Chief Financial Officer (London)

Join to apply for the Chief Financial Officer role at CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations)

Join to apply for the Chief Financial Officer role at CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations)

Launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos, CEPI was created as a partnership between public, private, philanthropic, and civil society organizations to accelerate the development of vaccines and other biologic countermeasures against epidemic and pandemic threats. CEPI’s mission is to accelerate the development of vaccines and enable equitable access to the vaccines during outbreaks, aiming to create a world that is better prepared for epidemic and pandemic threats. CEPI is regarded as a key player in global health security. It has initiated more than 100 vaccine development projects across a wide range of pathogens, including emerging infectious diseases like Lassa fever, Nipah virus, and MERS-CoV, as well as “Disease X” – a hypothetical unknown pathogen that could cause a future epidemic. CEPI is a non-profit association headquartered in Oslo, Norway with offices in London, England and Washington D.C, USA.

Purpose of the Position

CEPI is now looking for a Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) to provide strategic financial leadership and oversee the operational activities of CEPI, ensuring effective stewardship of resources to further support CEPI’s mission of accelerating vaccine development for emerging infectious diseases. This position reports directly to our CEO and must be based in either Oslo, Norway or London, UK.

Key Responsibilities

Key responsibilities of the role include, but are not limited to:

• Strategic Leadership and Organisational Effectiveness: Lead CEPI’s internal functions — Finance, Operations, Information Technology, and Grant Management — ensuring strategic alignment and operational effectiveness. Act as the primary interface between functional leaders and the CEO, driving cross-functional collaboration and continuous organisational improvement.
• Financial Strategy and Planning: Develop and implement financial strategies that support CEPI’s mission and long-term sustainability. Manage complex, multi-source donor funding streams and lead financial planning for high-impact vaccine development and epidemic preparedness initiatives.
• Portfolio and Grant Management: Oversee CEPI’s grant management systems and the financial aspects of its diverse portfolio of vaccine development projects. Ensure optimal resource allocation, financial due diligence, and compliance across multiple global partnerships.
• Financial Operations and Reporting: Lead the financial operations of CEPI, including budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, and audit processes. Ensure the highest standards of financial transparency and accountability across all stakeholder groups, including the Board of Directors, funders, partners, and regulatory bodies.
• Stakeholder Engagement and Representation: Engage with CEPI’s Board, board committees, funding partners, global health organisations, and other key stakeholders. Present financial plans, forecasts, and performance updates, fostering trust and credibility to secure ongoing and future support.
• Funding Strategy and Financial Innovation: Act as a strategic thought partner to the CEO and executive leadership team on funding strategy. Lead matching of sources of funding with funding requirements and serve as a strategic thought partner on funding sources.
• Operational Excellence: Drive continuous improvement across operational systems and processes, ensuring seamless integration between technical, scientific, and operational functions. Promote a culture of operational agility, efficiency, and accountability.
• Financial Controls: Establish and maintain robust financial controls, and governance of finance processes appropriate for an international organisation managing significant public and private funds. Ensure compliance with legal, regulatory, and funder requirements across multiple jurisdictions.
• Leadership and Team Development: Build, mentor, and lead high-performing functional teams across finance, operations, and support services. Foster a collaborative, mission-driven culture aligned with CEPI’s values and commitment to global health equity.
• Executive Team Contribution: As a key member of CEPI’s Executive Leadership Team, contribute to broader organisational strategy, ensuring that financial and operational considerations are fully integrated into decision-making at the highest level.

Experience and Professional Qualifications

The ideal candidate is a seasoned financial executive with extensive experience leading finance and operational functions in complex, international organisations. S/he brings a deep understanding of donor-funded environments, ideally within global health, life sciences, or mission-driven sectors, and are adept at managing multi-source funding, grant portfolios, and complex partnerships. With a strategic mindset and strong operational execution skills, they are capable of navigating financial models related to vaccine development and epidemic preparedness. A collaborative, values-driven leader, they inspire high-performing teams across geographies and cultures, engage effectively with diverse stakeholders, and are passionately committed to CEPI’s mission of accelerating vaccine development for epidemic and pandemic threats.

• Extensive Financial Leadership Experience: Minimum 15 years of senior financial leadership experience, ideally gained within international organisations operating across multiple jurisdictions. Exposure to sectors such as global health, life sciences, pharmaceuticals, international development, or mission-driven non-profit organisations is highly desirable.
• Expertise in Complex Donor Funding and Grant Management: Proven track record of managing large-scale, multi-source donor funding streams and overseeing international grant management systems. Strong familiarity with the financial compliance requirements of government, multilateral, and philanthropic donors.
• Understanding of Vaccine and Pharmaceutical Development Economics: Deep understanding of the financial models underpinning vaccine research, development, and manufacturing, including risk-sharing mechanisms, funding life-cycle management, and return-on-investment dynamics for global health innovations.
• Leadership Across Geographies and Cultures: Demonstrated success in leading multi-functional, geographically dispersed teams in a culturally diverse environment. Ability to inspire, align, and develop talent across technical and operational functions.
• Stakeholder Management and Representation Skills: Excellence in stakeholder engagement, with the ability to represent the organisation credibly to board members, donors, investors, government agencies, and international partners. Experience engaging with governance bodies and external audit functions.
• Advanced Financial and Digital Competence: Highly developed financial modelling, forecasting, and analytical skills. Experience leading finance related digital transformation initiatives, including the implementation of integrated enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and data-driven decision-making tools.
• Strategic and Operational Agility: Ability to balance strategic thinking with operational execution, supporting organisational agility in a dynamic and fast-evolving external environment.
• Value-Driven Leadership: Deep personal commitment to CEPI’s mission and values. Brings integrity, resilience, collaboration, and a global mindset to leadership.
• Educational Background: Advanced degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Economics, or a related field. Professional qualifications such as CPA, CA, ACCA, or equivalent are highly desirable.

Skills and Competencies

• Ability to develop and implement complex financial strategies aligned with organisational mission and long-term sustainability goals.
• Deep understanding of financial management of donor-funded projects, including compliance, reporting, and risk management across diverse funding sources.
• Knowledge of the economics of vaccine and pharmaceutical development, including R&D funding structures, manufacturing models, and public-private partnerships.
• Strong capability to think strategically while applying rigorous financial analysis to decision-making processes.
• Ability to lead cross-functional operational areas (Finance, IT, Grant Management, Operations) and drive continuous improvements in systems, processes, and performance.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage credibly and persuasively with a wide range of stakeholders including the Board of Directors, funders, regulators, and a wide array of partners.
• Expertise in establishing and overseeing robust risk management frameworks, governance models, and internal controls across international operations.
• Strong familiarity with finance and operational technologies, including ERP systems and digital transformation initiatives that enhance efficiency and decision-making.
• Experience working across cultures and geographies, with the ability to lead diverse teams and navigate complex international operating environments.
• Proven ability to build, inspire, and retain high-performing teams, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and excellence.
• Deep commitment to CEPI’s mission, with values and leadership style that reflect integrity, resilience, humility, and a focus on global health equity.

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