Finance & Operations Manager, Current AI

About Current AI

Current Al is a global partnership working to reshape the future of Al and ensure it serves the public good. Launched in February 2025 at the Al Action Summit in Paris, it has secured over $400 million in initial funding from the French government, Al Collaborative, and a coalition of leading governments, philanthropies, and industry partners.

Our mission is to shape the AI ecosystem by focusing on the outcomes that matter most to people and communities, with transparency and equity.

We focus on areas where Al can make a meaningful difference, like healthcare, science, linguistic diversity, trust and safety. At the same time, we are helping build the partnerships, tools and standards needed for a future where open, trustworthy technology serves the public interest.

Why this role matters

This is not a routine finance role. You’ll be at the operational center of a high-momentum, mission-driven organisation in a startup phase. Early on, you’ll take on a broad and high-responsibility portfolio of tasks - helping shape the foundations of the organisation - before shifting into a more focused role as the leadership team is built.

You’ll initially report to the interim team that is setting up Current AI before hand-over to the Current AI executive team - bringing continuity, institutional memory, and operational insight. We aim to have the CEO in place by February 2026. 

You will play a central role in building an organisation that can steward significant public and philanthropic funding transparently and purposefully. 

What you’ll do

Finance & Accounting:

• While the interim leadership is in place, support with the budgeting process and managing forecasts
• Oversee day-to-day financial operations and coordinate with external accounting partners (eventually the remit of a Finance Director or similar)
• Ensure compliance with local regulations, donor conditions, and audit standards (eventually the responsibility of a General Counsel or similar)
• Prepare clear, actionable financial reports, dashboards, and KPI tracking for leadership and funders (eventually the remit of a Finance Director or similar)

Operations:

• Ensure smart, scalable systems across HR, legal, compliance, finance, IT and admin are in place in the organisation’s startup phase - balancing structure with startup agility and building the foundation for long-term solutions
• Oversee procurement, vendor management, and contract processes with a focus on transparency and value, in a startup environment until the executive team is in place
• Develop interim internal policies that enable both rigour and flexibility—including but not limited to financial controls, data protection, expenses, and travel
• Put in place preliminary organisational metrics and help leadership stay on top of what’s working and where we need to adapt
• Ensure we meet all relevant obligations—from GDPR to grant compliance to employment law
• Identify gaps, inefficiencies or risks and proactively address them.

What we’re looking for

Must-haves:

• 5+ years in finance or operations or human resources, ideally in fast-growing non-profits, startups, tech companies, or international organisations
• Entrepreneurial mindset – comfortable with initial ambiguity and confident sharing ideas with leadership for iteration and improvement
• Fluent in both French and English, with the ability to operate cross-culturally
• Proven experience designing or scaling operational systems from the ground up, including financial systems, audits, controls, and compliance
• Skilled at translating financial complexity into clear insights for different audiences—whether they’re programme leads or funders
• Confident working with external providers like legal counsel, accountants, and tech vendors
• Excellent time management, organisational, and multitasking abilities; adaptable and efficient in a dynamic environment.

Nice-to-haves:

• Degree in business administration, law, finance, or a related field.
• Experience in philanthropic or mission-led organisations and knowledge of donor reporting environments
• Curiosity for the AI space

Character traits:

• Systems thinkers – You thrive on finding elegant, scalable ways to make complex operations run smoothly
• Early-stage operators – You’re energized by ambiguity and excited to build from the ground up
• Ethical stewards – You care not just about what gets done, but how it's done
• Team players – You can work independently but know when to loop others in
• Bias for action – You act decisively, are comfortable with calculated risk and know when to take initiative and when to bring others along 
• International mindset - you’re at ease in multi-cultural settings

The offer  

We’re committed to ensuring that team members are supported, well-compensated, and able to thrive. Compensation will be competitive and benchmarked against global mission-driven organisations of similar scale in France.

How to apply

Please email your CV to Christian Kenny (christian.kenny@ventula.co.uk) from the search firm helping us with this hire and attach a covering note answering each of the following questions in no more than 500 words in total:  

1. What excites you about joining Current AI at this early stage?
2. Share an example of how you built or improved a finance or operations system in a fast-moving environment
3. Tell us about a time you had to strike the right balance between operational rigour and startup flexibility

Equal opportunity commitment  

Current AI is committed to ensuring equal access to employment and preventing all forms of discrimination. All applications will be reviewed fairly, without regard to origin, sex, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, disability, religious beliefs, views held, or any other criteria unrelated to professional qualifications. Selection will be based solely on skills, experience, and suitability for the role.  

Current AI does not accept unsolicited applications from recruitment agencies with whom we do not have a signed agreement. Current AI will not be liable for any fees or commissions in the event that a candidate submitted in this manner is subsequently hired.