Senior Financial Officer

Description

• Are you a very passionate advocate for education? Do you want to make a difference in the lives of children? The Global Partnership for Education Secretariat (GPE) would like to hear from you.

Who We Are 

GPE is a shared commitment to end the world’s learning crisis. It is the only global partnership and fund dedicated entirely to helping children in lower-income countries get a quality education, so they can unlock their potential and contribute to building a better world. We bring together governments, teachers, civil society, donors, United Nations agencies, development banks, businesses and private foundations to transform education systems so that  every girl and boy can have hope, opportunity and agency. 

What We Do 

• GPE helps low- and lower-middle-income countries to build stronger education systems so that all children can get the education they need to thrive. We currently support nearly 90 countries where  the needs are greatest and focus on reaching the children who are the most vulnerable, including girls, children with disabilities and those affected by extreme poverty or conflict. Our unique approach works. Since 2002, 160 million more children in GPE partner countries have set foot in classrooms for the first time, more than half of them girls. GPE is also the largest provider of education grants in the global COVID-19 response, providing partner countries with vital resources to ensure that learning can safely continue.

How We Work 

• Now, GPE is working to help governments transform their education systems to get the most vulnerable children in school, improve teaching and learning, and build equitable, inclusive and resilient education systems fit for the 21st century. Between 2020-2025, GPE will support transformative change in up to 90 countries and territories, which are home to 1 billion children. Transforming education is about creating lasting changes and achieving impact at scale. GPE sets  out to deliver this transformative change by convening partners, mobilizing funds and catalyzing  reforms to help partner countries accelerate access, learning outcomes and gender equality.

Raise Your Hand 

• In July 2021, the Global Education Summit put GPE firmly on the path to be fully-funded by 2025, by raising a record US $4 billion from donors for GPE’s Raise Your Hand campaign. At the Summit, Heads of State and Government from partner countries made historic commitments to education financing and GPE also mobilized an unprecedented number of pledges from businesses, private foundations and development banks.
• A fully funded GPE would support transformed education systems in up to 90 countries and territories, enable up to 175 million children to learn and help get 88 million more girls and boys in school by 2025. In the longer term, this investment could add $164 billion to economies in GPE partner countries, lift 18 million people out of poverty, and protect 2 million girls from early marriage.

Governance And Organizational Arrangements 

• The GPE Board of Directors includes ministerial-level board members and alternates representing 20 constituencies that reflect the Partnership’s breadth. The Board Chair is HE President Jakaya Kikwete and the Board Vice Chair is Dr Susan Liautaud. The Board of Directors, with its three standing committees, provides policy and strategic oversight and approves or delegates funding decisions.
• The GPE Secretariat, with 160 employees and hosted by the World Bank, is responsible for translating the policies and strategies set by the Board into practical support for partner countries, coordinating with diverse stakeholders and galvanizing global support for SDG4. The Secretariat’s headquarters are in the World Bank’s offices in Washington, D.C. and the European office is in Paris with a satellite office in Brussels and a support office in Chennai.

ABOUT THE TEAM

• The Finance & Grant Operations (FGO) team focuses on fiduciary matters, grant processing, monitoring and administration, risk, innovative financing, and trustee finance. It is led by the Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

ABOUT THE JOB

• This position will be based in Washington, D.C.

Description

• Given the growth in GPE’s overall grant portfolio, introduction of currency hedging pilot, diversification of grant agents and funding mechanisms, a new upcoming funding cycle and a new IT system, the Secretariat is seeking a Senior Financial Officer to lead the GPE Trustee Finance team. The position reports to the Deputy Chief Financial Officer. The Trustee Finance team is a sub-team within Finance and Grant Operations (FGO), led by GPE’s CFO.

Duties And Accountabilities

The position has the following responsibilities:

• Supervise the Trustee finance team including two financial analysts, ensuring oversight of all deliverables and processes, including:
• Oversee the management of GPE’s grant financial information, including oversight of reconciling Grant Agent financial reports with information maintained by the Trustee of the Global Partnership for Education.
• Oversee financial analysis of the grant portfolio to support the financial forecast, portfolio reviews, consolidated financial report, quarterly financial reports, web reports, cash flow analysis for investment purposes, financial policy development, currency hedging, and any other corporate deliverable as required.
• Lead the engagement with Donors on signing contribution agreements and sending payment requests.
• Oversee responses to routine requests for financial information from internal and external stakeholders. This includes monthly donor reporting and replenishment tracking and the corresponding website updates.
• Lead engagement on Trustee Finance related issues with internal Secretariat staff throughout the organization, and with external stakeholders, including representatives of Governance bodies, Donors, Trustee, and Grant Agents.
• Support the onboarding of new grant agents, including training in GPE financial reporting policies and the Financial Procedures Agreement.
• Support the development of the Trustee Finance related elements of the new IT system.
• Other tasks as may be assigned.

Selection Criteria

Education

• Master’s degree in a finance related discipline with at least 8 years of relevant experience, or a Bachelor’s degree in a finance related discipline with at least 10 years of relevant experience.

Experience

• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the financial aspects of GPE’s or other global partnership’s or development agency’s operating model
• Strong financial analytical skills
• Excellent MS Excel and MS Word skills
• Experience with Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ability to navigate SAP an advantage)
• Excellent communication skills in English, especially presentation of financial information, and the ability to write clearly, concisely and quickly
• Ability to work effectively under pressure, prioritize and juggle multiple tasks under tight deadlines, and deliver accurate, high-quality analytical work

Source: https://worldbankgroup.csod.com/ats/careersite/JobDetails.aspx?id=30098&site=1