Ikea Foundation - Project Controller - succesvol ingevuld

Position

For IKEA Foundation, we are looking for a Project Controller in order to extend the team as the organisation finds itself in a growth phase.

Position

As a Project Controller, you will be part of a small but enthusiastic and intrinsically driven team of people who are committed to make a difference. You will work closely together with one or more of the portfolio teams at the Foundation in order to create well established grants and manage them in a responsible way. From a financial perspective you will manage a diverse mixture of grants in terms of multi-year and individual grants, in amount, ranging from a thousand to up to hundred plus million euros and of different complexities from partners of various natures (e.g. social entrepreneurs, INGOs and UN entities).

Main responsibilities: 

• You will perform partner risk assessment (due diligence) on perspective and returning partners to identify key risks in areas of reputational, legal, governance, operational and financial management. You will assess whether these organisations are capable of managing IKEA’s funds in a responsible way and identify any gaps in their capacities. Based on your findings, you will help the Programme Manager and the partner to agree on risk mitigation or capacity development plans and advise the Programme Manager on how they should further shape the funding design;
• You will review project financial proposals, assess the clarity and reasonableness of the proposed budget in relation to the grant proposal. You will engage in discussions with the partner about key budgetary assumptions and provide clear feedback to both the partner and the Programme Manager to strengthen the budget design. You will set clear expectations about financial reporting and/or audit requirements for each grant and help the partner to understand them;
• You will draft grant agreements using established templates and when necessary facilitate negotiations between the partner and the IKEA Foundation’s legal counsel and other internal stakeholders. You will make sure that grant agreements, amendments, and/or other formal documents are prepared in accordance with internal governance and documented properly for audit purposes.
• You will closely monitor a grant’s financial performance and cashflow, and when necessary monitor the progress related to any agreed improvement plans for organisational development at a partner and actively follow up on issues identified. You will review financial reports, revised budgets  and the partner’s audited financial statements or the project’s audit reports, provide clear feedback to both the partner and the Programme Manager and approve payments when conditions are met. You will also give clear signals if you identify the need for course correction;
• When required, you will facilitate the process of external audit/investigation with our assurance service providers under the guidance of the internal subject expert on audit and the Head of Project Control;
• You will ensure that all financial information of the grant or applications are accurately entered and maintained in the Foundation’s grants management software system so that the quality of internal reporting is preserved;
• You will act as the link between the Project Control team and the portfolio team(s) and make sure key information is shared mutually and timely.

Background

As a person you are flexible minded and team oriented, which is shown in being committed to consensus building, seeking a team solution and being able to put your ego behind you. You are result oriented, able to stand your grounds and communicative which enables you to mobilize people around you in order to achieve desired results. Characteristics that are applicable to you are: a great feeling of responsibility, organized and inclusive. You are confident and clear but can bring a calm, humble approach to collaboration even under time pressure. You are purpose driven yet prudent in your actions and get enthusiastic about driving systematic social change through exercising sound financial and operational judgements. You have the ability to reflect upon yourself, are risk sensitive and most importantly are motivated to live by and share the values of IKEA Foundation.

To be successful in this job, you bring the following skills, experiences and characteristics:

• A university degree in Finance, Business Administration, Accounting or an established working record in one of these fields;
• 7+ years of working experience in similar role(s), preferably within an environment with mixed multicultural or professional backgrounds;
• Strong work ethics and high integrity standards. You have the  courage to voice issues when you see them;
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build trustful relationships while being sensitive to cultural and personal differences. You can handle difficult conversations;
• A process-oriented mindset with the ability to correctly interpret and apply operational processes and procedures;
• Previous experience in conducting due diligence and assessing financial position of organisations;
• Able and willing to travel within Europe or internationally 4-6 times per year.