Key Responsibilities
1. Strategic Leadership & Financial Planning
* Lead the organisation’s financial strategy ensuring sustainability and alignment with mission and organisational priorities.
* Advise the CEO and Board on financial performance, risk, and scenario planning.
* Develop long-term financial models and cashflow forecasts.
* Provide financial insight to strategic decisions, business cases, growth opportunities, and operational planning.
2. Financial Management & Control
* Oversee and execute specific tasks relating to financial operations including accounting, treasury, cash management, payroll, and banking.
* Ensure monthly, quarterly, and annual financial closes are accurate and timely.
* Maintain and strengthen internal financial controls across central team and country/project operations.
* Implement efficient systems and processes to support a lean but compliant financial environment.
3. Budgeting & Organisational Performance
* Lead the annual budgeting process
* Monitor budget performance, variances, and financial KPIs, providing clear analysis for senior leadership.
* Support budget holders to understand forecasts and make informed decisions.
4. Donor Finance & Grant Compliance
* Oversee donor grant finance, ensuring compliance with institutional donor restrictions and requirements.
* Ensure accurate, timely donor financial reports and statements of expenditure.
* Maintain strong cost allocation methodologies and restricted/unrestricted funds management.
* Support proposal development with budgeting, pricing, and value-for-money analysis.
5. Audit & Assurance
* Lead the annual organisational audit: prepare schedules, financial statements, and required disclosures.
* Ensure compliance with charity accounting standards (SORP)
* Oversee financial donor audits, ensuring timely, accurate responses and evidence.
* Strengthen processes to maintain a clean audit trail across all offices and functions.
6. Risk Management
* Contribute to the organisational risk register by recording and presenting on financial risks to the Board and Finance and Audit Committee.
* Lead on fraud prevention, detection, reporting, and investigation standards.
* Ensure compliance with anti-money-laundering legislation and act as MRLO for the organization.
* Implement financial due diligence for donors, suppliers, and country operations as required to meet organisation and donor policies.
7. Oversight of International Operations
* Ensure strong financial management of new country programmes creating and reviewing and renewing policies as required.
* Support secondees in new countries ensuring they are paid and can make payments as required.
* Support the development or review of financial systems, capacity, and reporting in relation to new country expansion work.
* Oversee financial arrangements for countries where the INGO has no legal entity, including fiscal hosts, secondee payments, and contract structures.
* Ensure multi-currency management, FX exposure monitoring, and cashflow forecasting.
8. Leadership, Management & Culture
* Lead, mentor, and develop the finance team to achieve operational excellence.
* Promote a culture of integrity, accountability, and financial literacy across the organisation.
* Provide training and guidance to programme and non-finance staff.
* Uphold the organisation’s values, safeguarding principles, and anti-corruption commitments.
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Person Specification
Essential
* Worked as a Finance Director or as a Head of Finance (with autonomy of decision making and board reporting duties)
* Strong understanding of charity accounting standards and regulatory requirements.
* Senior-level finance experience in an INGO, charity, or multi-country organisation (preferably with operations in the Global South)
* Fully qualified accountant (ACCA, CIMA, ACA, CPA or equivalent).
* High integrity, sound judgement, and commitment to NGO values.
* Demonstrable experience with institutional donor compliance.
* Experience leading annual audits and preparing financial statements.
* Strong leadership and team management skills, including developing staff.
* Strong budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis skills.
* Experience managing multi-currency environments and international financial operations.
* Ability to communicate financial information clearly to non-finance staff, senior leaders, and Boards.
Desirable
* Experience working with local partners and capacity-strengthening in the Global South.
* Knowledge of risk management frameworks and counter-fraud systems.
* Experience with digital transformation of financial systems.
* Familiarity with grant management systems and cloud-based accounting tools.
* Understanding of tax, registration, or legal issues related to INGOs working without in-country entities.
* Lived and worked in Sub Saharan Africa