Director of Finance & Risk

About PIE

The Pooled fund on International Energy (PIE) is an international grant making and strategy platform, hosted by ECF (European Climate Foundation) with a mission to drive a just global transition from coal in power and industry toward clean electrification.

We work with charitable foundations and regional climate foundations to support a diverse set of research institutions, think tanks and civil society organisations working with governments, business and other parts of society all over the world. We aim to back local organisations and international partners to overcome the barriers to clean energy and steel.

PIE was formed in 2013 and is hosted at the ECF. PIE is comprised of a small and dedicated international team of exceptional people based around the world. We seek to operate in accordance with a core set of values: Empowering and Caring Team, Bold Action with Urgency, Collaboration for Real World Impact, Resilient Partner with Climate Ecosystem, and Evidence-Based Decision-Making. More information available at:

Context the role

Reporting to the Director of Operations, this role provides strategic leadership and oversight across finance, legal, compliance, governance, and enterprise risk management as PIE becomes an independent entity from ECF. This new role works closely to enable the Head of Finance, Head of Legal & Risk and Head of Grantmaking Operations to ensure that PIE's financial resources are managed responsibly, organisational risks are understood and appropriately managed, and decision-makers have access to clear, actionable financial and risk insights to guide strategy and operations.

As PIE continues to grow as a global philanthropic organisation, this role will play a critical part in strengthening institutional resilience and ensuring going concern, enabling responsible growth, supporting international operations, and building systems and practices appropriate for a complex, multi-jurisdictional organisation. As a small organisation of 60-70 team members, every member of the team is hands-on and wears multiple hats to ensure organisational effectiveness and resilience.

The Director leads a team of 4-6 team members across finance and legal, while serving as a strategic partner to PIE leadership and team members, governance bodies, funders, and external partners.

Key responsibilities

Strategic Finance & Organisational Stewardship

• Serve as PIE's principal advisor to the Leadership Team on financial sustainability, organisational performance, and resource stewardship.
• Shape long-term financial strategy in support of organisational strategy, ensuring financial considerations are embedded in organisational and strategic decision-making.
• Lead organisation-wide discussions on resource allocation, investment choices, growth scenarios, and strategic trade-offs.
• Ensure PIE maintains a sustainable financial model that supports its mission, ambition, and operating environment.
• Use financial insights to challenge assumptions, improve decision-making, and strengthen organisational effectiveness.
• Present financial and organisational performance information to leadership, governance bodies, and funders in an accessible and actionable way.

Enterprise Risk, Governance & Organisational Resilience

• Lead PIE's approach to enterprise risk management, ensuring appropriate oversight of strategic, operational, financial, legal, compliance, and reputational risks.
• Facilitate discussions on organisational risk appetite and support leaders in making informed decisions under uncertainty.
• Ensure risk management is integrated into strategic planning, grantmaking, operations, and organisational decision-making.
• Provide oversight and guidance to governance bodies, including the Supervisory Board and Audit & Finance Committee.
• Lead organisational resilience planning, helping PIE anticipate and respond to emerging risks and opportunities.

Leadership of Finance, Legal & Risk Functions

• Provide strategic leadership and direction to the Finance and Legal & Risk functions through the management of the Head of Finance and Head of Legal & Risk.
• Ensure the functions have the capabilities, systems, structures, and resources required to support a growing international organisation.
• Oversee audit and financial compliance processes
• Create alignment across finance, legal, governance, risk, grants, and operations to support effective organisational decision-making.
• Support the professional growth and development of senior leaders across the function.
• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, collaboration, and sound judgement.

Leadership Team & Stakeholder Engagement

• Contribute as a member of the PIE Leadership Team to organisational strategy, priorities, and performance.
• Act as a trusted advisor and thought partner to the Executive Leadership Team and Director of Operations.
• Build productive relationships with funders, auditors, legal advisors, governance bodies and other key partners.
• Represent PIE externally on matters relating to organisational stewardship, governance, risk, and financial sustainability.

Experience and competencies

Exerpience

• 10+ years of relevant experience in senior finance leadership roles
• Significant experience working in complex, international, and multi-jurisdictional organisations
• Experience supporting executive teams and governance bodies
• Proven experience leading, developing, and working with high-performing teams in multicultural environments.
• Strong expertise in strategic financial planning and resource allocation.
• Experience with enterprise risk management and overseeing organisational risk management frameworks.
• Ability to translate complex financial information into clear, actionable insights and communicate financial information to non-financial audiences.
• A professional qualification in accounting, finance, business, economics or a related field (such as ACCA, ACA, CPA, CIMA, CFA, MBA or equivalent experience is desireable.
• Ideally: experience in philanthropy, foundations, nonprofits, or grant-making organisations, and/or familiarity with international grant-making and charitable funding structures.

Key Competencies

• Strategic thinker with strong judgement
• Exceptional financial and risk acumen
• Collaborative and influential leader
• Clear and compelling communicator
• Pragmatic, solutions-oriented mindset
• High integrity and accountability
• Comfortable rolling up sleeves in complex, fast-moving environments

What we offer

• A unique opportunity to shape a high-impact role in a dynamic international team.
• A highly flexible, self-managed approach to day-to-day work
• Contract type: 2-year contract, full-time with possibility of renewal.
• The chance to contribute to global climate solutions through strategic philanthropy.

Location

Within +2 hours of GMT+1 and able to travel regularly to The Hague, London, and other locations across Europe.

Start date

As soon as possible

All applications will be treated confidentially. We will store your information in our internal database unless you specifically request otherwise.

How to Apply

The deadline for applications is 23 September 2026, by 17:00CEST

Applicants are encouraged to upload their CV and motivation letter as one combined document.

Diversity Statement

We are committed to diversity and inclusion in our organisation. We strongly encourage candidates from historically disadvantaged or marginalised groups to apply.