Swiss Church Aid (HEKS/EPER) employs over 1500 people. It implements around 290 programmes and projects in 35 countries worldwide and at 24 locations in Switzerland with a total budget of CHF 144 million. HEKS/EPER works for a peaceful and just world in which the dignity of all people is respected and the natural livelihoods are preserved. Its priority areas are Climate Justice, Right to Land and Food, Refuge and Migration and Inclusion. It also provides humanitarian aid. Its highest authority is the Board of Trustees, which supervises the Executive Board; it currently consists of five women and six men.
Lived diversity - inclusion is important to us:
We welcome applications regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic origin, religion, age or sexual orientation.
For our Finance Department at our Global Office in Zurich, we are looking for a committed, independent and team-oriented person who would like to contribute to a newly created position with immediate effect or by arrangement:
Head of Finance & Controlling
To drive the strategic development of our organisation, we are seeking an entrepreneurial and inclusive leader to take on the position of Head of Finance & Controlling. This key role involves overall responsibility for the financial management, governance and the further development of the financial architecture in national and international contexts.
Head of Finance & Controlling
Your main tasks:
Technical and personnel management of the Finance & Controlling Department
- Overall management of the Finance & Controlling Department
- Technical and personnel management as well as further development of employees through coaching and targeted internal/external training
- Ensuring clear roles, deputies and efficient organisational structures
- Establishing a trusting, appreciative and performance-oriented team culture
- Financial responsibility for all cost units within the department
Accounting, financial statements and financial management and planning
- Overall responsibility for proper accounting in accordance with Swiss GAAP FER, the Swiss Code of Obligations (CO) and Zewo guidelines
- Overall responsibility for the individual financial statements and the consolidated financial statements
- Overall responsibility for the annual financial statements of the employee benefits foundation in accordance with the CO
- Management and coordination of the annual review process (individual and consolidated financial statements)
- Ensuring a review framework that complies with the criteria of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in international country offices
- Coordination of project-specific reviews in Switzerland and abroad
- Technical support for forensic investigations
- Contact person and sparring partner for the Executive Board and the Finance Committee of the Board of Trustees
- Financial assessment of strategic initiatives and investment decisions
- Overall responsibility for budgeting, forecasting and strategic multi-year planning
- Development and provision of modern management tools (management reporting, KPI systems, scenario analyses, profitability calculations)
- Supporting the operating divisions with project budgeting, cost recovery and contribution costing
- Further development of an integrated performance management system (finance & impact)
- Ensuring transparent reporting to the Board of Trustees and relevant bodies
- Financial impact measurement in the non-profit context
Treasury
- Treasury management (development and implementation of an organisation-wide treasury concept, ensuring permanent solvency and liquidity planning as well as active foreign currency management)
- Capital structure (sustainable and regulation-compliant investment strategy (ESG-oriented),ensuring efficient and secure payment processes in Switzerland and abroad, bank account management and strategic safeguarding of long-term financial stability
Governance, compliance and risk management in the financial sector
- Development and implementation of a comprehensive financial risk management system
- Establishment and further development of an internal control system (ICS) in accordance with the CO
- Overall responsibility for the financial governance of subsidiaries, shareholdings and operating sites in Switzerland and abroad
- Ensuring uniform financial standards, guidelines and management principles
- Technical management and support for local financial managers in governance and compliance issues
- Ensuring compliance with national and international accounting, compliance and anti-corruption standards
- Monitoring regulatory developments in Switzerland and abroad
Financial processes, digitalisation and data- Overall responsibility for the existing financial architecture (processes, applications, data model) and its further development as a management tool
- Strategic modernisation of the financial infrastructure with a focus on efficiency, data quality and automation
- Ensuring effective change management, involving all relevant stakeholders
- Ensuring appropriate controls in the area of IT and data security with a financial impact
- Ensuring qualitative external financial reporting (e.g. project statements to authorities and funders)
- Responsibility for the annual SDC reporting (Financial Counterpart)
Other areas of responsibility
- Tax exemption and compliance with tax regulations
- Processing of legacies and inheritances
- Professional exchange in relevant networks
- Support for other divisions in insurance and finance-related issues
Your profile:
- Completed business studies with specialisation in finance or comparable qualification (e.g. expert in accounting & controlling, certified accountant)
- Several years' experience in a complex organisation, ideally in a non-profit and/or international environment
- Sound knowledge of Swiss GAAP FER, CO, consolidated financial statements as well as foundation and non-profit laws
- Experience in international financial management and governance structures
- Strategic and conceptual way of thinking combined with a high level of operational implementation expertise
- Strong analytical skills and high affinity for numbers
- Inclusive and communication-based management style
- High affinity for digitalisation and process optimisation
- Very good written and spoken German, French and English skills
This is what we offer:
- A challenging and varied job in a renowned NGO with a national and international focus
- Great creative freedom and opportunities to contribute your own ideas
- A motivated and organised team
- Great flexibility in terms of attendance times and place of work
- Modern employment conditions