Deputy Director, Grant Management & Budget

iFOREST; Dadri; Remote; INR 1,800,000 - 3,000,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Job summary

iFOREST in Noida invites an experienced Deputy Director to lead grant management and budgeting. The role focuses on budgeting, donor reporting, financial analysis and compliance with FCRA and donor rules, working with programme teams, donors and auditors.

You will manage budgets for grants, prepare reports, supervise sub-grants and audits, and build systems for dashboards and SOPs. Strong English communication and 12+ years in grant management are essential.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in grant management, budgeting or financial planning.
• Working knowledge of the FCRA and tax rules for non-profits in India.
• Experience preparing donor financial reports and handling donor audits.
• Advanced spreadsheet and budgeting skills.
• Experience with grants from philanthropies, bilateral and multilateral donors.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and review proposal budgets with programme teams, including staff costs, indirect cost recovery and cost norms.
• Develop and maintain standard cost factors and norms for developing budgets, and track staff budgeting across projects/grants
• Review financial terms and reporting requirements in grant agreements before signing, and flag risks.
• Set up each grant in the accounting system with cost codes and a reporting calendar.
• Track spending against each grant budget and alert division directors to under- or over-spending.
• Prepare donor financial reports, utilisation certificates and budget variance explanations.
• Manage budget revisions, amendments and no-cost extensions with donors.
• Lead grant close-outs, including final reports and reconciliation of balances.
• Support due diligence and monitoring of sub-grantees and implementing partners.
• Prepare the annual organisational budget and mid-year review with the Director – Finance & Compliance.
• Prepare cash-flow forecasts by grant and for the organisation as a whole.
• Develop fair methods for allocating shared costs and staff time across grants, working with HR on timesheets and staff costs.
• Make sure foreign contributions are received, used and reported in line with the FCRA, including limits on administrative expenses, with the Director – Finance & Compliance.
• Make sure grant spending follows donor rules on eligible costs, procurement and documentation.
• Coordinate donor audits and support statutory and FCRA audits on grant-related matters.
• Maintain a grants database and dashboards for the CEO and division directors.
• Develop and maintain SOPs for grant financial management.
• Train programme staff on budgets, donor rules and financial reporting.

Skills

Grant budgeting

Financial planning

Donor reporting

Financial analysis

Communication skills

English proficiency

Education

CA, CMA, MBA (Finance) or related qualification

Tools

Tally

SAP

Job description

Deputy Director, Grant Management & Budget

Reference code: DDGB/NCR-11/26

The International Forum for Environment, Sustainability & Technology (iFOREST) is looking for an experienced and dynamic professional to lead the financial management of the organisation’s grants and its annual budget.

A successful applicant must have a proven aptitude for grant budgeting, financial planning, donor reporting and financial analysis, and good communication skills with programme teams, donors and auditors. The candidate should ideally have working experience managing internationally funded grants, and knowledge of the FCRA, tax rules for non-profits, donor compliance and sub- grant management.

Position summary

Title Deputy Director – Grant Management & Budget

Division Finance and Compliance

Reports to Director – Finance & Compliance

Location Noida head office

Experience 12+ years in grant management, budgeting or financial planning, including at least 5 years with internationally funded grants

About iFOREST

iFOREST is an independent, not-for-profit research and innovation organisation established in 2019. It identifies, promotes and scales up solutions for pressing environment–development challenges in India and other developing countries in Asia and Africa.

Our work is rooted in regional priorities. We accelerate environmental action at the sub-national level and use that regional knowledge to improve national policies and plans and strengthen international collaboration. We conduct independent, evidence-based research, develop new knowledge and innovative solutions, convene stakeholders to build consensus, and partner with think tanks, civil society, government agencies, philanthropies and industry to scale up solutions.

Much of our work is funded by international grants and delivered with state and district partners. We have a team of about 80 people across three offices in India.

Purpose of the role

The Deputy Director – Grant Management & Budget will lead the financial management of iFOREST’s grants and its annual budget. Most of our work is funded by philanthropies and other donors, each with its own rules. The role makes sure every grant is budgeted realistically, spent as agreed, reported accurately and closed cleanly.

The Deputy Director works closely with the Director – Finance & Compliance and with division directors, and is the finance team’s main partner for programme teams on grants.

Success in this role means that, within a year:

• Every grant has an accurate budget, clear cost heads and up-to-date spending reports.
• Donor financial reports go out on time with no significant audit findings.
• Division directors understand their budgets and see problems early.
• iFOREST meets FCRA and donor compliance requirements without last-minute effort.

Key responsibilities

1. Grant budgets and proposals

• Prepare and review proposal budgets with programme teams, including staff costs, indirect cost recovery and cost norms.
• Develop and maintain standard cost factors and norms for developing budgets, and track staff budgeting across projects/grants
• Review financial terms and reporting requirements in grant agreements before signing, and flag risks.
• Set up each grant in the accounting system with cost codes and a reporting calendar.

2. Grant management and reporting

• Track spending against each grant budget and alert division directors to under- or over-spending.
• Prepare donor financial reports, utilisation certificates and budget variance explanations.
• Manage budget revisions, amendments and no-cost extensions with donors.
• Lead grant close-outs, including final reports and reconciliation of balances.
• Support due diligence and monitoring of sub-grantees and implementing partners.

3. Organisational budget and planning

• Prepare the annual organisational budget and mid-year review with the Director – Finance & Compliance.
• Prepare cash-flow forecasts by grant and for the organisation as a whole.
• Develop fair methods for allocating shared costs and staff time across grants, working with HR on timesheets and staff costs.

4. Compliance and audits

• Make sure foreign contributions are received, used and reported in line with the FCRA, including limits on administrative expenses, with the Director – Finance & Compliance.
• Make sure grant spending follows donor rules on eligible costs, procurement and documentation.
• Coordinate donor audits and support statutory and FCRA audits on grant-related matters.

5. Systems and capacity

• Maintain a grants database and dashboards for the CEO and division directors.
• Develop and maintain SOPs for grant financial management.
• Train programme staff on budgets, donor rules and financial reporting.

Qualifications and experience

• CA, CMA, MBA (Finance) or a related qualification, or equivalent professional experience.
• 12+ years of experience in grant management, budgeting or financial planning, including at least 5 years with internationally funded grants.
• Working knowledge of the FCRA and the tax rules that apply to non-profits in India.
• Experience preparing donor financial reports and handling donor audits.
• Advanced spreadsheet and budgeting skills.
• Experience in a think tank, research institution, non-profit or international NGO.
• Experience with grants from philanthropies, bilateral and multilateral donors.
• Experience managing sub-grants to partners.
• Experience with accounting or ERP systems such as Tally or SAP.
• Explains budgets and donor rules clearly to non-finance colleagues.
• Accurate and thorough, with high standards of integrity.
• Spots risks early and proposes practical solutions.
• Manages many grants and deadlines at once.
• Communicates clearly in English, in writing and in person.

What we offer

iFOREST provides an inclusive and supportive work environment and is committed to professional development through education, training and capacity building. We offer salaries that are competitive in the think‑tank sector and recognise performance through annual appraisals.

Remuneration: Depending on qualifications and experience. The final designation will depend on the selected candidate’s qualifications and experience.