Senior Lead, Grants Finance

Who We Are  

International Justice Mission (IJM) is the global leader in protecting vulnerable people from violence around the world. Our team of over 1,200 professionals are at work worldwide in over 30 offices. Together we are on a mission to rescue millions, protect half a billion, and make justice unstoppable.  

We are a global community that cares for one another. We believe that the way we work is as important as the results we achieve. We provide professional excellence with joy and celebration to all those we serve.    

The Need  

For over 25 years, IJM has pioneered the work to protect vulnerable people from violence. 9 out of 9 times in the last decade, IJM’s Justice System Strengthening Projects have reduced slavery and violence between 50 and 85% for very large populations of people in poverty. As we grow to expand our impact to protect 500 million people from violence, we are seeking a Senior Lead, Grants Finance. 

The Senior Lead, Grants Finance, reports to the Global Director, Grants Partnerships and oversees a variety of global workstreams aimed at strengthening IJM’s revenue planning and financial and management capacity for grants at the portfolio level. This role is responsible for developing, communicating, and training staff on sound financial management practices throughout the grant lifecycle, starting with the cost proposal process and ending with responsible grant closeout. With deep expertise in grant budget development and management techniques for institutional grants from a variety of donors (government and non-government, US- and non-US based), the Senior Lead, Grants Finance contributes heavily to internal capacity building initiatives; serves as a primary liaison between Global Grants and Global Finance divisions; maintains subject matter expertise in enterprise financial systems; and compiles and analyzes data for grant revenue forecasts for leadership.   

Key Responsibility Areas: 

• Cost Proposal Development – Proficiency in core financial compliance backstopping and grant budget development, including templates, guidance, review/approval prior to submission;  

• Capacity Building – Development and delivery of budget and financial management tools and trainings;  

• Grant Financial Management and Analysis – Support required grantor financial reporting and payment management; Compile and analyze grant revenue and acquisition forecasting and reporting;  

• Systems Optimization for Grants Financial Management – Coordinate to ensure the enterprise financial data management, including systems, policies and procedures, are effective for meeting grant requirements.  

This position is hybrid (onsite Tuesdays & Thursdays) if located in the Washington, DC area or remote for non-local candidates. It reports to Global Director, Grants Partnerships and is only available for candidates with the right to work in the US.   

Responsibilities:   

Cost Proposal Development (30%): 

• Review grant solicitations and develop budget templates and guidance in line with donor requirements, best practices and internal requirements.  

• Oversee the cost proposal development process, collaborating with Regional teams to ensure budgets and budget narratives are reasonable, comply with donor requirements, and are completed timely and accurately.  

• Provide ongoing coaching and feedback to Regional/Field teams throughout the budgeting process.  

• Review draft budgets submitted by Regional teams and partners.  Provide final sign-off on cost proposal package before sending to the Global Grants Director or Controller for approval.    

Grant Financial Management and Analysis (30%): 

• Provide coaching and technical assistance to Finance teams with regards to donor reporting requirements and best practices.   

• Coordinate with Regional and Global Finance teams to manage grant reporting and payment cycles, including the review, submission and drawdowns or invoicing according to donor requirements and intervals.    

• Ensure IJM's Grant Management Dashboard and Tracker are maintained and distributed to relevant stakeholders. Support the continuous improvement of grant metrics and the function of Grant Dashboard and Tracker.    

• Provide financial analysis on IJM’s grant portfolio and KPIs as requested by the Global Director, Grants Partnerships, Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis or Chief Financial Officer as requested.   

Capacity Building (20%): 

• Facilitate virtual and in-person training sessions for global staff on topics related to grant budgeting, grant financial management, grant financial systems, and donor rules and regulations.  

• Contribute to ongoing revisions and improvements to IJM’s Grant Management policies and procedures, standards, best practices, resources and training materials as requested by the Global Director, Grants Partnerships.     

• Develop training materials and job aids for IJM users based on changing system requirements and functionality for Workday Awards module.    

• Up to six international trips per year may be required to conduct training of field staff and/or participate in proposal design workshops.  

Systems Optimization for Grants Financial Management (20%):  

• Coordinate with Global Finance and Global Technology teams to ensure IJM financial systems, including Workday and Adaptive, are consistently and correctly utilized and optimized for effective award management.  

• Develop close working relationships with regional and country staff responsible for grants finance matters and serve as an ally and advocate for field programs facing financial management challenges as they engage with enterprise systems for grant acquisition and implementation.  

• Develop subject matter expertise of enterprise finance systems and model appropriate application of technology to grant-related financial management through consistent and thorough implementation of award processes in Workday and Adaptive, including award setup, tracking and reporting, modifications, and closeout. 

Qualifications:   

Education & Experience:   

• Bachelor's Degree in Finance/Accounting required; graduate degree in business administration and/or CPA strongly preferred.  

• Minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience required.  

• Minimum of 3 years of experience with grant financial management.  Strong experience with successfully leading cost proposal processes with the U.S. Government required.    

• Experience in financial management of foreign government, foundation and international/multilateral funding strongly preferred. 

Technical Competencies:   

• Experience managing complex budgets and detailed financial reporting to donors.  

• Advanced understanding of Microsoft Excel required and proficiency in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems (Workday, Adaptive, Salesforce, QuickBooks, etc.) preferred.  

• Intermediate knowledge of grant accounting principles.  

• Familiarity with the Uniform Guidance regulations and other policy requirements applicable to U.S. government awards and similar requirements applicable to other public and multi-lateral funding sources.  

• Ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment, work well under pressure and prioritize multiple, competing priorities. 

Non-Technical Competencies: 

• Eager commitment to IJM’s Core Values: Christian, Professional and Bridge-Building.  

• Mature orthodox Christian faith as defined by the Apostles’ Creed.  

• Self-motivated and hard-working.  

• Critical thinker and problem solver.  

• Outstanding collaborator with diverse teams.  

• Ability to build and maintain trust with stakeholders.  

Application Process:   

Upload Resume, Cover Letter & Statement of Faith* in one PDF document.  

*What is a statement of faith?  
A statement of faith should describe your Christian faith and how you see it as relevant to your involvement with IJM. The statement can either be incorporated into the cover letter or submitted as a separate document and should include, at a minimum, a description of your spiritual disciplines (prayer, study, etc.) and your current fellowship or place of worship.  

What does IJM have to offer?  

• Comprehensive Medical/Dental/Vision benefits  

• Monthly commuter and parking benefits in the DC metro area  

• Retirement benefit options   

• Paid leave starting at 23 days  

• 12 holidays (plus early release the day prior)  

• Daily, quarterly, and annual community spiritual formation  

• Robust staff care resources