forecasts across the organisation, and manage fund transfers to ensure funds are always available for JSCF offices and field teams, and are within permissible limits
- Develop systems to ensure overall entity’s income is forecasted accurately
- Ensuring robust treasury operations through timely update of bank mandates, signatories and bank’s KYC requirements, activation of net banking etc.
- Timely transfer of surplus funds to fixed deposit accounts
Budgeting/Budgetary control
- Lead the development of budgeting guidelines and processes for the organization
- Coordinate the annual planning and budgeting processes for the organisation including consolidation of state and department level budgets
- Lead on the budgeting and forecasting for in-country income and external donor proposals
- Review actual expenditure, interpret and analyse actual results against budgets, and feedback to budget holders with advice and recommended actions
- Maintain a spreadsheet of contracts reflecting compliance requirements, reporting and cashflow timelines, and monitor the same
Compliances
- Ensure that JSCF is compliant with all applicable regulations (an indicative list as mentioned below)
- The Companies Act 2013 (timely conduct of board meetings, maintaining minutes, ROC related returns etc.)
- The Foreign Contribution Regulation Act 2010 (quarterly FC returns, annual returns, compliance to all FCRA regulations, fund utilization regulations etc.)
- The Income Tax Act 1961 (income tax audit &return, income tax assessments, annual filing of Form 10 BD etc.)
- Other regulations such as CSR, DPDP etc.
- Ensure state level compliances are also adhered to in terms of timely deposit and filing returns for Professional Tax in states where it is applicable
Reporting and Strategic Insights
- Lead the consolidation of financial information and provide management accounts with analysis to support financial decision-making across the organisation
- Generate financial reports for the board meetings, statutory requirements, and external donors including the WaterAid Federation.
- Lead the financial year end processes; ensure timely submission to donors, statutory bodies,
- Board, and relevant JSCF units/teams
- Provide strategic inputs and guidance to the senior management team to ensure effective and efficient operations and to facilitate improvements across functions
Audit & Assurance
- Facilitate and co-ordinate the external, internal as well as Internal Financial Controls Audit
- Lead the development of action plans based on both external and internal audit recommendations and monitor progress on achievements
- Coordinate and finalise donor audits
- Lead the Assurance Team to conduct an in-depth review of both projects being directly implemented by us or through partners by ensuring timely partner visits. Also build partner capacities through regular monitoring visits.
- Timely submission of review reports to the Senior Management Team for their review
Value for money
- Lead the specification, selection, and implementation of accounting processes and systems to ensure they meet JSCF’s financial management needs in a cost-effective manner
- Promote value for money as part of the organisational culture making economy, efficiency, and effectiveness as an integral part in its operations
Information & Technology:
- Oversee the IT function across all offices, and ensure that all protocols and procedures, along with adequate leveraging of technology for enhancement of workplace productivity and to ensure value for money in current and proposed processes
- Liaise with others in the WaterAid Federation to roll out global initiatives – as appropriate and relevant in India
People Management:
- Lead, manage, motivate, and develop team members in order to maximise their contribution to the team, organisation, and their own professional development
- Manage the performance and development of staff to create and maintain an effective, motivated team
Eligibility and requirements:
Qualifications and Experience
- Qualified Chartered Accountant
- Minimum 15 years of professional experience and 7-10 years of senior management experience in not-for-profit financial, budgeting, accounting, reporting, grants/contract management, and business management
- Experience of developing and using accounting packages
- Knowledge of Finance & IT related compliance requirements
Skills, Aptitude and Attitude
- Ability to coach, mentor and develop capacities of teams
- Knowledge of donor reporting requirements, including CSR related reporting requirements
- Experience in risk analysis and risk management
- Excellent planning and prioritization skills
- Strategic and operational decision making
- Excellent (proven) interpersonal skills as well as both oral and written communication skills
- Ability to network with other professionals within India & globally, with institutions and government.
- Strong analytical/problem solving skills
- Able to work effectively in a diverse team environment and to drive cross functional collaboration.
- Attention to detail
WaterAid India (Jal Seva Charitable Foundation) is an equal opportunity employer, committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive and respectful workplace. All recruitment decisions are made purely based on merit, qualifications and alignment with the role and organizational values - without discrimination on the basis of caste, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability or any other status protected under Indian law.
All hiring is conducted directly by our internal team and via official communication channels, and we do not authorize any third party, individual, agency or external consultant to act on our behalf in any capacity related to recruitment. We do not charge any fees at any stage of the recruitment process including application, interview, selection or onboarding. Any communication claiming to offer employment with WaterAid India in exchange for money or through unauthorized channels should be considered fraudulent. WaterAid India will not be responsible for any loss or damage incurred by responding to such unofficial communication.
WaterAid India (Jal Seva Charitable Foundation) is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behavior at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. WaterAid India expects all staff, volunteers, vendors and anyone representing WaterAid to share this commitment through our code of conduct and the Safeguarding policy.
If you come across any suspicious recruitment posts in our name on social media pages or WhatsApp groups or receive such emails, calls, or messages on any medium, please verify them by writing to us at waindiahr@wateraid.org. We reserve the right to initiate legal action against individuals or entities misrepresenting the organization or engaging in recruitment-related fraud.