Finance Manager Proposal Budgeting

CONFIDENTIAL – INTERNAL VACANCY ONLY

Scope: Global

Hours: Fulltime

Reports to: Head of Finance & IS

Team: Finance & IS

Office: All Hivos locations

Provisional grade: ZIM: 6,7 KEN: 12,13 TUN: 11 CR: 6,7 NL: 12

About the role

The Finance Manager – Proposal Budgeting is responsible for the strategic and operational leadership of proposal budgeting across Hivos. The role ensures that all donor proposals are financially sound, compliant with donor and organizational requirements, fully cost-recovering, and aligned with Hivos’ financial frameworks and risk appetite.

Positioned within the Finance function, the role acts as the central finance authority for proposal budgeting, providing expert guidance on costing, pricing, financial risk, and donor negotiations. The Finance Manager works in close partnership with Business Development, Programs, and other Finance Managers to safeguard Hivos’ financial sustainability at the pre-award stage and strengthen organizational learning on donor financing models.

Purpose of the role

The purpose of this role is to lead and steward the full proposal budgeting function at Hivos.  The role ensures that donor budgets are accurate, compliant, financially sustainable, and fully cost-covering by applying Hivos’ financial procedures, interpreting donor requirements, and exercising sound financial judgment in partnership with Business Development.

Responsibilities and duties

• Review donor requirements (fee/cost-based, eligible/ineligible costs, direct/indirect costs) and lead financial guidance for bid and no-bid decisions.


• Lead the development of budgets (cost proposals) for priority and complex donor proposals at global and regional levels, working closely with proposal teams, project staff, and Finance colleagues.


• Review proposal budgets to ensure they effectively meet donor requirements as well as Hivos internal costing and pricing guidelines for full cost recovery.


• Design and advise on pricing strategies that balance competitiveness with financial sustainability.


• Review and approve proposal budgets to ensure compliance with donor requirements, alignment with internal financial policies, and full cost recovery.


• Ensure accurate and timely registration of newly signed donor contracts in CRM systems.


• Monitor the use of Hivos budgeting tools templates and guidelines for key donors, and support in developing new approaches to respond to innovative donor financing mechanisms


• Guide the Business Development team in donor budget negotiations to ensure full cost recovery and reduce risk.


• Provide authoritative Finance support during donor budget negotiations to safeguard Hivos’ financial position.


• Ensure coherence between proposal narratives, logical frameworks, budget figures, and budget narratives.


• Lead the financial handover from proposal to implementation by clearly communicating approved budgets, assumptions, and donor-specific conditions.


• Provide required information for correct setup of project modules in financial systems.


• Update annually the cost pricing model with the inputs from relevant Depts and ensuring appropriate dissemination among main stakeholders.


• Develop and deliver training, guidance, and learning materials on proposal budgeting, pricing, and donor rules.


• Strengthen budgeting financial literacy among Business Development, Programs, and Finance colleagues.


• Capture lessons learned from proposal budgeting and negotiations to continuously improve organizational practices.


• Prepare and contribute to management information, including the monthly Order Intake report, in coordination with Business Development.


• Support budget revisions and modifications for existing awards budget modifications of existing awards.


• Decision-Making Authority:


• Acts as the delegated Finance authority for proposal budgets prior to submission, within agreed limits.


• Has authority to require revisions to proposal budgets that do not meet compliance, costing, or sustainability standards.


• Advises senior management on financial risks and pricing implications of donor proposals

     Leadership & Stewardship

• Own and continuously improve proposal budgeting frameworks, costing methodologies, pricing models, and donor-specific tools.


• Act as the Finance focal point and subject-matter lead for proposal budgeting across the organization.


• Ensure consistent application of financial policies, costing, and pricing standards across regions and donors


• Identify trends, risks, and opportunities in donor financing mechanisms to inform Finance leadership and organizational strategy.

Skills and competencies

• Advanced expertise in proposal budgeting, costing, pricing, and financial analysis


• In-depth knowledge of donor funding rules and compliance requirements.


• Proven ability to safeguard full cost recovery


• Ability to interpret and apply donor budget rules


• Good understanding of costing, pricing, and full cost recovery


• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills


• Clear communication skills with nonfinance colleagues


• Ability to work well with BD teams, Finance, and PMs


• Good coordination and organizational skills


• Ability to manage deadlines and multiple proposals at once


• Knowledge of budgeting tools, CRM, and financial systems


• Strong analytical judgment and financial risk assessment skills


• Ability to build organizational capacity and coach finance and non-finance colleagues.


• Strong organization and prioritization skills with attention to details


• Willingness to flex schedule according to availability of colleagues in other time zones.


• Fluent in English. Second language Spanish, Dutch, Arabic or Spanish is an asset.

Education and experience

• Bachelor's degree in finance, Accounting, Economics, Business Administration, or related field.


• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in proposal budgeting, donor-funded project finance, or NGO/INGO finance


• Demonstrated experience with multiple institutional donors (e.g. EU, MFA NL, Sida, FCDO, foundations


• Solid understanding of donor-funded project cycle management


• High proficiency in Excel

How to apply

Please submit a cover letter (maximum 1 page) and CV (maximum 2 pages) as soon as possible by clicking the ‘Apply here’ button. Applications are being received until February 3rd 2026 midnight UTC.