Portfolio Finance Manager in London

The Portfolio Finance Manager (PFM) is fully embedded in the Project Management Unit and provides financial expertise across a portfolio of programmes and donor‑funded projects. The role is responsible for ensuring strong financial governance, budgeting, reporting, donor compliance and audit coordination.

Overall Responsibilities

• Budget development as part of business development processes
• Build multi‑year project budgets and forecasts, monitor expenditure against them through variance analysis
• Review and approve financial elements of donor contracts
• Assess eligibility of costs and ensure compliance with donor financial rules
• Set up new projects in Business Central (BC) / Progressus accurately and timely
• Manage billing schedules and raise donor invoices
• Set up and manage donor records in BC / Progressus
• Upload project budgets to BC / Progressus
• Own ODI Global’s project budgeting template
• Enable and support project managers with efficient budget management tools
• Manage the finances of sub‑grants and downstream delivery partners, including budget review and review of partner financial reports
• Prepare project and portfolio cash‑flow forecasts and donor funding requests
• Develop donor financial reports and coordinate supporting financial information
• Provide project‑level financial data for statutory and transparency reporting
• Audit project ledgers to identify errors
• Coordinate project financial audits and lead the financial response to them
• Monitor FX gains and losses
• Coordinate project closure processes

Business Development and Project Set‑up

• Work with project managers during project design and proposal development
• Build multi‑year, multi‑currency project budgets, applying the correct allocation of direct and indirect costs and appropriate overhead and indirect cost recovery rates
• Determine staff day rates and funded day allocations when building project budgets, ensuring staff time and recoverable costs are correctly priced into proposals
• Assess the level of unfunded full economic cost (FEC) at proposal stage and flag it as part of the financial viability assessment for the bid
• Lead the financial input to go or no‑go and bid decisions, including pricing and cost recovery at proposal stage, to support the financial viability of new work
• Ensure accurate completion and approval of all finance elements of the Award Review Form (ARF) at the relevant moment
• Lead grant opening or kick‑off financial briefings with Research Groups, so projects start with a shared understanding of the budget and the donor’s financial compliance requirements
• Set up new projects within BC / Progressus, ensuring all essential elements of project records are updated accurately

Project Management and Donor Compliance

• Review donor contracts to identify and resolve finance‑specific risks, requirements, or compliance queries and assess contractual terms to ensure profitability and viability, providing points for donor negotiation as required
• Maintain a working knowledge of major donor financial rules and regulations, for example FCDO, the European Commission, UN agencies, US government funders and foundations, and act as the first point of advice for the Research Group on donor financial compliance
• Translate each donor contract into a financial compliance checklist, covering the eligibility of costs, reporting requirements and key financial conditions, and brief Research Groups accordingly
• Assess eligibility of expenditure against donor rules, and the correct allocation and apportionment of direct and indirect costs
• Coordinate finance approvals for donor contracts as per the thresholds set out in the Statement of Delegated Authorisation
• Carry out financial due diligence and pre‑award capacity assessments of sub‑grantees and downstream delivery partners, and monitor their compliance with donor financial requirements throughout the life of the award
• Manage the financial aspects of grant revisions, including budget realignments, cost extensions and no‑cost extensions, in line with donor approval requirements
• Set up records in BC / Progressus for new donors, ensuring a high level of accuracy

Financial Management and Reporting

• Set up and manage billing schedules in project records on BC / Progressus, including raising invoices and supporting required documentation such as funding requests
• Upload project budgets to BC / Progressus, ensuring a high level of timeliness and accuracy
• Lead budgeting, reforecasting and budget‑versus‑actual variance analysis across the portfolio of projects, working with project managers and budget holders to agree corrective action
• Monitor burn rates and spend‑down across the portfolio, prepare forecasts to completion, and flag potential under‑ or over‑spends early
• Monitor staff days charged against funded day allocations across the portfolio, identifying over‑ or under‑recovery and agreeing corrective action with project managers
• Track unfunded FEC across the portfolio, monitoring the gap between the full cost of delivery and the income recovered, and report on the cost absorbed by ODI Global
• Prepare project and portfolio cash‑flow forecasts, and align donor instalment and funding requests to them
• Manage and maintain ODI Global’s project budget tool, troubleshooting issues and introducing additional beneficial features as required
• Strengthen financial controls, coding and the audit trail for grant transactions within BC / Progressus
• Maintain oversight and ensure compliance with donor financial reporting deadlines and requirements
• Develop and maintain financial reporting templates, tools and a reporting calendar to support timely and accurate donor reporting
• Prepare donor financial reports and coordinate supporting financial documentation
• Supply project‑level financial data for transparency and statutory returns, including the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI)
• Manage disbursements to sub‑grantees and downstream delivery partners, and review their financial reports for accuracy and eligibility before consolidation
• Coordinate project financial audits, collating supporting documentation alongside S/PMs as required
• Monitor foreign exchange gains and losses across projects and take appropriate actions or escalations as necessary

Knowledge Management and Team Collaboration

• Attend and contribute to Research Group meetings
• Lead or contribute to regular grant and budget review meetings with Research Groups, tracking actions and financial follow‑up
• Support continuous improvement of financial processes, systems and reporting practices
• Share knowledge and guidance with Research Groups and operational teams on financial procedures and donor compliance requirements
• Provide training and guidance to project managers and budget holders on budget management, donor financial compliance and use of the project budget tool
• Maintain organised grant financial records and a working repository of donor financial rules and guidance for the Research Group
• Work with other Portfolio Finance Managers and the wider Project Management Unit to share good practice and ensure consistent financial management across Research Groups

Person Specification

Essential – Knowledge and Qualifications

• Ability to build budgets, allocate resources, and adjust forecasts during the project lifecycle
• Ability to track actual expenditure against planned budgets to mitigate overspends or underspends
• Strong understanding of direct vs. indirect costs, and overhead allocation
• Awareness of charity statutory reporting requirements, including Charities SORP and FRS 102
• Understanding of full economic cost (FEC), day‑rate setting and funded day allocations
• Understanding of regulatory requirements, grant reporting standards and auditing processes
• Understanding of donor financial rules and compliance requirements across a range of funders
• Experience in a charity or non‑profit finance background; a formal accountancy qualification is not required

Experience

• Experience of financial management in a donor‑funded environment
• Experience of grant financial management across the project lifecycle, from proposal budgeting to closure
• Experience of budgeting, reforecasting and variance analysis across a portfolio of projects
• Experience of developing accurate donor financial reports
• Experience of managing the finances of sub‑grants or downstream delivery partners
• Experience of managing multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
• Experience of project audits, ideally including leading the financial response to them

Skills / Abilities

• High proficiency in Microsoft Excel
• Good proficiency with financial management systems, ideally Microsoft Business Central and Progressus
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills with excellent attention to detail
• Financial management and analysis skills
• Ability to prepare and interpret project and portfolio cash‑flow forecasts
• Ability to interpret donor contracts and translate financial conditions into compliance requirements
• Effective teamwork, inter‑personal and collaboration skills
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Ability to explain financial information clearly to non‑finance colleagues
• Knowledge of foreign exchange management
• Experience with multi‑currency project accounting

Key Relationships and Contacts

• ODI Global Chief Executive
• SLT
• Research Group Directors
• Project Management Unit colleagues, including other Portfolio Finance Managers
• Auditors and financial regulators
• Bilateral and multilateral donors and related organisations
• Sub‑grantees and downstream delivery partners
• Key foundations and business partners

Equal Opportunity

• Positively support equality of opportunity both within ODI Global and externally
• Help maintain a safe working environment and take responsibility for own and colleagues’ health and safety
• Undertake other duties within the scope of the post as may be requested by the Manager

Benefits

We prioritise the well‑being of our employees and offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your personal and professional growth. Enjoy generous annual leave, public holidays and additional time off during Christmas and New Year. We recognise the importance of work‑life balance and offer flexible working arrangements, remote work options, and study leave to support your professional development. Our commitment to employee well‑being extends beyond annual leave. We provide maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave, a competitive pension scheme, interest‑free travel loans, sick pay, an Employee Assistance Program and staff events and social activities to ensure your physical and mental health. For those relocating to the UK, we provide relocation assistance. We also promote sustainable commuting with our Cycle to Work scheme and offer union membership to protect your rights and advocate for your interests. At ODI Global, we believe that a supportive and rewarding work environment is essential for success. Our comprehensive benefits package reflects our commitment to your well‑being and professional growth.