Finance Director

• Role: Finance Director
• Reports to: Chief Executive Officer
• Employment type: Full-time

The Opportunity

You will help management make sound, evidence-based commercial and financial decisions while maintaining reliable accounting, cash planning and financial controls. The role combines financial leadership with hands-on oversight in a project-based consulting business. You will work closely with business development, technical and delivery teams, People and Operations, and country office colleagues.

Your responsibility will extend from project costing and pricing through delivery, financial reporting, invoicing and collection. It will also cover the firm’s administrative costs, payroll, treasury, assets and statutory finance activities. You will lead the implementation and continued improvement of our Finance Operating Model, strengthen team capability and make financial information useful for decision-making.

What you will lead

• Financial planning and advice. Develop budgets and roll forecasts that connect project demand, staffing, corporate costs and funding. Explain performance, risks and choices clearly to the CEO.
• Costing and commercial control. Lead project costing and pricing within the firm’s approval framework. Test delivery assumptions, margins and payment terms, and provide financial advice before commitments are made.
• Project financial management. Work with delivery teams to maintain project budgets, monitor actual and committed costs, forecast completion costs and project cash requirements, assess the financial impact of scope changes or overruns, and take timely action to protect project financial performance.
• Revenue and working capital. Ensure revenue and client balances are supported by evidence. Organize billing and collection follow-up, maintain cash forecasts and recommend practical funding and payment actions.
• Accounting and compliance. Deliver reliable accounting, reconciliations, monthly and annual reporting, tax coordination and audit support across the relevant operations.
• Corporate and field finance. Oversee payroll and payment controls, advances, payments to consultants and fieldworkers, administrative commitments and assets. Evaluate costs against the services and delivery requirements they support.
• People and systems. Develop the Finance team, strengthen records and systems, clarify responsibilities and maintain appropriate separation of financial duties.

Success will be reflected in reliable financial information, timely financial decisions and action, disciplined commercial decisions, and a Finance function that enables effective delivery while maintaining professional standards. You will be expected to challenge unsupported assumptions constructively and explain what is needed to resolve financial concerns.

What you will bring

Essential

• A degree in accounting, finance or a closely related discipline, with strong financial reporting and control competence.
• At least ten years of progressively responsible finance experience, of which at least five years involved leading a finance team or function.
• Practical experience in project or contract accounting, budgeting, forecasting, cash management, financial close and reporting within consulting, research, professional services or a comparable project-based organization.
• Strong spreadsheet skills and proficiency in Peachtree, with experience using other accounting, ERP, or cloud-based finance systems such as QuickBooks, SAP, or comparable platforms; excellent written and spoken English; and the ability to produce high-quality financial reports with clear, practical insights and actionable recommendations, and to explain financial issues to colleagues outside Finance.
• Sound commercial judgment and experience translating project plans, staff effort and delivery commitments into reliable financial estimates.
• Experience overseeing financial controls, with a strong working knowledge of Ethiopian tax requirements and experience working with auditors and tax advisers and improving financial processes or systems while maintaining day-to-day operations.
• Ability to manage Ethiopian accounting and tax compliance, obtain qualified advice when required, and provide central financial oversight and coordination for accounting, tax, and statutory requirements across Frontieri’s operations in Kenya, Uganda and South Sudan, working with relevant country-office finance personnel or advisers as applicable.
• Strong spreadsheet skills and proficiency in Peachtree; excellent written and spoken English; and the ability to produce high-quality financial reports with clear, practical insights and actionable recommendations, and to explain financial issues to colleagues outside Finance.
• Professional integrity and discretion, the confidence to challenge unsupported assumptions constructively, and a record of developing colleagues and working effectively across functions.

Desirable qualifications and experience

• A professional accounting qualification, such as ACCA or CPA, or substantial progress towards an equivalent qualification would be an advantage.
• Experience in development consulting, donor-funded research, evaluation, technical assistance or field-intensive projects.
• Multi-country or multi-currency finance experience, including partner or consortium arrangements and client financial reporting.
• Working knowledge of IFRS or IFRS for SMEs, and practical experience strengthening financial systems or leading a lean finance team.