Chief Finance Officer (CFO) at Girl Effect

The Opportunity

Girl Effect seeks a strategic, solutions-oriented, and dependable Chief Finance Officer (CFO) with proven experience leading global financial administration and managing the internal operations of an international networked organization to be a key contributor in the overall business strategy formulation and implementation.

Girl Effect has recently transitioned from a London headquartered organization to a networked structure in which resources, talent, and expertise are distributed across its geographies in Africa, Asia, the US & the UK. The finance, business planning, procurement, and operations function is critical to successfully positioning the organization for present and future growth and impact.

This is an ideal opportunity for a seasoned leader with solid, hands-on finance and business management experience and the drive and enthusiasm to implement and develop processes, systems, and infrastructure to support our international non-profit. The CFO supports and works with the senior executive team (EC) to address Girl Effect’s focus on enhancing operational discipline and organization-wide areas of scalability and efficiency, performance improvement, and service level enhancement. Oversees the planning, implementation, managing, and running of all the finance activities, including business planning, budgeting, forecasting, auditing, and negotiations with an extension of role to obtaining and maintaining donor relations and partnership compliance.

The CFO will play a critical role in both day-to-day operations and long-term strategy development and will have full financial, strategic, and operational accountability as a member of the organization’s senior leadership team.

This position reports to the CEO and will be based in one of our key global markets (India, Kenya, UK or US) with a preference for someone in Nairobi.

Role Profile

The CFO is an integral leadership role with key responsibilities across the following areas:

Corporate Strategy

• Collaborating with Girl Effect CEO, Leadership and Board, set strategic goals and make strategic business projections based on current trends and future expectations.
• Together with the management team, ensure alignment on resource requirements and action plans to allow for organization goals to be met.
• Continuously monitor organization performance and the external landscape to identify risks and opportunities and determine whether adjustments to the strategic approach is required.
• Work with leadership to define and implement effective work processes and ways of working across the organization to realize the strategic objectives.

Financial Leadership

• Financial Management: Oversee the work of the global finance function to ensure compliance with regulatory and funder’s requirements; increase efficiency and effectiveness of the finance team; accuracy and reliability of financial information and the overall management of Girl Effect’s funding and expenditure.
• Budget Creation & Management: create the annual budget and manage delivery against it.
• Value for money: lead collaboration across the organization to drive value for money across the organization.
• Business planning: translating organizational plans into achievable financial results. Develop forecasts, company financial models and work directly with the management across the company to align on plans and measure results. This role requires a deep background in financial modelling and analysis, strong communication skills and a great deal of interaction and relationship building with key stakeholders across finance and the leadership team.
• Oversee collaboration with other functions, benchmark performance internally to identify opportunities to adjust operating models with the aim of improving effectiveness and efficiency.
• Develop and maintain global datasets to facilitate decision making.
• Audit, Compliance and Internal Controls: Ensure timely completion of all renditions, audits and statutory compliance in line with Girl Effect’s standards.
• Effects regulations and compliance requirements. Prepare compliance reports for the Board and the CEO as required with internal ownership of supporting the Board Finance Committees
• Management Accounting: Set up and continue to improve effective management accounting systems and processes.
• Grants Accounting: Oversee preparation of budgets and financial reports for submission to granting agencies in cooperation with the Program Officers and grantees, as required.
• Investment Management: Undertake the management of Girl Effect’s assets and securities, including tracking investment performance and providing financial statement analysis to the CEO (and potentially committees to the Board).
• Donations oversight and support: Oversee the financial administration of all donations and support the development team in keeping accurate records of donations and donor information.

Operations Management

• Management of internal IT: Oversee and ensure effective use of Information Technology systems to support organizational processes, including document management, content management, partner & donor relationship management, procurement, and grant management systems. Leverage IT to support efficient and effective core business processes and initiatives, and establish and maintain IT budget and cost management.
• Security: Manage employee security, health & safety when traveling and visiting or working ‘on-site’ and overseeing workplace and travel resourcing and support.
• Procurement: manage and oversee GE’s global procurement processes and drive accountability and value for money across the organization.
• Workplace Management: Manage Girl Effect’s global facilities, and its uses and processes for property management in collaboration with HR and operations colleagues as necessary.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will have the following professional and personal skills, competencies, and characteristics:

Qualifications & Experience:

• Degree from a recognized university, postgraduate professional qualifications in finance, accounting, business administration and/or other relevant and appropriate discipline.
• 12+ years of progressively evolving management and leadership experience in complex commercial or non-profit organization(s).
• International/Multinational experience.
• Non-profit experience strongly preferred.
• Experience supporting change processes in globally networked organizations is beneficial.

Knowledge

• Strong working knowledge of financial accounting, cash flow, donor, grant budgeting and investment management.
• Strong working knowledge of audit and compliance of different jurisdictions.
• Knowledge of IFRS/UK and/or US accounting standards and consolidated financial reporting.
• Knowledge of US government grant processes, procedures and auditing requirements.
• An understanding of the not-for-profit sector, including grant and programme financing and management.
• Background in strategy and business planning with the proven ability to develop and manage business plans, processes, and controls to enhance efficiencies and mitigate risk.
• Demonstrate proven ability in organizational development, information technology, business transformation, fundraising, project management, asset, and property management.
• Mission-focused, energetic, results-oriented and process-minded leader who is able to help others deliver measurable, cost-effective outcomes that make the organization’s vision a reality.
• Background in and working knowledge of management information systems.

What else you should know

As we continue to scale and grow - we are hugely ambitious for our future, and we are looking for people who are driven to change the world for girls.

Our teams are a diverse mix across sectors (non-profit and commercial) and specialisms (from Brand and Creative through to Gender and Insight).

You’ll learn and grow in an environment that will challenge you to think and work with a fresh perspective. In turn, you can expect to work somewhere where you will be stretched and developed in your role, a place where you can build your career and work with talented, engaged people committed to our cause.

Girl Effect is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

We are committed to building an organization that is increasingly representative of the communities that we serve. To this end, due regard will be paid to recruiting candidates with diverse professional, academic and cultural backgrounds.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all those we work with and for, especially children and young people.

We expect all staff to share this commitment, uphold standards in our safeguarding policy and our code of conduct. In particular:

• To take reasonable steps to prevent any harm caused by Girl Effect
• To report any safeguarding concerns through the reporting pathways

This role is subject to an enhanced background disclosure

Remuneration

In line with Girl Effect’s policy, we shall offer a competitive gross salary and benefits package to the successful candidate.

Applications close on 17th September 2021.