Financial Controller

Ember, a fully remote and globally-focused nonprofit, is seeking an experienced Financial Controller to oversee our financial management, reporting, and compliance functions while supporting our mission to advance the global energy transition. This role requires a deep understanding of UK accounting standards and nonprofit financial management, as well as the ability to work collaboratively in a dynamic, international environment.

As Financial Controller at Ember, you will play a pivotal role in managing our financial operations to ensure the organisation's long-term stability and impact. You will be responsible for key functions such as cash flow management, treasury oversight, and the accurate preparation of financial statements. In addition to ensuring compliance with tax filings and regulatory requirements, you will take ownership of internal controls, mitigating risks and developing policies to optimize our financial processes.

This role also involves a strategic dimension, as you will be responsible for budgeting, forecasting, and conducting variance analysis to provide actionable insights that align with Ember's goals. You will collaborate across teams, supporting departments with team-based budgeting and accounting while ensuring our financial systems are robust and responsive to organisational needs. Your work will have a real impact in moving the world towards a zero-carbon power system, in a diverse, fast growing and innovative organisation.

Key responsibilities:

• Financial Management: cash flow oversight, managing accounting, payment and treasury functions, ensuring financial accuracy
• Reporting: preparing financial statements, management reports, grant reports, and compliance documents, working with our external bookkeeper
• Budgeting and Forecasting: developing and monitoring budgets, conducting variance analysis, and preparing financial forecasts
• Internal Controls: implementing controls, mitigating risks, and developing policies.
• Compliance: overseeing tax filings, ensuring adherence to laws and standards
• System Optimization: maintaining and improving financial systems and processes
• Collaboration: supporting other departments with team-based budgets and aligning with organisational goals.

Location: The United Kingdom. (Ember is a fully remote organisation. While it is possible for the role to be based anywhere in the world, it is important the candidate has substantial experience and knowledge in accounting and finance in the UK, as Ember is headquartered in London.)

Requirements

Essential

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, or a related field; professional certification (e.g., ACA, ACCA, CIMA) is required 
• Minimum of a total of 5 years of experience in the finance function of at least two different non-profit organisations headquartered in the UK
• Minimum of 2 years working at international organisations 
• Substantial experience developing financial policies, e.g. internal control, budget management, treasury management
• Substantial experience working with external vendors, e.g. interim CFO, bookkeeper, tax advisor, etc
• Experience in financial modelling, scenario modelling and sensitivity analysis
• Experience in applying financial control and effectiveness metrics 
• Passionate about the climate movement and/or the global energy transition
• Fluent in spoken and written English

Nice to have

• Experience in financial reporting for grant reporting
• Experience in managing team-based P&L and budgeting process
• Experience in operational analytics
• Experience in Xero
• Other language skills (especially Asian ones and Spanish)

We are an equal opportunities employer committed to diversity and treating all employees with dignity and respect regardless of background. 

Benefits

Salary: £60,320 - £71,042.  Salaries may be adjusted depending on a location cost of living formula, but will not be below 75% of advertised figure.

Contract:  Full time (but only working 9 days every fortnight with no reduction in pay), permanent subject to a 3 month probationary period.  For employees based outside of the UK, a local payroll contract is available, dependent on the country.

Remote culture and diverse team: Ember is a remote-first organisation, with talents of diverse backgrounds from 15+ countries over the world.

Further benefits: We offer a competitive benefits package, including:

• We operate a nine-day fortnight meaning our full-time staff are given every other Friday off work with no reduction in pay
• A minimum of 25 days holiday, plus public holidays and Christmas week-off
• For each year that you're part of the team at Ember you'll receive an additional day of holiday, up to a maximum of 5 additional days.  
• Generous paid maternity and paternity leave
• Flexible working conditions, including the opportunity for part-time work and home working.
• Access to a local working space can be arranged
• In-person meet-ups (on average 2 meet-ups per year)
• Allowance for home office equipments
• Free annual eye tests
• Access to a counselling service
• Funding and allocated time for your training and development
• Paid volunteer day
• Four paid days off to enable low carbon travel
• Time off to donate blood

About Ember

Ember is an independent, not-for-profit energy think tank that aims to accelerate the clean energy transition with data and policy. We gather, curate and analyse data on the power sector and coal mine methane emissions, and use our findings to improve energy and climate policy.

See our work at https://ember-energy.org/ and https://x.com/ember_energy