This role will lead the organisation's finance function and be a core member of the leadership team. You will own financial strategy, governance, and controllership for an organisation running multiple simultaneous programs, partner- and grant-funded initiatives, and a growing investment portfolio. You will build institutional-grade financial systems and processes where they don’t yet exist, ensure the CEO and board always have a reliable, real-time view of the organisation’s financial health, and be the trusted financial counsel to the CEO and Chairperson.
Key Responsibilities
1) Financial Strategy & Leadership
- Own the organisation’s financial strategy, working closely with the CEO to align financial planning with organisational programmatic and institutional goals.
- Build and lead a capable finance team, including hiring for critical gaps such as P&L, reconciliation, budgeting and cash flow management.
- Be a trusted advisor to the CEO and a full participant in leadership decision-making, not solely an executor of transactions.
2) Financial Planning, Budgeting & P&L Ownership
- Lead the annual budgeting process across all programs and functions, and consolidate into an organisation-wide budget for CEO and board approval.
- Ensure the P&L for every program, partnership and proposal correctly reflects all direct and indirect costs, including non-program support team costs, before financial close and before contracts are signed.
- Own the monthly Budget vs. Latest Estimate (LE) process and rolling forecasts, with proactive risk and opportunity flagging to the CEO.
3) Financial Controls, Reporting & Compliance
- Establish and enforce robust financial controls, reconciliation discipline, and monthly close processes across the organisation.
- Ensure accurate, timely MIS and board-ready financial reporting, including balance sheet, cash flow and P&L, with zero surprises at board meetings.
- Ensure full compliance with section-8 not-for-profit regulations, statutory requirements, and grant- or partner-specific financial and reporting obligations.
- Own statutory and internal audits end-to-end, and ensure a clean, audit-ready set of books at all times.
4) Treasury & Cash Flow Management
- Own organisation-wide cash flow management and forecasting, ensuring liquidity for program commitments, payroll and operations.
- Drive timely collections from corporate, government and grant partners in coordination with fundraising and program teams.
- Manage banking relationships and optimise the organisation’s treasury and investment of surplus funds within not-for-profit norms.
5) Governance, Board & Stakeholder Management
- Prepare and present financial performance, risks and recommendations to the Chairperson, board and finance committee.
- Ensure a complete, well-documented financial handover process exists and is maintained on an ongoing basis, so continuity never depends on any one individual.
- Partner with fundraising and program leadership on financial structuring of new partnerships, grants and multi-year proposals before they are signed.
6) Systems, Process & Team Building
- Design and implement financial systems, tools and SOPs where none currently exist, to bring institutional rigor to a fast-growing organisation.
- Build organisational capability in the finance team, setting clear standards for what strong financial ownership and analysis look like.
- Proactively identify financial and operational risks before they surface elsewhere in the organisation.
What you will need to bring to the table
You will ideally have:
- Chartered Accountant (CA), CPA, or MBA (Finance) from a reputed institute; CA strongly preferred.
- 10+ years of progressive finance leadership experience, including time as a Financial Controller / Finance Head, or Senior Finance leader, ideally spanning start-ups, non-profits, or grant/partner-funded organisations.
- Demonstrated experience building financial systems, controls and teams from a low base of maturity, not just operating in an already-established finance function.
- Strong command of P&L management, budgeting, reconciliation, cash flow and balance sheet, with the ability to go deep into the numbers personally when needed.
- Experience presenting to and working with boards, trustees, or governing councils, with the gravitas to be a credible financial voice in governance settings.
- Working knowledge of section-8 not-for-profit compliance, statutory audit, and grant/CSR fund accounting is highly desirable.
- Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to translate complex financial matters clearly for non-finance leadership and the board.
- High ownership, integrity, and the judgment to flag risks early and independently, rather than waiting to be asked.
