Director, Financial Strategy & Planning

Job Overview/Summary: 

The Director, Financial Strategy & Planning will act as a thought partner for the CFO and Finance leadership, working collaboratively to develop a strategic, focused, effective, and outcomes-oriented departmental team and culture. They will analyze and engage with the CFO and Finance leadership to solve complex problems, ensuring that we are focusing our energy and time on the most important issues. They will ensure streamlined activities within the department based on the priorities of the CFO and will provide high-level oversight of strategic initiatives, communication and governance within the department, and cross-departmental initiatives across the organization. They will also develop, direct and execute special projects as commissioned by the CFO.

Key Responsibilities: 

Strategy and planning

• Support CFO to strengthen collaboration, prioritization, and execution with cross-departmental IRC teams, serving as a key thought partner, relationship builder, and leader within the department and across the wider organization
• Advise the CFO on priorities, opportunities and challenges, and provide support to ensure that Finance Leaders’ time is apportioned appropriately across key strategic goals.
• Ensure that the CFO is appropriately informed of key organizational issues.
• In collaboration with GFLT leadership, and peers in other departments, identify priority actions on short term cross-functional initiatives and ensure timely and effective follow-through (working closely with the Director, Finance Excellence where appropriate)
• Lead annual departmental goal setting with the CFO, Director FE and GFLT, ensuring departmental goals are cohesive and aligned with Strategy100 and the rest of the organization, and that Finance is participating appropriately and effectively in organization-wide efforts.
• Independently plan, lead and manage select  departmental and organization-wide strategic initiatives from inception to completion at request of CFO (these will typically be projects which are highly cross-functional or which are particularly sensitive).

Delivery, coordination, and project management

• In coordination with GFLT leadership, ensure that the CFO maintains an active overview of the work of the department, tracking priority issues and ensuring effective and coordinated support to and engagement by the CFO.
• Ensure effective governance of relevant strategic and cross-functional projects and initiatives, working in collaboration with Finance Strategic Project Manager to ensure that problems and decisions are identified and resolved in a timely manner.
• Oversee the planning and management of departmental meetings, both regular and ad hoc, including working with GFTL, Finance admin, and others on effective agenda development, facilitation, and follow-up.
• Ensure clarity and transparency around departmental decision-making.
• Oversee efficient systems for soliciting team feedback and monitoring engagement.
• Work closely with the President’s Office to ensure progress against Delivery Letter and QSR targets

Communications and engagement

• Ensure timely and effective internal communications between the SVP (and other senior leaders) and both Finance staff and other departments, and ensure consistency and quality of wider departmental communications.
• Oversee the development and implementation of an internal communications strategy for Finance by Strategy Manager. 

• Draft reports, briefing documents, talking points and presentations for internal and external audiences at the request of the CFO.

Key Working Relationships: 

• Position Reports directly to: CFO
• Position directly supervises: colleagues at the Analyst and/or Manager level (will vary depending on the composition of the Unit).

• Other key contacts: the GFLT, Leadership Board, Strategy & Planning leads

Job Requirements: 

Work / Educational Experience: 

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent
• Mininum of 8 years of relevant work experience, at least three of which in a strategy role or finance role, with gradually increasing responsibilities and a track record of high performance.
• Prior non-profit or NGO experience preferable

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

• Proven experience across key strategic functions, including finance, data, systems and delivery
• Proven experience of effectively influencing at senior management level in complex organization
• Ability to deliver high quality work on schedule
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to anticipate and assess situations accurately and recommend/implement effective courses of action required.
• Ability to advance multiple strategic initiatives and a myriad of complex details on a concurrent basis.
• Ability to communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders with tact and diplomacy, both orally and in writing, including working with all staff levels and diverse personalities.
• Exceptional discretion and confidentiality in dealing with sensitive material.
• Ability to handle stress and function effectively under pressure while meeting deadlines.
• Ability to proactively identify challenges and develop creative solutions on own initiative in performance of duties, in close collaboration with key stakeholders.
• Excellent judgment, tact, initiative, creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, organizational skills, and self-motivation.
• Demonstrable interest in and familiarity with international politics, humanitarian and development policies and related subjects.
• Strong team leadership and management skills. 

Working Environment: 

• This position requires occasional flexibility to participate in meetings or calls outside regular working hours when needed.
• Occasional international travel, including to IRC project sites, may be required. 

Compensation: Posted pay ranges apply to US-based candidates. Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget.  Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirements.

Equal Opportunity Employer: IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

US Benefits: We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. In the US, these include: 10 sick days, 10 US holidays, 20-25 paid time off days depending on role and tenure, medical insurance starting at $143 per month, dental starting at $6.50 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with immediately vested matching, disability & life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.