Meliore Foundation | Finance Business Partner
About the role
The Meliore Foundation is seeking an experienced Finance Business Partner to serve as a trusted strategic partner to CommsHub, a philanthropic fund operating as a part of Meliore’s programme portfolio, which combines pooled funding, aligns strategy development, and provides technical support to supercharge the climate movement’s ability to pursue innovative, scaled, measurable, and impactful strategic communications. This is a mid-senior role within the finance business partnering function, bringing expertise in financial planning and analysis and actively building the finance capability across a global organisation.
This is a substantive role for a finance professional who combines deep technical expertise with the ability to translate complex financial information into clear insight for non-finance audiences. You will work closely with the Finance Director, and senior programme leadership, and will act as a trusted expert and go-to resource for finance colleagues and budget holders.
How you'll contribute
Financial planning & analysis- Lead the delivery of variance analysis, rolling forecasts, and the annual financial planning process, working closely with the Finance Director to ensure quality and rigour;
- Monitor and analyse cash flow of CommsHub, maintaining up-to-date forecasts and flagging liquidity risks to programme and finance leadership;
- Produce in-depth financial analysis and commentary to support decision-making by the Senior Management Team, Global Leadership Team, and key funders;
- Develop and maintain financial models to support scenario planning, funding gap analysis, and programme-level investment decisions;
- Provide guidance on the allocation of costs between direct and indirect budget lines, including overhead calculations, in coordination with the finance team;
- Contribute to the evolution of Meliore's Beyond Budgeting approach, helping to design planning processes that are adaptive, trust-based, and fit for a complex global organisation.
- Act as the primary finance business partner for CommsHub, building strong, trusted relationships with programme leadership and budget holders;
- Proactively identify financial risks and opportunities within CommsHub and propose mitigating actions, escalating to the Finance Director where appropriate;
- Support CommsHub budget holders to understand and effectively manage their financial responsibilities, including through regular one-to-one engagement, written guidance, and practical coaching;
- Lead the design and delivery of finance training for CommsHub budget holders, ensuring content is practical, accessible, and continuously improved based on feedback.
- Lead the preparation of budgets for funding proposals, working closely with CommsHub colleagues to ensure proposals are financially robust, compliantly structured, and reflect accurate cost allocations;
- Lead reviews of grant budgets and financial reports from grantees, identifying compliance issues and providing substantive feedback to Grants & Contracts colleagues;
- Oversee financial due diligence on new and existing grantees, consultants, and service providers, drawing on established frameworks and exercising sound judgement on risk;
- Support month-end closure processes, including the review and approval of funding source allocations, and identify process improvements to increase efficiency and accuracy.
- Contribute to the development of finance policies, processes, systems and toolkits that improve consistency and quality across the function;
- Represent the Finance team in cross-functional working groups and contribute to organisation-wide projects as required;
- Other responsibilities as agreed with the line manager.
Our ideal candidate has
- 5-8 years of relevant finance experience, including substantive FP&A and business partnering responsibilities, ideally in a non-profit, international development, or comparable complex environment;
- A relevant professional qualification (e.g. ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CPA) or equivalent demonstrated expertise;
- Strong analytical skills and the ability to produce clear, well-structured financial analysis and management reporting for senior audiences;
- Demonstrable experience working independently and managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced, matrixed organisation;
- Experience reviewing or managing grant finances, including budget preparation, donor reporting, and compliance monitoring;
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex financial concepts clearly to non-finance colleagues across diverse cultural contexts;
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and/or Google Sheets; experience with NetSuite, and/or SmartSimple is a strong advantage;
- Experience mentoring or supporting less experienced colleagues;
- A collaborative, trust-based working style in line with Meliore's organisational values;
- A commitment to inclusive and equitable approaches to tackling climate change.
Why join us?
- Be part of a remote-first, international network of professionals working on climate, energy and nature. We offer coworking access in some locations.
- Work with a bunch of dynamic, culturally diverse individuals who combine their passion to make a difference with a rigorous and results-oriented approach to work.
- Enjoy regular opportunities to connect and collaborate with colleagues around the world.
- A full time position with an employment contract. Only candidates with the right to work in their location will be considered.