Portfolio Manager - UK

Girls Not Brides is a global partnership working to end child marriage and ensure every girl can shape her own future. Since 2011, we’ve brought together more than 1,400 organisations in nearly 100 countries, all united by one goal: to stop child, early, and forced marriages and unions everywhere. We envision a world without child marriage, where girls in all their diversity decide if, when, and whom to marry, one where their rights and futures are fully realised. In 2025, 1 in 5 girls were married under 18. By 2030, we will contribute to reducing that to 1 in 7. We will do this by mobilising and influencing international actors to unlock commitments and resources to end child marriage and by driving impactful collective action in ten focus countries.

INTRODUCTION TO THE ROLE

Girls Not Brides’ donor‑funding portfolio - spanning a mix of restricted and unrestricted funding - has expanded in scale and complexity, requiring consistent coordination, strong financial oversight, and high‑quality reporting across multiple teams. As the organisation enters a new strategic period, we are strengthening how we manage donor commitments to ensure excellence in delivery and impact. As part of the Impact & Strategy Performance team, the Portfolio Manager will play a central role in developing and coordinating a unified operating model for the full lifecycle of our donor grants, working closely with designated staff managing projects, colleagues managing sub‑grants to members, and other teams. This post will ensure that activities, timelines, budgets, and reporting requirements are well aligned, enabling smooth delivery and clear ownership of responsibilities across the organisation. The role will enhance our internal systems, promote consistent ways of working, and support teams to meet donor expectations efficiently and effectively. This is a pivotal role that contributes to organisational readiness, operational excellence, and sustained donor confidence.

ABOUT YOU

You are a proactive and organised self-starter with experience supporting coordination across complex, multi-grant portfolios within a fast‑paced, mission‑driven environment. You bring strong experience coordinating deliverables across teams, supporting high‑quality donor reporting, and ensuring clear tracking of grant requirements, timelines, budgets, and reporting expectations. You are confident managing competing priorities, identifying gaps, anticipating needs, and helping teams stay aligned and accountable. You build strong working relationships across Programmes, Finance, Fundraising, MEAL, and Operations, and communicate clearly and collaboratively with diverse stakeholders. You bring structure, clarity, and efficiency to complex processes, with a solution‑focused and adaptable approach. You are motivated by collaborative ways of working and by contributing to an organisation advancing the rights and opportunities of girls globally.

Job location: London (UK). The successful candidate must have the right to work in the UK at the time of applying, and for the full duration of the 18‑month contract. Working as a global team, all Girls Not Brides team members may from time to time be expected to work outside normal working hours (e.g., early morning or early evening) this is not a regular occurrence and is only to accommodate collaboration of teams across different time zones. This role may require some international travel, as necessary. Accountable to Head of Impact and Strategy Performance.

Salary range: Salary dependent on salary scale where the role will be based and competitive benefits as per Girls Not Brides organisational Global Pay and Benefits policy. Payments will be made in local currency where located.

Contract: This is a fixed term contract for 18 Months. The successful candidate must have the right to work in their selected country of residence at the time of applying, and for the full duration of the 18‑month contract.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Maintain an organisation-wide view of the donor-funding portfolio, providing visibility across projects, timelines, requirements and interdependencies.
• Lead the development and coordination of a unified coordination and accountability model for donor‑funded grants, setting clear standards, roles, responsibilities, and ways of working across the grant lifecycle.
• Promote consistent grant management practices across teams, recognising different delivery models and levels of grant complexity.
• Work closely with colleagues managing projects and sub‑grants, ensure alignment between donor requirements and sub‑granting processes.

Grant Delivery Coordination and Quality

• Support staff responsible for managing projects and budget holders to track progress against agreed objectives, timelines, KPIs, and budgets, reinforcing accountability with those leading delivery.
• Provide coordination support for complex, multi-team grants where there is no single project manager, helping to consolidate inputs, sequence activities, and surface interdependencies.
• Take a lighter touch, quality assurance role for narrower grants with a clear, single project manager.
• Help identify emerging delivery challenges early and facilitate cross‑team coordination to keep grant commitments on track.
• Support staff managing project and budget holders by clarifying financial requirements and timelines, and help identify emerging financial risks or variances, supporting timely coordination and communication where needed.

Donor Reporting and Compliance Coordination

• Coordinate donor reporting processes, ensuring clarity on reporting requirements, timelines, and quality standards, leading consolidation and drafting for complex, multi-team grants, and providing light‑touch review and quality assurance where a single staff member is accountable.
• Working closely with Development and Finance teams, support shared understanding of donor compliance and reporting expectations across teams.
• Maintain strong documentation and audit‑ready files, supporting due diligence processes and donor audits as required.

Systems Strengthening and Capacity Building

• Strengthen grant management systems, tools, templates, and workflows to support consistent, efficient grant management across donor‑funded grants, collaborating closely with colleagues leading sub‑granting management to ensure alignment of tools and processes.
• Build organisational and staff capacity by embedding project management best practice and collaboration tools (e.g., Monday.com or equivalent) improving visibility, coordination, and reducing duplication.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• Demonstrated experience managing complex, multi‑grant portfolios in an international development or similar context, including coordinating delivery across multiple teams and, ideally, countries.
• Proven experience managing portfolios involving multiple concurrent grants (typically 3+), with responsibility for tracking budgets (ideally £1m+), timelines, and deliverables, and coordinating across Programme, Finance, and Fundraising teams.
• Proven experience in grant portfolio management and donor reporting, including coordinating inputs and deliverables across multiple cross‑functional teams.
• Familiarity with project/portfolio management methodologies and systems, or equivalent practical experience applying structured approaches to coordinating delivery across multiple projects.
• Strong ability to manage and synthesise portfolio‑level information, including grant requirements, timelines, reporting obligations, and budgets across multiple projects.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to translate donor requirements and compliance expectations into clear, practical guidance for colleagues.
• Proven ability to build effective working relationships across Programme, Finance, Fundraising, MEAL, and Operations teams in a matrixed environment.
• Strong understanding of donor compliance and reporting standards, and how these differ across funding types and donors.
• Experience using portfolio management or project‑management tools (e.g. Monday.com, SharePoint) to support cross‑team coordination and visibility.
• Ability to work independently and proactively, with strong attention to detail and confidence managing competing priorities across a portfolio.
• Collaborative team player with an inclusive and respectful approach to working with others.
• Proactive and organised, with attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities confidently and independently.
• Experience working in international and diverse working environments, including ability to work remotely and across different time zones.

Safeguarding

Girls Not Brides is committed to safeguarding all children, young people and adults at risk with whom our staff and representatives work and interface. Any employment with Girls Not Brides may be subject to the satisfactory completion of a background check and a criminal records check, which can include but is not limited to: an overseas police record check, a Disclosure and Barring Service Check (for those based in the UK) or an International Criminal Record Check (if applicable).

Diversity at Girls Not Brides

Girls Not Brides is an equal opportunities employer. We embrace diversity, equal opportunity and inclusion in a serious way. We are committed to building a staff body that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.

Please note: This is a single Portfolio Manager position. While the role is advertised in the UK, India or Kenya it may be based in any of these locations, only one appointment will be made.