Director of Finance and Administration, Advancing Digital Democracy

About Palladium: 

Palladium is a global company working to design, develop and deliver positive impact on the lives and livelihoods of people around the globe; broaden access to health, water, power, and infrastructure; build enduring, sustainable, and transformative institutions and market systems to address global challenges; and conserve the natural world. We operate in over 90 countries and have a workforce of 4,000 talented, motivated, and diverse staff of all religions, races, languages, and gender identities.  

This Opportunity:

The Digital Solutions and Transformation Portfolio within the Data Informatics and Analytical Solutions (DIAS) Community of Practice is seeking a Director of Finance and Administration to lead an upcoming global project to support USAID’s Advancing Digital Democracy activity. The Program aims to support the development of digital innovation that respects human rights in partner countries. The DIAS Practice is a dynamic and innovative group with talented and passionate members, working together to strengthen and harness digital and data ecosystems to accelerate development investments and outcomes and create positive impact. 

The Director of Finance and Administration is a senior partnership expert with strong client and partner building relations and management experience. The Director of Finance and Administration will oversee the design, co-creation, development and submission of all project buy-ins from inception of scoping to final submission and approval for award. The Director of Finance and Administration will oversee all finance, administrative, human resource, and operational activities of the project and a team of support personnel. This includes developing and overseeing finance and accounting systems that comply with USAID requirements and Palladium practices. In coordination with the Project Director and the Deputy Director, s/he will develop annual budgets that are aligned with the project work plan. S/he will also ensure compliance with contractual, USAID/USG, and local requirements for reporting, finance, and administration. S/he will also ensure payroll processes and adherence to local human resources policies.

This is a full-time, key personnel senior position and is contingent upon receipt of award funding.

You and Your Career:

If you are a problem-solver, collaborator, and doer, and you have expertise in leading the financial administrative and human resources components of USAID activities, we are interested in hearing from you. We are a learning organization and provide growth opportunities from the start.  We pride ourselves on giving you the freedom, resources, and guidance to chart a fulfilling career!

Reporting and Supervision:

The Director of Finance and Administration will report to the Project Director.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities: 

The Director of Finance and Administration will have the following responsibilities:

The Director of Finance and Administration provides financial and administrative oversight to ensure effective use of resources and to achieve project objectives in compliance with all donor requirements.
Oversees and ensures the sound management of human resources, financial management, procurement and grants functions for the project.
Oversees HR team, systems, processes, and documentation according to USAID and Palladium policies and procedures.
Oversees implementation of all operational systems as per USAID and Palladium requirements as well as with local laws in each of the countries where this project will operate (this may be in any geographic locality via a buy-in mechanism).
Ensures that USG regulations for financial and operational management are adhered to, including USAID-specific financial management and reporting requirements.
Set up and oversees Palladium’s grant and subcontractor tracking system to ensure the timely and compliant execution of all grant and subcontractor agreements in close collaboration with the Grants Manager.
Ensures the completeness of all financial, procurement, and HR records creation, retention and security.

Key Competencies Required:

Bachelor’s degree in a related field is required (in either accounting, finance, business administration or nonprofit management). A master’s degree is preferred.
Minimum of at least 10 years of financial management experience combined with a strong background in nonprofit management.
Minimum of 5 years’ experience with USAID/USG grants management and financial reporting requirements.
Demonstrated passion for and strong experience with organizational management, operations, and systems.
Excellent past performance with the supervision and management of finance and admin personnel.
Expertise in budget preparation, as well as the development and management for all financial reporting needs.

Professional Expertise/Competencies Preferred:

Ability to think strategically and creatively about staffing and organizational structure.
Ability and expertise in overseeing the annual financial planning/budgeting process, preparing a comprehensive budget for the donor as well as activity budgets for specific activities for the team.
Solid track record with the set up and management of financial digital tools/systems (e.g., Oracle NetSuite, QuickBooks, SunSystems, Deltek Costpoint).
Ability to conduct internal audits of financial records and systems with project team and partners, ensuring compliance with donor regulations, requirements and best practices in alignment with accounting standards.
Ability to prepare payroll, payroll liabilities and benefits with the headquarters office and also while respecting local labor law with regards to pay frequency, withholdings and other locally mandated requirements.
Expertise in the negotiation of project related contracts for consultancies, vendor/supplier agreements, as well as property lease agreements as required.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion - Palladium is committed to embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into everything we do. We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce; and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of their background or personal characteristics. These include: (but are not limited to) socio-economic background, age, race, gender identity and expression, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status.  

Should you require any adjustments or accommodations to be made due to a disability or you are a neurodivergent individual or for any other circumstance, please email our team at accessibility@thepalladiumgroup.com and we will be in touch to discuss. 

Safeguarding - We define Safeguarding as “the preventative action taken by Palladium to protect our people, clients and the communities we work with from harm”. We are committed to ensuring that all children and adults who come into contact with Palladium are treated with respect and are free from abuse.  All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced selection process including safeguarding-focused interviews and a rigorous due diligence process.