Advisor to CFO

Save the Children Fund; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

An international non-profit organization is seeking an Advisor to the CFO to enhance financial strategy and operations. This role involves providing analytical support, ensuring efficient coordination within the CFO's office, and engaging with senior leaders to drive impactful results. Candidates should exhibit exceptional organizational and communication skills and have a qualification in finance or accounting. The position offers a hybrid working model and requires strong digital skills in MS Office and collaboration tools.

Benefits

Flexible work options

Collaborative work environment

Qualifications

• Exceptional planning and coordination skills in fast-paced environments.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Proactive mindset with initiative to identify and solve complex problems.
• Strong judgment for managing competing priorities effectively.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic problem-solving and analytical support.
• Drive collaboration and knowledge management across teams.
• Coordinate and lead departmental meetings and events.
• Manage CFO calendar and ensure efficient time use.

Skills

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Problem-solving

Digital and technology skills

Education

Qualification in finance or accounting

Tools

MS Office applications

Collaboration tools

Job description

Description

Save the Children International has an exciting opportunity for an Advisor to the CFO to join our global team.

Team and Job Purpose

The Finance Department develops and implements financial strategy for the movement while effectively managing financial risks. It is responsible for strong financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, reporting, controls, operations and Treasury management. We aim to drive efficiency and effectiveness within a strong culture of integrity, including by promoting simplification and automation of our financial processes and systems.

Role Purpose

As Advisor to the CFO you will play a pivotal role in driving Save the Children’s financial strategy and operations. You will work closely with senior leaders providing critical planning, knowledge, coordination and administrative support. You will help ensure the smooth running of the CFO’s office while also taking on meaningful projects that strengthen collaboration and engagement of financial leaders across the movement.

Beyond coordination you’ll have the opportunity to prepare reports and presentations for the Board, Senior Leadership Team and other governance groups, tackle complex problems, provide analytical insights and shape strategic recommendations on issues that are vital to our mission. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who thrives in a fast‑paced, purpose‑driven environment and wants to be part of global change at a senior level.

Job Details

• Job Title: Advisor to the CFO
• Reports To: Chief Financial Officer
• Work Pattern: Hybrid / Remote with flexible working options available
• Contract Length: Permanent
• Grade: P3
• Location: Any approved Save the Children International office location. For a full list of locations that Save the Children International can hire in please visit: SCI Careers
• Time Zone: (role holder must be available to work in)
• Right to Work: The successful candidate must possess the unrestricted right to work in their current or preferred location for the duration of employment.
• Language Requirements: English. Additional languages particularly French, Spanish and Arabic highly valued.

Principal Accountabilities

• Provide strategic problem‑solving and analytical support: proactively build subject‑matter understanding on key strategic topics for the CFO; conduct research, surface insights, generate recommendations and support the development of briefing materials, decision memos and other resources to enable high‑quality, timely decision‑making.
• Drive collaboration and knowledge management: actively facilitate collaboration within and across teams and functions by maintaining clear channels of communication, proactively sharing information, managing documentation and knowledge systems, supporting planning and monitoring processes and identifying, resolving or escalating interdependencies and challenges early.
• Lead coordination and execution of departmental meetings and events: plan, coordinate and deliver high‑quality meetings, workshops and events with internal and external stakeholders; manage scheduling, logistics, agenda design, action tracking, talking points, briefing materials and pre‑reads to ensure seamless execution and strong outcomes.
• Ensure effective and forward‑looking calendar and time management and use of voice: support the CFO to anticipate and prioritise scheduling needs, actively highlight potential conflicts or issues and ensure the CFO’s time is optimised against strategic priorities. Ensure that CFO communications and engagements within the movement and with outside stakeholders are prioritised.
• Provide high‑quality administrative and operational support: manage day‑to‑day operations including CFO calendar, correspondence and travel coordination, budget monitoring and expense reconciliation; ensure all administrative tasks are completed accurately, promptly and with minimal oversight.

Essential Experience and Skills

• Exceptional organisational and planning skills with proven experience delivering high‑quality coordination, executive support and operational management in fast‑paced, high‑performing environments. You thrive on creating order, anticipating needs and enabling senior leaders to operate at their best.
• Outstanding communication skills both written and verbal, fluent in English, with the ability to engage confidently and credibly with people at all levels across different cultures. You bring tact, discretion and diplomacy to every interaction.
• A proactive, solutions‑oriented mindset with the ability to independently identify issues, offer creative solutions and work closely with senior colleagues to drive results on complex problems and strategic priorities.
• High levels of initiative, motivation and autonomy with a strong sense of ownership over your work. You are someone who moves things forward without waiting to be asked and keeps an eye on both the details and the bigger picture.
• Strong judgment and the ability to balance competing priorities, managing multiple tasks and meeting deadlines in a dynamic, fast‑changing environment without losing focus or quality.
• Advanced digital and technology skills, particularly in MS Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and collaboration tools such as SharePoint, MS Teams and MS Planner. You are comfortable navigating tech tools to maximise efficiency and collaboration.

Desirable Experience and Skills

• AI and digital productivity skills: familiarity with AI‑powered tools and support products (such as scheduling assistants, writing aids, data analysis tools or knowledge management platforms) that can enhance executive productivity, streamline decision‑making and drive smarter ways of working.

Education and Qualifications

• Essential: Qualification in finance or accounting or equivalent work experience.
• Desirable: Language skills (French, Spanish or Arabic) would be an advantage.

Working at Save the Children International

Save the Children is the world’s leading organisation for children, employing lives who fight for their rights. We help them fulfil their work in 116 countries, putting the most deprived and marginalised children first.

We know that great people make a great organisation and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career along with a collaborative and inclusive environment where ambition, creativity and integrity are highly valued.

The work here is challenging but is also immensely rewarding. At Save the Children you will be in good company working with talented, like‑minded individuals who are determined to ensure that all children survive, learn and are protected. Your contribution will help ensure children’s voices are heard at the highest levels and that we achieve our global strategy Ambition for Children 2030 and reach every last child.

Diversity Equity and Inclusion and Equal Opportunities

DEI is core to our vision, values and global strategy. Save the Children is committed to creating a truly diverse, equitable and inclusive organisation and one which will support us in our vision to ensure every child attains the right to survival, protection, development and participation.

We are committed to equal employment opportunities regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, colour, ethnic origin, nationality, disability, marital or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, caring or parental responsibilities, age or beliefs and religion. We are committed to diversifying our staff to better represent the communities we serve and actively welcome under‑represented groups to apply.

Reasonable adjustments will be made should any candidate invited to interview require this.

Application Information

Please attach a copy of your CV and cover letter with your application. A full copy of the role profile can be found here via the job listing. It is recommended that you save a copy of the role profile as it will no longer be available after the advert closes.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the job advert may be closed earlier than advertised subject to the volume of suitable applicants. Please submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.

Due to the high volume of applications we receive, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Candidates who are successfully shortlisted should expect to hear from us within 2 weeks of the advert deadline.

Our Recruitment Process

• Application review by our recruiting team based on your CV and cover letter.
• Two‑stage competency‑based interviews with the hiring team.
• Some recruitment may include an additional assessment or case study stage or a third‑stage interview.
• If successful you will receive a conditional offer of employment followed by your contract subject to passing background checks.

We need to keep children and adults safe so our selection process includes rigorous background checks and reflects our commitment to the protection of children and adults. Employees are expected to carry out their duties in accordance with our Code of Conduct and all policies and procedures relating to Anti‑harassment, Health and Safety, Safeguarding and DEI and Equal Opportunities.

Save the Children does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.