Sr. Specialist, Program Operations – WWF GEF Agency - 26025

Overview

World Wildlife Fund (WWF), one of the world’s leading conservation organizations, seeks a Sr. Specialist, Program Operations - WWF GEF Agency.

The Sr. Specialist is responsible for the financial management of specific programs assigned to the role. The position will manage the WWF GEF budgets, financial tracking, analysis and reporting, grants and agreements, and administrative functions for the assigned portfolio.  They ensure financial and administrative assistance to, and oversight of, program staff and grantees to ensure that budgets and agreements are in compliance with WWF and GEF policies, procedures, systems, and donor requirements. 

Salary Range: $80,600 - $100,800

Please note: Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. This position is not eligible for employment visa sponsorship.  In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.  

Responsibilities

• Manage annual budgeting process including long range planning and administering budgets.
• Supports the consolidation of program-wide annual budgets including monitoring budgets, producing budget reports, and preparing financial analysis and forecasting for the WWF GEF Agency 
• Supports development of proposal budgets.  Monitors the lifecycle of the financial progress of proposals throughout execution and close out.
• Coordinates and prepares Portfolio Analysis for funds requests to the GEF Trustee.  Reviews and analyzes all project financial reports to ensure compliance and notifies program staff of any problems or discrepancies and provides technical assistance to grantees in resolving problems.
• Manages the allocation of Programmatic staff time on awards, ensures accurate labor charging to donors and performs effort certification reclasses as necessary.
• Manages the lifecycle of outgoing agreements for the WWF GEF Agency to ensure appropriate financial and administrative management systems are implemented to meet the level and complexity of funding to ensure compliance with the GEF.
• Monitoring agreement-related accounts and reconciling conditional grants on a quarterly basis and compiles projections for Q4 accruals on conditional grants.
• Recommends and implements departmental procedures and provides feedback on policies and operating procedures.   
• Maintains good working relationships and stays abreast of program issues to provide overall support to program initiatives.
• Partners with Program staff to support operational responsibilities and serves as a resource for financial and administrative policies
• Provides training and guidance to program staff and field staff on budget formulation, tracking and adjustments, expense accounting, financial analysis and reporting, and contract management. 
• Identifies training needs and facilitates contracts orientation and training for newly hired program staff, in coordination with other Program Operations staff.  
• Supervise Program Operations staff members, providing coaching and mentorship and ensuring good communication and learning
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Key Competencies

• Building Working Relationships: Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders ensuring collaboration and understanding stakeholder needs.  (ex. Program staff and Accounting)
• Client and Constituent Focus: Understanding the needs of program staff, grantees, and donors to make project successful connecting to our internal controls paves the pathway for how to move forward. 
• Managing competing priorities: Having a well-developed sense of urgency vs priority vs risk is essential. 
• Ability to act independently: Ability to manage one’s own tasks, make sound decisions and guidance and solve problems with minimal supervision.

Qualifications

• A Bachelor’s degree. Accounting, business, public administration, or related field preferred.
• Spanish is STRONGLY prefrered
• MUST HAVE 6+ years of professional work experience:
  • Excellent attention to detail, ability to prioritize and work accurately under time constraints.
  • Strong organizational, quantitative, and analytical skills.
  • Ability to take complex data sets from a highly process-driven environment to identify trends, inefficiencies, and opportunities
  • Able to translate quantitative findings into actionable insights that inform strategic business decisions and process improvements
  • Portfolio reporting and tracking
  • Strong project management experience overseeing financial and administrative activities
• Familiarity with U.S G