Paola Rossi

• Develop and implement strategic plan to meet Centre objectives.
• Optimize business processes to foster operational efficiency in collaboration with Centre Director.
• Verify compliance with best business practices throughout University.
• Contribute to business development efforts to drive revenue and meet centre objectives.
• Prepare strategic and research annual budgets with controls to prevent overages.
• Provide guidance to Chief Investigators with grants submissions,budgeting and project management for multiple grants schemes.
• Develop and initiate projects, manage costs, and monitor performance.
• Establish strong connection with key University stakeholders.
• Provide detailed project status updates to stakeholders and executive management.

• Initiated comprehensive account assessments to check viability, stability, and profitability of business operations.
• Monitored financial performance and budget on complex multi-country projects across multiple currencies.
• Maintained integrity of general ledger and chart of accounts.
• Provided reporting for forecast analysis in support of decision-making.
• Oversee of the sub-grant agreements with the participating countries.
• Lead the Financial Audit for programme participating chapters: Developing Terms of Reference, Financial Audit checklist and risk assessment procedures and templates associated.
• Liaised with external stakeholders and contractors in ensuring effective running of the programme and organisation.
• Provided capacity-building training to Chapters in Africa, Asia Pacific,and Latin America.
• Established positive and effective communication among unit staff and organization leadership, reducing miscommunications, and missed deadlines.
• Applied excellent problem-solving, process development, and strategic implementation skills to lead and support all areas of operations.

• Collaborated with team leaders to define standards, policies and procedures to meet company revenue goals.
• Generated financial and operational reports to assist management with business strategy.
• Established and enforced controls on revenue and expenses to protect company assets.
• Prepared monthly reconciliation of bank accounts and took corrective actions on deviations.
• Analyzed financial statements against forecasts to prepare high-level variance analysis.
• Coordinated the month end finance process including the preparation of all month end reports.
• Monitored and reported on income and expenditure to ensure cash flow is adequate to meet short term operating needs.
• Maintained and updated manuals relating to the Finance System.
• Supported CFO with the development and implementation of internal quality controls in conjunction with general accounting practices to ensure accuracy of the information in the finance system.

• Ensured that the activities of the organisation complied with relevant legislation, statutes, regulations, and policies and where applicable with requirements of contracts and funding bodies.
• Populated and managed database of projects and financial

information for grant agreements.

• Administered the funds of the organisation according to the approved budget and monitored on a monthly basis.
• Used strong analytical and problem-solving skills to develop effective solutions for challenging situations.
• Demonstrated leadership skills in managing projects from concept to completion.
• Proved successful working within tight deadlines and a fast-paced environment.

• Developed and implemented business strategies to achieve business goals.
• Successfully managed budgets and allocated resources to maximize productivity and profitability.
• Monitored and analyzed business performance to identify areas of improvement and make necessary adjustments.
• Controlled costs to keep business operating within budget and increase profits.
• Maintained positive customer relations by addressing problems head-on and implementing successful corrective actions.