Senior Finance and Operations Manager - J-PAL Southeast Asia

Job Description

The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) is a global research center working to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. Established in 2003 and globally based within the Economics Department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, J-PAL operates through seven regional offices worldwide housed under different local universities. J-PAL Southeast Asia (SEA), based at the Institute for Economic and Social Research in the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Indonesia (LPEM FEB UI) in Jakarta, leads J-PAL's work in Southeast Asia.

J-PAL Southeast Asia seeks a qualified applicant for the Senior Finance and Operations Manager position that will support its Southeast Asia operations, based in Jakarta, Indonesia. This person will be a critical part of our backbone, managing our financial oversight, reporting, grant management, and operations, including legal, HR, and general office management. This individual will lead several roles in a team, including finance and accounting, grants, and operations. Knowledge and experience regarding project management, budgeting in research, operations, and experience in managing multiple team members will be a plus.

The scope of work includes, but is not limited to:



Grants Management and Operations

• Manage multiple grant funds from various donor organizations and their compliance with J-PAL, LPEM FEB UI, Donor rules and regulations, award requirements, and the Government of Indonesia laws and regulations;
• Coordinate with the project managers on grant financials, compliance, and reporting, including working with researchers and donors to reallocate funds as needed, to plug funding holes, and to negotiate with donors;
• Work with research staff to develop proposals, providing input on substantive areas of project/program operations and financial issues of staffing, budgeting, and contracting;
• Manage the timely assembly and submission of proposals that meet J-PAL SEA’s standards and donor requirements for submission;
• Manage service contracts and vendor relationships, including procurement;
• Supervise the operations team on J-PAL SEA's operations management, including HR Management and General Affair;

Financial and Project Management

• Support senior management in the preparation of the organizational budget;
• Responsible for the overall quality of the financial report and the project's spending plan;
• Manage multi-year budgets for J-PAL SEA and track results within the Finance team; report regularly to the Executive Directors on the financial situation; anticipate problems and develop solutions;
• Work to improve project budgeting, operational budgeting, and cost recovery;
• Maintain a system of financial control that meets University and donor requirements for transparency and responsible management of resources;
• Directly manage and develop finance and operations staff at J-PAL SEA who are responsible for grants management, office management, human resources, and financial administration;
• Collaborate with other managers to support monitoring the project spending and other related project activities.

Requirements

• A bachelor’s or master's degree (advanced degree desirable) in Accounting or other related fields.
• Strong interpersonal skills and analytical abilities; broad knowledge of financial and administrative management principles.
• Demonstrated leadership skills; minimum of six years of working experience with a minimum of three years of experience in managing a team; significant financial management and administrative experience.
• Ability to budget and conduct expense analysis in a non-profit setting preferred.
• Strong computer experience with various accounting, database, and financial packages;
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and proven ability to communicate with senior donor representatives.
• Should be able to take a broad view of organizational management while maintaining a strong understanding of budget, contracts, and grant details.
• Enjoys working in a fast-paced environment and aligns with the mission and vision of J-PAL.
• Work Authorization: You must have work authorization in Indonesia (either by being an Indonesian national or otherwise).

J-PAL Southeast Asia is an equal opportunity employer where an applicant's qualifications are considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other basis prohibited by law.