Key Responsibilities:
Financial Due Diligence (FDD)
Conduct and document financial due diligence for all new NGO partners.
Verify statutory registrations financial statements internal controls and policy frameworks.
Coordinate with Financial Controllers for final sign-off and ensure minimum thresholds are met.
Gather industry best practices and regularly update the diligence checklist.
Share best practices and FDD checklist to Microsofts nonprofit partners to maintain financial hygiene.
Budgeting & Forecasting
Collect projected budget from individual legal entities and compute the consolidated India CSR budget as per Section 198 of the Companies Act 2013.
Finalize the accurate CSR budget of individual entities in collaboration with the respective Finance controllers post-signing of audited financial statements.
Coordinate with CSR team and determine the optimal seasonality of quarterly CSR spends for each fiscal year and land the necessary budgets with finance team.
Support the finance team in adherence to the determined seasonality of quarterly and yearly CSR funds and help in the accruals to ensure alignment with statutory and internal budgetary requirements.
Project Budget Review (PBR)
Review and validate proposal budgets submitted by NGOs using a structured checklist.
Share best practices on budget review checklist to nonprofit partners to reduce recurring changes.
In consultation with Program Manager conduct comparative analysis of the budgets with past disbursements and their utilization trends.
Collaborate with Program Managers to revise proposal budgets as needed and ensure compliance with internal guidelines.
Budget Approvals & Coordination
Facilitate and support project managers in obtaining timely approvals on their respective CSR budgets from the Finance Controller and other senior leadership.
Act as a bridge between CSR project teams and the finance function to ensure clarity compliance and efficiency in budget approvals and modifications.
Ensure all the requisite processes are completed post the approvals of the project with regard to uploading of Proofs of Execution in the internal MS tools to ensure readiness and compliance for audits.
Typical day in the role.
Oversee Budget Utilization
Oversee utilization of high-value CSR budgets to ensure alignment with approved plans and compliance with CSR Rules.
Review fund disbursal schedules and ensure milestone-based utilization and disbursement tracking.
Flag any anomalies or deviations in spending and support course-corrective actions.
Regulatory Compliance
Ensure end-to-end adherence to CSR legal and financial compliances including Section 135 of the Companies Act and corresponding rules.
Monitor changes in CSR laws/regulations and assess their impact on ongoing/planned projects.
Maintain up-to-date documentation and evidence trail for audit and regulatory checks.
Assist CSR team in reviewing and approving their repurposing grant approval processes of deployed projects.
Financial Oversight & Reporting
Collaborate with the Finance team to streamline fund flow mechanisms and maintain accurate records of fund disbursals and utilizations.
Support the preparation of CSR financial statements and reconciliations.
Establish recurring meetings with monitoring agencies and the Finance Controllers to apprise on the status of financial utilization and reconciliations.
Assist in internal and external financial audits of CSR accounts.
Governance & Risk Mitigation
Identify and mitigate financial and operational risks within CSR operations
Establish control mechanisms for third-party implementation partners (including fund tracking utilization certificates and financial due diligence).
Support in building standard operating procedures (SOPs) for CSR finance governance.
Directors Report & Annual Filings
Lead internal audits and coordinate with statutory auditors for fund utilization and program compliance.
Maintain updated records of CSR liabilities disbursements and impact metrics.
Support in the drafting of the CSR section of the Directors Report and related annexures.
Coordinate timely and accurate reporting for Board meetings statutory filings (e.g. CSR-2) and MCA compliance.
Cross-functional Collaboration
Act as a liaison between CSR Finance Legal and Compliance teams to ensure integrated reporting and decision-making.
Provide strategic and operational inputs during annual planning and budgeting of CSR programs.
Support communication efforts by preparing reports decks and updates for internal and external stakeholders.
Represent CSR operations in cross-functional forums and compliance reviews
Key competencies:
Seasoned professional high degree of maturity for people management
Strong understanding of Indian CSR laws and Companies Act.
Expertise in financial due diligence budgeting and statutory compliance.
Proficiency in Excel SAP and Power BI.
Analytical mindset with attention to detail.
Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
Ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities.