Finance Director

Finance Director

Job Title: Finance Director

Job Location: Flexible, home and/or our London office. We are currently asking everyone to attend the office on a designated day once a month, so we have the opportunity to meet and collaborate in-person. Outside of this one day a month – plus any other tasks where it is necessary to be in the office to fulfil the duties of your role – it will be up to you whether you want to work fully from home or to attend the office more regularly. We are more interested in the quality and content of your work, and your ability to work with others and to deadlines, than where you work.

Reporting To: Executive Director

Hours: Part-time 3 days per week, but we would consider other part-time hours for the right candidate (we are open to considering flexible arrangements, such as a job share, flexible working hours etc.)

Travel: Approximately 2 trips per year to the SDN office in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Role Overview: The Finance Director is the number one finance position in the organisation which has overall responsibility for the finance function and administrative operations, including HR, legal, risk, facilities and IT. It is a widely scoped role and therefore requires somebody that relishes taking on a broad range of responsibilities – the role is an exciting mix of financial strategy, financial management, accounting, systems improvements, compliance and administration. You will have a solid track record of team and line management, be equally interested in the financial and non-financial aspects of the role (such as HR and IT), and enjoy working with purpose towards driving change, solving problems, communicating effectively, and prioritising workload across the organisation. The role currently leads a team of 14 finance and administrative staff across the UK and Nigeria, so it is therefore essential that the Finance Director can manage priorities and workload across this team in order to deliver work.

Job Purpose and Duties: The purpose of the role is to ensure the smooth running of the finance function and other support services so that they enable the organisation to keep fully informed of all relevant financial matters, effectively allocate resources across the organisation, meet its contractual obligations and manage risk.

Governance and Strategy:

Ensure that the Board is regularly updated on financial performance, financial outlook and risks to the organisation
Support the ED in the management of Board meetings, wider Board engagement, and with Company Secretary duties
Ensure that governance structures established by the Board are implemented through effective policies, procedures and controls
Contribute towards the setting and implementation of the organisation’s strategy to deliver upon medium and long term goals that meet SDN’s charitable objectives
Ensure compliance with all legal and regulatory requirements in the UK and Nigeria

Financial Management:

Ensure that all stakeholders within the organisation have access to timely and insightful financial information in order to drive effective decision making across SDN
Be responsible for all aspects of financial planning, financial operations, banking, accounting, donor financial reporting and statutory reporting in the UK and Nigeria in line with Charity SORP, IFRS and UK GAAP
Oversee and ensure timely budget development for funding proposals in line with donor requirements, which also adequately capture and cover SDN’s costs to run the organisation
Oversee and ensure accurate and effective financial reporting in line with donor requirements and timelines
Manage cash flow, assets and staff across the organisation to ensure the optimal use of company resources
Oversight and management of all financial operations across the UK, Nigeria and project locations

Financial Control:

Lead the end-to-end audit processes for the consolidated group accounts and the UK and Nigerian legal entities
Continually improve our accounting software, and other internal systems, to make sure they are accurate, reliable, efficient and meet the evolving requirements of the organisation
Ensure bookkeeping, accounting and banking practices are compliant and fully controlled
Ensure that there is a strong compliance and control culture imbedded across the organisation through functions such as Internal Audit, Procurement and Risk Management
Ensure adherence to SDN company policies and to our donor’s grant terms and conditions

Support Services:

Take responsibility for the HR function to make sure that staff are recruited, motivated and retained
Ensure that SDN’s administrative operations run smoothly and add value to the organisation
Make sure that SDN has appropriate IT infrastructure and capabilities
Periodically review and renew the organisation’s insurance policies to make sure that adequate cover is in place
Willingness to lead on other support services to make sure the organisation functions effectively

Person Specification:

The work we do here at SDN varies day to day so we need someone who is dynamic and reliable, who can work under pressure and deliver efficiently and effectively. As the most senior finance position in the organisation it is imperative that you drive sustainability, transparency and development into all that we do and maintain a commitment to high ethical standards. The successful candidate will have:

Required:

6+ years of professional finance experience
Fully qualified Chartered Accountant (e.g. ACA, ACCA or CIMA)
Experience in preparing company accounts and / or auditing them
Accounting software experience
Experience of preparing and managing budgets and financial reports
Experience of cost management and control
People management experience
Experience of working with teams across different countries
Understanding and experience of managing cultural and value driven diversity within the working environment
Demonstrated the ability to drive change within an organisation
Excellent communication and team working skills
A proactive, energetic and positive attitude towards setting and completing work
A desire to lead on other support services, for example HR, IT and Legal
Excellent computer skills, and being especially proficient in Microsoft Excel

Desirable:

Experience of working at Board level
Experience of setting strategy and implementing this
Financial management experience in the not-for-profit sector
Experience and understanding of International Development matters, concepts and funding
Experience of contract management and financial reporting to external donors and / or investors
Experience of working with institutional donors in international development (e.g. UK FCDO, the UN, USAID, EU etc.)
Experience of working with teams in developing markets

Application Instructions

Please review the job description carefully. Applications should be made by end of day 27/01/2022. Please provide:
1. Your CV
2. A two-page cover letter

Successful applicants will be notified of their invitation to a first stage interview by midday 28th January. The first stage interviews will be held online across 2nd/3rd February. Second stage interviews are expected to be held during the week commencing 7th February.

Your application will be reviewed but only shortlisted candidates will receive further correspondence.