Head of Finance at Aga Khan Academy

The position

Based in Mombasa, Kenya, the Head of Finance will provide leadership and management of the financial functions, procurement and work closely with the other support functions to ensure efficiency in operation.  The incumbent will also be a member of the Senior Leadership Team based at the Academy. The role will have a solid reporting to the Head of Academy, and where appropriate will also have a dotted line reporting to CFO AKES, Kenya or his/her designated person. The Head of Finance, in addition to the Aga Khan Schools, will also interact and work closely with the other Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) agencies.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Work closely with the Head of Academy, and other Senior Managers on all financial and operations related matters, pertaining to the effective running and management, including keeping them abreast of any relevant changes to statutory and financial regulations.
• Manage financial policies, processes, systems and controls to ensure the integrity of the data and reporting as well as adherence to best practices. Develop new policies as and where needed and review and improve the current ones to ensure they are current and are providing the best guidance and controls.
• Oversee and effectively manage the financial operations of the donor funded projects.
• Manage the accounting system and ensure timely monthly and annual closing and financial reporting.
• Lead and manage collaborative annual budget process under the guidance of Head of Academy and the CFO AKES, Kenya or his/her designated person and ensuring input from the other Senior Leadership and Heads of Departments.
• Bear full responsibility and accountability for managing and achieving targets related to the financial performance including revenue targets, cash flow, lender compliance, insurable risks, internal controls and timely completion of statutory and non-statutory audits.
• Oversee the procurement and stores functions and provide support to the other departments of the school/s as and where needed to ensure effectiveness and efficiency of operation.
• Assist in developing and implement operational policies and procedures to maintain a safe working environment.
• Develop and implement key matrices and benchmarks to measure operating performance, efficiencies, and reporting of key performances measures of all support functions.
• Research, negotiate, manage, and evaluate all procurement services and assist in developing a strong culture of service within all support functions.

The requirements

The ideal candidate will have the following:

• A degree in Business, Finance or Accounting or a comparable professional qualification with a minimum of 7 years of experience, of which 5 years must be in the management and leadership role of a Head of Finance & Administration or General Manager of an operating unit. 
• Experience in an educational setting, preferably with a residential programme
• An understanding of ‘Not for Profit’ business practices and governance.
• Track record in use and management of a computerised accounting and management system.
• Good oral and written English communication skills.
• Strong leadership skills with a proven record of developing local capacity.
• A strong work ethic, with attention to details while retaining a flexible approach to problem solving.
• Highly organised, resilient, able to set priorities and keep to deadlines.
• A high level of integrity to handle fiscal responsibilities and confidential information.
• Ability to work effectively in a matrix environment and multinational and multicultural settings.
• Strong interpersonal skills with ability to interact with wide range of stakeholders and a proven track record of building and sustaining relationships.