The Purpose of the Role
The Operation Working Capital Projects (NON – FINANCIAL) is responsible for overseeing and managing the financial aspects of project delivery with a specific focus on optimizing working capital. This role bridges the gap between project management and finance, ensuring that non-finance team members (e.g., project managers, operations) actively contribute to improving cash flow, budgeting, and the financial health of projects. The WCP works closely with project teams to ensure that cash flow is managed efficiently throughout the project lifecycle, from awarding to final delivery.
Key Responsibilities:
• Project Cash Flow Planning:
• Collaborate with project teams to ensure that project plans incorporate clear cash flow timelines.
• Help team members matching project milestones with payments from clients and payments to suppliers.
• Develop tools and templates to track financial health in a non-technical way, focusing on key cash flow indicators.
• Accounts Receivable (AR) for Projects:
• Work with project managers to track project-specific receivables, ensuring timely invoicing and payments from clients.
• Simplify the reporting of overdue payments or potential delays in receiving funds and enhance their impact on project budgets.
• Assist in negotiating client payment terms that align with project schedules, reducing the financial burden on the team.
• Accounts Payable (AP) for Projects:
• Guide non-finance project teams on managing supplier payments efficiently, ensuring that payments are timed to match cash inflows from clients.
• Help project managers in accelerating payments, both project execution and working capital.
• Collaborate with procurement teams in a way that positively impacts cash flow without disrupting the project.
• Budgeting and Financial Forecasting:
• Support project managers in creating realistic budgets and financial forecasts by simplifying financial inputs and outputs.
• Help non-finance teams anticipate the financial impact of project delays, scope changes, or client variations in a clear and actionable manner.
• Provide financial insights in a way that aids decision-making, ensuring the team is aligned with both project goals and financial targets.
• Risk and Contingency Planning:
Key Skills & Qualifications:
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Project Management, or related field (experience in finance or basic financial training is a plus but not required).
• 5+ years of experience managing complex projects with a focus on budgets, cash flow, or financial oversight.
• Familiarity with project management tools and ability to incorporate financial insights into project planning.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to explain financial concepts in a simple, non-technical way.
• Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams, especially in procurement, operations, and legal.
• Problem-solving skills with a focus on practical, project-specific solutions.
