Finance Manager, CATALYZE

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 Finance Manager plays a key support role in ensuring CATALYZE budgeting, forecasting, and accounting practices are appropriately implemented. The Finance Manager is responsible for the management and implementation of effective and efficient financial activities that deliver the project in accordance with contractual obligations, company policies, Group Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Guidelines and client rules and regulations. This position will supervise one (1) other Finance staff and report to the CATALYZE Director of Finance & Compliance in Washington, DC.

CATALYZE is a $250 million 8-year program, designed to mobilize $2 billion in private capital, especially to underfinanced social sectors (such as education) and higher risk countries (especially low-income and post-conflict countries) around the globe, complemented by a cross-cutting inclusion of gender-lens investing. CATALYZE serves as a “platform of platforms” that provides services to many missions and bureaus that “buy in” to tap the CATALYZE investment and pay-for-results project management expertise. Our aim is for investors to explore and find commercially viable opportunities and approaches to creating jobs, developing sustainable social services, tightening, and rationalizing supply chains, and advancing inclusive growth – ultimately, reducing the need for development institutions to provide donor funding.

Location:

The position is based in Palladium’s Washington D.C. office.

You and Your Career:

If you are a problem-solver, collaborator, and doer, and you have expertise in finance management, 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:

This position will supervise one (1) other Finance staff and report to the CATALYZE Director of Finance & Compliance in Washington, DC.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

Support to Field Office Buy-in Teams

• 
  Liaising with buy-in finance and accounting teams through the home office buy-in Activity Management Units to oversee recording of field expenditures and reconciliation of bank accounts (Field Vouchers)
  
• Conduct periodic reviews of accounts to ensure company accounting practices are adhered to (travel advances, withholdings and subsequent payouts, appropriate use of cost allocation methodologies, etc.)
  
• Conduct spot checks, coordinate internal project audits, and support external project audits as required
  
• Provide targeted trainings to buy-in finance and accounting teams, as required, to build their capacity in Palladium and client finance and accounting practices

Support to Home Office Buy-in Teams

• 
  Serve as primary point of contact for buy-in Activity Management Units on all budget, forecasting, and accounting-related activities
  
• Assist buy-in Activity Management Units adhere to corporate financial management deadlines (accruals, variance notes, forecasting updates, etc.)
  
• Engage Activity Management Units to investigate and resolve finance-related issues (large variances, inaccurate budgeting, etc.)
  
• Collaborate with Activity Management Units during budget development and budget updates to provide support in budgeting best practices
  
• Assist Activity Management Units implement tailored buy-in finance and accounting practices and best practices, in accordance with company policies, to enable effective and efficient specific buy-in operations
  
• Provide targeted trainings to buy-in Activity Management Units, as required, to build their capacity in Palladium and client finance and accounting practices

Support to CATALYZE Core Management Team

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  Provide timely, accurate, and detailed financial reports to management and home office including but not limited to USAID reports, monthly actuals vs forecast variance, and accruals
  
• Conduct detailed review of monthly client invoices as well as prepare any additional submission requirements required by the client
  
• Manage and maintain CATALYZE’s 50+ charge codes, internal tracking of obligation and other financial data requirements against the 50+ charge codes, and cost allocation methodology
  
• Run ad hoc analyses/reports (through the company’s financial management system), as required, to support data requests from management and the client
  
• Lead and manage CATALYZE responses to Palladium and external financial reporting exercises such as DBA reconciliation/renewals, annual service contract reporting, annual foreign tax reporting, incurred cost submission, small business reporting, etc.
  
• Support Core Management Grant and Procurement Team conduct cost and price analyses and other finance-related exercises, as required

Key Competencies Required:

• 
  Considerable experience in financial management on large, donor-funded projects, experience on USAID-funded projects highly desired.
  
• Knowledge of USAID/USG rules and regulations, especially cost principles
  
• Proactive problem-solving, decision-making and good judgment skills
  
• Demonstrated ability to manage and protect confidential information
  
• Ability to communicate effectively with managers, colleagues, vendors, and clients
  
• Proven ability to be a mentor to counterparts and supervisees
  
• Excellent English language communication skills
  
• Extensive experience with and command over MS Excel
  
• Experience with CostPoint, COBRA, and Oracle or similar accounting software highly desired

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.