Senior Finance and Operations Associate
Organization: J-PAL Global
Location: Remote work from home
Start Date (Earliest): ASAP
Length of Commitment: Two years
Education: Bachelor's degree
Position Overview:
The Senior Finance and Operations Associate works at MIT in The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) globally headquartered within the Economics Department at MIT. World-renowned for both its education and cutting-edge research, MIT welcomes people from all walks of life to bring their talent, ideas, and experience to our community. If you want to be part of our exceptional, multicultural, collaborative, and inclusive community, then take a look at this opportunity.
This position location is remote work from home, from anywhere in the world, with work hours aligned to the U.S. Eastern time zone. Typical work hours are Mon-Fri 8am to 5pm (ET) and follow most of the US holiday calendar with some exceptions. The MIT holiday schedule can be found here.
The Finance and Operations team at J-PAL supports J-PAL's mission to efficiently translate research by J-PAL affiliates into actionable poverty alleviation policies around the world. We are looking to hire staff who combine a strong passion for working with organizations around the world to inform development policy with solid administrative abilities to further our mission.
Under the supervision of the Senior Manager of Finance and Operations, the Senior Finance and Operations Associate serves as financial and operational lead for a portfolio of up to three major initiatives at J-PAL and works with senior F&O staff to ensure efficient operational management at J-PAL. Tasks include a mix of financial operations, grants management, and leading organizational projects in the F&O area, all within a university environment.
Principal Duties and Responsibilities:
Finance and Grants Management:
Grants & Finance
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Coordinate grant and gift related financial activities for major J-PAL Initiatives and/or ProgramAreas. Develop budgets for proposals and submit proposals into MIT systems while alsoensuring compliance with donor requirements and formats and communicating complianceconcerns with the team or management; monitor proposal progress and liaise with MIT grantsadministrators on negotiations and funding questions; review contract terms and conditions,establish subawards and partnership agreements as needed; manage regular financial reportingand closeout.
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Participate in donor meetings and conference calls as needed.
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Issue new blanket POs for new fiscal years; process procurement requisitions, journal vouchers,and verify credit card purchases.
Senior Finance and Operations Associate
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Process accounts payable including approving invoices/RFP's and travel expense reports,interacting with vendors to answer questions and resolve issues.
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Provide support for IRB applications and revision processing for several researchers.
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Implement new protocols as informed by Initiative Monthly meetings and/or ExecutiveCommittee decisions.
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Collaborate with others for continuous improvement on grant management processes andquality of support provided.
Analysis and Reporting
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Pull data from internal MIT accounting systems, prepare regular financial reports on grants fordonors and J-PAL staff. Report on spending compared to budget, monitor subaward spendprogress, and advise project managers and senior management on financial position, spend-down, potential issues, reforecasting and gaps in project funding.
Subawards
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Work with MIT's Subawards Office and J-PAL's initiative management, establish subawards forrecipients of research grants from J-PAL Initiatives and other funding.
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Supervise subaward management, including receipt of donor and J-PAL deliverables,submitting invoices, tracking of finances, and compliance with MIT's IRB policies andfiscal standards.
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Serve on task forces at J-PAL and in collaboration with MIT offices to improve subawardprocessing.
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Manage subaward closeout processes with MIT and award recipients.
Operations:
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Work with senior F&O staff to support efficient operational management at J-PAL.
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May lead and participate in system improvement projects to be determined by bi-annualstrategic planning.
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Liaise with one or more regional offices to support their financial and operational management.
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Participate in teams with other MIT offices to support J-PAL's work.
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Provide training for other grant admin staff around the world on Initiative management.
Supervision Received:
The Senior Finance and Operations Associate reports directly to the Senior Manager of Finance and Operations. He/she takes ownership of tasks and exercises good judgment in knowing when to seek feedback from managers, and shows initiative in adding value to processes. The Senior Finance and Operations Associate is expected to see projects through from start to finish.
Supervision Exercised:
None
Qualifications & Skills:
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Education: Bachelor's degree in a relevant field required.
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Experience: Minimum of 3 years in a relevant field such as grant management or financerequired. Experience with financial budgeting, tracking and projections preferred.
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Language: Ability to write and speak fluently in English.
Senior Finance and Operations Associate
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Communication: Good written and verbal skills; ability to build good relationships and workwithin a team; ability to communicate clearly with a broad range of stakeholders. Is empoweredto communicate compliance, legal or financial concerns to teams or management.
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Time & Project Management: Proven ability to anticipate, plan, prioritize, and meet tightdeadlines; demonstrated ability to efficiently organize and manage a high volume of work.Implements strategies for managing pressing deadlines or communicates when this is notpossible and seeks advice. Seeks to maximize efficiency through better processes or tools.
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Attention to Detail: Strong ability to self-manage a time-sensitive workflow while maintaininghigh quality output and absolute accuracy with details; follows developed processes orestablished criteria to make decisions but has good judgment to make decisions when thesituation is outside of already established processes. Is comfortable raising these issues tomanagement when the decision is not clear or the risk level is particularly high.
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Travel: Willingness and ability to travel internationally required. Position may require travel to J-PAL's regional offices.
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Collaboration: Works collaboratively with others to achieve results using excellentcommunication and listening techniques. Strives to work with others in order to reach anagreement

Senior Finance and Operations Associate

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