Senior Finance Specialist at WorldFish · Taman…

About WorldFish

WorldFish is an international research organization working to transform aquatic food systems to reduce hunger, malnutrition, and poverty. It collaborates with international, regional, and national partners to co-develop and deliver scientific innovations, evidence for policy and knowledge to enable equitable and inclusive impact for millions who depend on fish and other aquatic foods for their livelihoods and nutrition. Our work in countries advances progress on multiple 2030 Sustainable Development Goals through science and innovation, with a vision of healthy people, healthy planet and shared prosperity.

About the Position

Under the close guidance of the Budgeting and Reporting Manager the Senior Finance Specialist is responsible for assessing and overseeing financial operations across multiple countries and portfolios, ensuring compliance with internal controls, donor guidelines, and full cost recovery principles. The role involves mentoring finance teams, advising on financial risks and reporting, and coordinating with stakeholders to strengthen systems, resolve anomalies, and improve financial processes from proposal to audit. The Senior Finance Specialist executes core financial activities, monitors ERP data accuracy, and prepares reports that inform strategic decisions.

Key Responsibilities

Main Purpose of Job:

• Assess the financial operations across the organization including analysis, accounting and reporting on full cost recovery and investments for further improvements.
• Monitor financial systems and reports on unusual activities and transactions and investigate anomalies as needed.
• Review and/or verify financial transactions/activities, recording/reporting system and work with finance teams on suggestions for amendments.
• Monitor expenditures to ensure compliance with financial policies and alignment with approved budgets, providing timely financial insights to relevant stakeholders.
• Verify accurate and complete reporting of financial transactions by teams in accordance with the internal control mechanism.
• Lead and manage the planning, coordination and delivery of budgeting, forecasting, financial planning, and reporting activities.

Main engagement, collaboration and communication responsibilities:

• Mentor finance team members across multiple offices or portfolios, ensuring efficiency and quality of work.
• Act as specialist for project leads and finance management team on finance-related challenges, alignment needs and reporting.
• Ensure timely and accurate resolution of queries to avoid delays and ensure compliance.
• Collaborate with other finance teams to align services.
• Build strong collaborative relationships across the organization to understand business operations and cost drivers, and leverage theses insights to develop fit-for-purpose cost structures, support resource allocation decisions, and enhance financial planning, analysis, and reporting.

Main responsibilities in the delivery of timely and quality services:

• Ensure timely execution of financial management processes including budgeting, forecasting, cost recovery analysts and month end reporting.
• Monitor the accurate recording of financial data in the ERP system.
• Deliver regular finance reports and updates to ensure compliance.
• Provide guidance and support to stakeholders on WorldFish's cost structure, cost allocation methodologies, and financial management frameworks to promote consistent application across the organization.

This job might be for you if you have the below skills and qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration or another relevant field.
• Partial qualification of a recognized professional accounting certification (e.g., CPA).
• Master’s degree is in Finance, Business Administration (MBA) or related field is preferred.
• Fluency in English is essential to communicate in writing and speaking.

Desirable Skills/Experience

• Experience overseeing processes in accounting, budgeting or related field or some experience in analyzing and reporting on finance data and developing financial systems.
• Experience overseeing financial operations across multiple accounts, programs, and regions, ensuring adherence to full cost recovery principles and donor regulations.
• Extensive experience with accounting and finance systems.
• Experience with financial compliance requirements.
• Experience mentoring finance staff, providing technical guidance to project leads, and ensuring consistency in financial management practices across offices.
• Experience refining financial workflows, resolving complex queries, enforcing compliance standards, and aligning services across finance teams and external partners.
• Experience working in an international non-profit organization is an advantage.
• ·Experience working with donor funded programs is an advantage.

Key Competencies Required

Core competencies

• Accountability: Takes ownership of work, showing initiative in problem-solving and decision-making. Stands firm on ethical issues, even when faced with challenges.
• Collaboration and Communication: Communicates clearly, articulating thoughts in a straightforward manner while interpreting nonverbal cues to enhance responses and foster productive interactions. Actively participates, seeks and listens to others’ perspective. Demonstrates a willingness to learn from others and welcomes constructive feedback to improve personal and team performance.
• Respect and Inclusion: Promotes and advocates for respect and inclusion within team, program or organization. Actively seeks incorporates diverse ideas and experiences into decision making.
• Results and Impact Orientation: Establishes clear standards of excellence to achieve results, aligns individual and team goals with organizational objectives. Uses data and metrics to assess, monitor, and improve performance. Identifies improvement opportunities by evaluating and applying emerging technologies.

Functional and Technical Competencies

• Analytical, Critical and Systems Thinking: Synthesizes diverse information for well-informed conclusions and actionable recommendations.
• Monitoring and Reporting: Utilizes advanced monitoring methods, customizes or develops tools as needed, addresses challenges encountered during monitoring activities; develops detailed, customized reports with in-depth analysis, incorporating data and information from multiple sources tailored to stakeholder needs.
• Data Analysis, Management and Visualization: Integrates data from different sources to identify trends and patterns, proactively suggests areas for further exploration and communicates data-driven insights effectively through clear presentations and impactful visualizations.
• Compliance and Quality Assurance: Applies in-depth knowledge of legislation and compliance principles, monitors legislative changes and ensure operational compliance; proactively oversees information accuracy and work quality, continuously improves processes to further strengthen the quality or control environment.
• Problem Solving: Leads team-driven problem-solving initiatives and breaks down complex issues into manageable elements to identify key factors before proposing solutions, continuously improves processes to further strengthen service delivery.

Managerial and Leadership Skills

Managing Team Dynamics

• Recognizes and identifies personal and others' emotions and the influence of personal behavior on team dynamics, showing understanding of the emotional intelligence concept.
• Builds trust and rapport with supervisees or team members by empowering and engaging them on tasks, supporting and guiding them to reach shared goals, while setting clear expectations, providing regular feedback, and conducting fair assessments.
• Takes time to connect and show an interest in the well-being of team members or supervisees.

Strategic Leadership

• Recognizes relationships and partnerships as essential to achieving goals, demonstrating willingness to work in partnership, understanding and clarifying needs and mutual expectations.
• Actively participates in and supports change initiatives, adapting processes or procedures to align with evolving organization needs, showing openness to new ideas and approaches.
• Proactively identifies potential risks within their team’s operations, assesses their impact, and suggests mitigation strategies to the manager.
• Seeks to understand the organization’s purpose and goals and identifies opportunities for team process improvements and emerging technologies in alignment with organizational goals.

This is a Nationally Recruited Staff (NRS) position and WorldFish offers a competitive remuneration package including comprehensive benefits (but not limited to) insurance coverage for staff and eligible dependents, employer provident fund contribution, paid leave, and others. The duration of the contract will initially be for a three-year period with possibility for extension, depending on funding and performance.

How to Apply

Your application must include:

• A copy of your curriculum vitae,
• A cover letter which addresses key requirements stated above; and
• Contact information of three professional referees who may be contacted if you are short-listed for the position.

To be considered, applications must be submitted by no later than 23:59 (MYT), 10 September 2026.

Location: The post holder will be based in Penang, Malaysia.

The screening will start immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Due to the high volume of applicants for WorldFish positions, we appreciate all interest, but only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Our Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Commitment

Over 40% of WorldFish staff is women with some 30 nationalities represented and contributing to its dynamic multicultural work environment. WorldFish is committed to promoting a work environment where diversity and inclusion are valued and we seek to have gender balance in the organization. We aim to also seek balance across other diversity dimensions.

People in WorldFish are treated equally irrespective of gender, ethnicity/race, national or social origin, disability, religion, political affiliation, age, family size, marital status or any other form of personal identity.

We are an equal opportunities employer and strongly encourage qualified women and men from developing nations to apply.