Finance Business Partner- Programmes & Funding at GOAL in IE

Finance Business Partner – Funding, Programmes & Cost Recovery

About Us

GOAL has responded to the world’s major humanitarian crises since its founding in 1977, working with vulnerable communities in 14 countries across the globe with a dedicated team of personnel. While GOAL continues to be an agile first-responder to humanitarian crises, it is also committed to working with vulnerable communities to help them survive crises and support them on the road to recovery.

Job Purpose:

GOAL is seeking a proactive Finance Business Partner in Funding, Programmes & Cost Recovery to strengthen financial sustainability across the organisation. The role is primarily focused on business partnering around cost recovery, with an FP&A element that broadens the remit across planning, forecasting, reporting and financial analysis.

Reporting to the Senior Finance management , the successful candidate will work across Finance, Programmes, Fundraising and Operations. This is a hands-on, mid-level role for a strong self-starter who can take ownership, work through complex or incomplete information and solve problems independently, while building effective relationships and influencing financially sustainable decisions across GOAL.

Key Responsibilities

· Lead and support the development, articulation and implementation of GOAL’s organisation-wide cost recovery approach, including direct, programme support and central support costs, allocation methodologies, cost drivers and the treatment of restricted and unrestricted income.

· Develop and maintain a clear cost recovery framework aligned with donor requirements, internal governance and recognised sector good practice, with appropriate targets, indicators and monitoring mechanisms embedded into budgeting, proposal approval and management reporting.

· Business partner with senior colleagues across Programmes, Fundraising and Operations to assess the financial viability and sustainability of funding opportunities and support informed decisions on whether to pursue, negotiate or decline funding.

· Monitor and analyse funding and programme financial performance, including cost recovery rates against actual cost structures, indirect cost recovery by donor and funding type, and the use of unrestricted funding to subsidise restricted projects.

· Provide high-quality financial modelling, scenario analysis and value-for-money assessments to support strategic and operational decision-making, and identify emerging financial risks and opportunities.

· Support improvements in budgeting quality, forecasting accuracy and financial discipline across programmes, and contribute analysis for the CFO, Finance Management Team, SMT, ARC and Board as required.

· Use finance and operational systems to retrieve, reconcile and analyse data from multiple sources, particularly where information is not readily available or requires independent investigation.

· Develop and improve management information, financial performance indicators, dashboards and reporting using advanced Excel, BI/reporting tools and other relevant systems, analytical or programming approaches.

· Translate complex financial information into clear, practical and actionable insight for finance and non-finance stakeholders, helping managers understand the financial implications of decisions.

· Provide technical finance input to donor discussions on budgets, indirect costs and programme support costs, and support clear evidence-based narratives on full cost recovery and funding sustainability.

· Monitor relevant donor policy, regulation and sector practice relating to cost recovery, funding economics and financial sustainability, and contribute to organisational learning where appropriate.

· Strengthen tools, guidance and organisational capability around cost allocation, full-cost budgeting, proposal sign-off and cost recovery monitoring, including supporting managers and budget holders to understand cost recovery principles.

· Constructively challenge assumptions and budget proposals where required, using evidence and sound judgement to support financially sustainable outcomes and help drive agreed changes through the organisation.

· Work collaboratively across teams, drawing on expertise throughout GOAL to solve problems, improve financial processes and systems, and influence effective change.

Essential

· Fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent).

· Experience in FP&A, finance business partnering or funding finance within a complex organisation.

· Demonstrated experience of developing and implementing financial policies, frameworks or processes with organisation-wide application.

· Strong analytical and financial modelling skills, with advanced Excel capability and confidence working with complex, incomplete or difficult-to-access data.

· Strong IT and systems capability, including BI/reporting tools and experience retrieving, reconciling and interpreting data from multiple systems. Experience with programming, querying, automation or similar analytical tools is advantageous.

· A proactive self-starter who can investigate issues, solve problems and progress work independently using sound judgement and initiative.

· Strong interpersonal, communication and influencing skills, with the confidence to constructively challenge and communicate difficult financial messages while maintaining effective working relationships.

· A collaborative team player who can build credibility across finance and non-finance teams, leverage expertise across the organisation and influence change effectively.

· Strong understanding of restricted funding, donor compliance and programme finance.

Desirable

· Experience in the international development, humanitarian or non-profit sector is highly desirable given the specialist nature of the role.

· Practical experience of cost recovery, indirect cost modelling or donor negotiations.

· Familiarity with recognised sector approaches to cost recovery and value for money, such as Bond/Mango, NICRA or NPAC.

Why Join GOAL?

· Make a meaningful contribution to the financial sustainability of a trusted international humanitarian organisation.

· Work across programmes, funding and organisational finance, with direct exposure to senior decision-makers.

· Use your analytical, systems and business-partnering skills to improve cost recovery, strengthen financial insight and support better decision-making.

GOAL offers staff flexible working with our hybrid model, we require our HQ employees to work 2 days per week from our office in Dun Laoghaire, Dublin or remote work if based in UK.

We strongly encourage you to apply even if you do not meet every single requirement listed. At GOAL we welcome people of all abilities and want to ensure that our hiring and interview process meets the needs of all applicants. If you require a reasonable accommodation to make your application or interview experience a great one, please just contact our Recruitment Team at recruitment.hq@goal.ie

GOAL commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion:

GOAL is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to building an inclusive environment for all employees. We foster an inclusive culture where all voices are heard and valued, we are particularly eager to receive applications from women (and other underrepresented groups). We know that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.

All employees share the responsibility for fulfilling GOAL’s commitment to equal employment opportunity and equal treatment. GOAL does not discriminate against any employee or volunteer; or any applicant for employment or volunteering on the basis of age, gender identity, ancestry, political opinion, civil status, medical condition, ethnic background, disability, race, religion, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws.

Accountability within GOAL

A commitment to GOAL values and GOAL’s integrity framework is critical to working with GOAL. Any candidate offered a job with GOAL will be expected to adhere to the following key areas of accountability: 1) Comply with GOAL’s policies and procedures with respect to safeguarding, code of conduct, health and safety, confidentiality, do no harm principles and unacceptable behaviour protocols; 2) Report any concerns about the welfare of a child or vulnerable adult or any wrongdoings within our programming area; 3) Report any concerns about inappropriate behaviour of a GOAL staff or partner.

Safeguarding

Children and vulnerable adults who come into contact with GOAL as a result of our activities must be safeguarded to the maximum possible extent from deliberate or inadvertent actions and failings that place them at risk of abuse, sexual exploitation, injury and any other harm. One of the ways that GOAL shows this on-going commitment to safeguarding is to include rigorous background and reference checks in the selection process for all candidates.

General Terms and Conditions

This Job Description only serves as a guide for the position available. GOAL reserves the right to change this document.