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War Child UK

Director of Operations and Finance
Recruitment pack
27 January 2015

Contents

1. About War Child and background to the role:...... 2

2.Job Description:...... 3

3. Person Specification:...... 3

4. Terms & Conditions: ...... 4

5. Application Procedure:...... 4

6. Equal Opportunities Monitoring...... 5

Position: Director of Operations and Finance

Responsible to:Chief Executive Officer

Applications deadline:26thFebruary 2015

Start date:1st June 2015

1. Background to the Role

War Child was established in 1993 as a response to the brutal effects of conflict on children during the Balkans war. We now work in Iraq, Afghanistan, Jordan, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic.

War Child’s vision is of a world in which the lives of children are no longer torn apart by war, and our contribution to achieving this vision is articulated in our mission:

to support and improve the protection and care of children and young people who live with a combination of insecurity, poverty and exclusion in some of the worst conflict-affected countries in the world

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We deliver this mission through three strategies:

  • Service delivery (directly and through local partner organisations)
  • Investment in local protection structures and systems
  • Advocacy

We focus on issues which particularly affect children in conflict areas, and have three main programmes:

  • Education
  • Livelihoods
  • Child protection

We aim to respond to conflict emergencies early, bringing life-saving child protection and psycho-social support to children in acutely vulnerable situations as soon as we can. However, our mission extends through post conflict to recovery phases, meaning that we will stay with affected populations until the impact of conflict is no longer the primary driver of issues that need to be addressed. This is a relatively wide intervention range which reflects our concern for individual children and their long term recovery from conflict shock.

War Child has grown rapidly over the past few years. Income has increased from approximately £1m pa in 2007to £6.3 million in 2014. We have seen an even more dramatic increase in the numbers of children and other people in need we reach directly. From 5,000 in 2008 to over 90,000 in 2014. Our programming has become more effective, more efficient, more professionally managed, and more consistent across the countries we work in.

We are now a trusted partner of UN and national donors, receiving significant support from UNHCR and UNICEF in emergency response programmes, and with several programmes funded by the EU and Comic Relief. We have a Programme Partnership Agreement with DFID as part of a consortium with Restless Development and Youth Business International.

War Child UK is one of three independent operational agencies – War Child UK, War Child Holland and War Child Canada. Coordination and relationships are strong with our sister organisations, which includes joint working both in the field and on advocacy and fundraising. We will continue to deepen these relationships and co-operative ways of working to maximise our delivery and impact, in all areas including Advocacy & Communications.

Operations and Finance

Over the last five years we have made enormous progress in installing fair and predictable systems covering finance, HR, IT, and office management. We have become a professional agency with transparent systems for accounting to our donors and our beneficiaries. Our new five year strategy sets out an ambitious agenda for us to grow our impact and includes income growth up to £16 million by 2019. We know that we will need to adapt our structures in order to remain effective during a period of rapid growth and to ensure that we maintain our strength of purpose and consistency across a larger programme.

The role of Operations and Finance Director is designed to enable us to develop the processes and systems we need to be effective at a larger size. A large part of this role is to lead on the development of our planning and quality systems, and the management of change across War Child. The role is intended to be strategic, relying on strong finance, HR and administration teams to take care of regular accounting and reporting processes, and managing the finance and HR systems to support the organisation’s growth. The Director of Operations and Finance will lead on the planning cycle, and the creation of management information systems to aid organisation-wide decision making and to monitor progress against plans. They will also provide support to the governance process, leading on the development of information for trustees and committees including the compilation and dissemination of board papers. The Director will be a key member of the Senior Management Team (SMT) and will bring not just an ability to create simple and effective systems, but also a business sense which will maximise the use of growing resources for the benefit of children we support across conflict zones.

Our core processes of finance, HR, administration and office management all report to the Director of Operations and Finance, who will be expected to contribute leadership and vision to these functions.

The Director of Operations and Finance has two direct reports (Head of Finance and HR & Office Manager)

2Job description

This role reports directly to the CEO

Developing organisational processes and systems

  • Develop and lead the annual business planning cycle at War Child, establishing systems to ensure that plans combine narrative and financial planning and budgeting
  • Develop management information systems and processes to allow us to understand how we are progressing against our strategy and business plan and to allow space for wider reflection
  • Develop War Child’s Information Systems (IS) Strategy
  • Jointly with the Programmes Director, lead on the development of War Child’s Quality Framework, ensuring standards are in place, understood and monitored across all operational areas.
  • Oversee the continued implementation and further development and resourcing of War Child’s Internal Audit programme and function, supporting the Quality Framework.
  • Provide strategic advice on financial, IS, ICT, HR and facility management matters to the SMT and Trustees.

Leadership and management

  • Ensure that the Finance, HR & Administration team structures in the UK and overseas are fit for purpose.
  • Delegate key functions to managers within the team, ensuring decisions are taken at the lowest reasonable level within agreed objectives and risks
  • Provide high quality line management and personal development to direct reports within the team
  • Foster a network of pro bono expert advice and resources to strengthen the capability of the Finance, HR & Administration directorate.
  • Represent War Child in external fora where required.

Statutory & Governance

  • Lead on the production of coherent papers for the Board and its three committees, setting deadlines for individual paper submission by other members of the team and ensuring timely distribution
  • Work with the Treasurer to support the work of the Resources Committee
  • Lead on the production of the annual report incorporating the audited financial statements and ensure all relevant statutory filings are carried out
  • Monitor the external UK and relevant overseas operating environments, including the regulatory, financial and charity sectors,analysing the impact of changes on War Child and taking timely action to ensure compliance and best practise.
  • Lead on the risk management process at War Child
  • Report any serious incidents to the UK Charities Commission.
  • Ensure that the organisation is appropriately and cost effectively insured against all relevant risks worldwide

Financial Leadership

  • Lead on the development of long term financial strategies for War Child UK including objectives for financial performance and monitoring of key investments
  • Promote financial awareness and good decision making across London teams and country programmes, based on a shared understanding of financial goals
  • Ensure that the Finance team operates an effective system of procedures for financial management, control, reporting and monitoring of key financial variables, delivering timely, accurate and meaningful management accounts and financial statements
  • Oversee the design and review of War Child’s financial policies so that they continuallysupport other directorates and country programmes to deliver their objectives, and minimise financial, donor or regulatory risk to the organisation.
  • Ensure tax compliance and efficiency across the organisation (UK and overseas)

Human Resources

  • Ensure that War Child takes a strategic approach to human resource development and management to achieve our long term aims
  • Support the CEO and SMT in building upon existing management and staff structures ensuring that staff have the skills and support necessary to enable them to achieve effective performance.
  • Promote equality and diversity in War Child
  • Oversee the implementation and review of War Child's HR policies and processes around in the UKand overseas in line with developments in employment law and best practise; and the delivery and monitoring of key HR indicators.
  • Lead on the promotion of War Child as an employer of choice
  • Lead the organisation in the development and integration of War Child’s core values and soft skills framework
  • Support the HR Manager with complex HR issues

ICT

  • Lead on the development and subsequent monitoring of War Child’s ICT strategy, integrated across all areas of the organisation in the UK and overseas.
  • Liaise with external IT suppliers to ensure value for money whilst delivering IT and communications systems that are robust and fit for purpose.
  • Ensure that War Child has effective information security system and a tested business continuity plan in place.

Facilities

  • Manage the War Child UK office lease, including obtaining legal advice where necessary and planning for future office space needs
  • Support negotiations on key facilities contracts
  • Promote War Child’s environmental policy in the UK and overseas, encouraging best practise and minimising War Child’s carbon footprint.

3Person Specification

Experience:

  • Developing processes and systems which provide the core organisational structures of an organisation or a business unit
  • Leadership within a values based organisation
  • Organisational scale planning, budgeting, monitoring and reporting
  • Financial leadership, including the management of accounting and financial reporting functions
  • Significant experience of working with HR processes either as a leader of that function or as someone who has been closely involved in the development of strategies to enable people to deliver their best
  • Management of finance, HR and Administration teams

In addition, we are looking for experience of, proven abilities in, and a track record of:

  • Strategic planning
  • Annual business planning
  • Monitoring and reporting against core business aims
  • Strategic thought leadership within an organisation

With this in mind, we will be looking for the following key attributes:

  • A genuine and deep seated commitment to helping children in dire circumstances
  • A thorough knowledge of the legal and accounting context for UK charities
  • A strong business sense and the ability to prioritise between a number of attractive options.
  • Excellent people management and team building skills
  • Excellent financial, budgeting and reporting skills
  • Ability to think through the future and set an inspiring course
  • Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills
  • High levels of energy and personal resilience
  • Negotiation skills
  • Ability to involve others whilst also making decisions in a timely manner
  • You will have an appropriate accounting qualification (CCAB or equivalent).
  • A second language (French and/or Arabic) would also be beneficial.
  • This role will require some travel to our overseas country offices (2-4 weeks per annum)

4Terms and conditions

  • Salary in the region of £60,000 pa. This role is within Grade 2 of War Child UK’s salary scale.
  • 28 days paid annual leave, pro-rata (in addition to statutory Bank Holidays) plus an additional day for every year served up to a maximum of five additional days
  • Flexible working arrangements, including the opportunity to work from home for one day a week
  • Some travel to overseas country offices and WC International partners (up to 5 weeks per annum)
  • 5% matching pension contribution

5Application Procedure

  • Application onlythrough completion and submission of War Child UK’s standard application form, which can be downloaded from Submission of CVs will notbe considered.
  • War Child UK Application to be submitted by Thursday 26th February
  • First interviews on Thursday 5thMarch
  • Second interview week beginning 9th Marchincluding meeting with the Finance, HR, and Administration team, and with other members of the Senior Management Team
  • Start date Monday 1st June.
  • All applications should be sent to

For more information on War Child please see our website:

6Equal Opportunities Monitoring

War Child is committed to continuing to develop its Equal Opportunities policy to ensure that all job applicants and employees are treated fairly, irrespective of gender, age, sexual orientation, religious belief or creed, disability, and racial or ethnic origin. The following section of the application form will help us to monitor the effects of our policy and will be used for no other purposes, except to monitor how well we are reaching diverse groups. We would be grateful if you would complete it. It would be helpful if you could indicate your age, gender, religious belief or creed, sexual orientation, and ethnic origin by either ticking, or specifying, in one of the boxes or spaces, below, and return this slip with your application:

Which age group do you belong to?

18-29 30-39  40-49  50-59 60-65 

Which gender group do you belong to?

Male Female Other 

What is your ethnic origin?

White:

British  Irish  Other  ______

Mixed:

White & Black  White & Black  White & Asian  Other ______

Caribbean African

Asian and Asian British:

Indian Pakistani  Bangladeshi British Asian 

Other Asian  ______

Black or Black British:

Caribbean African Black British Other Black  ______

Chinese or Other Ethnic Group:

Chinese  Other Ethnic Group  ______

Please indicate your religious belief or creed in the space provided.

What is your sexual orientation?

Bisexual Gay Man  Gay Woman/Lesbian  Heterosexual/Straight Other 

Disability:

Do you consider yourself to have a disability?Yes No 

If yes, please provide details:

Resources Monitoring: So that we can continue to use the resources that work best, please tell us where you saw the advertisement for this position.

Newspaper Magazine Website (War Child) Website (Other) 

Please specify ______