Director of Finance & Administration - Sabre Education

Sabre Education is one of the leading early childhood education organisations working in close partnership with the Government of Ghana to deliver Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4.2 on universal access to quality pre-primary education. Through sixteen years of working with schools, communities and the Ghana Education Service,

Sabre has developed award winning innovative solutions to tackle the twin issues of access and quality in kindergarten education.Sabre’s approach is holistic and considers all aspects of the kindergarten education eco-system,covering child-centred and play-based pedagogy, training in positive behaviour management,improved learning environments, individualised assessment, coaching and mentoring for teachers,supportive supervision, and parental engagement.

Sabre’s multi award-winning Brighter Futures Programme, delivered through Building Playful Schools and providing Transformational Teacher Training (TTT), has been tested, independently evaluated and replicated at a district and regional scale.Sabre has exciting and ambitious expansion plans, which will see the organisation scale the impact of our direct implementation activity, whilst leveraging our technical expertise in partnership with others to create system-level change in Ghana and beyond.

Job Description

• Reporting To: Executive Director- Ghana.
• Dotted line reporting to CEO in UK, Member of Senior Leadership Team
• Team Supervision: Finance Team (3) & Administrative Team (7 including fleet drivers)

Role Overview

This is a moment of exciting growth and opportunity at Sabre. The Director of Finance & Administration is a critical senior leadership role that will strategically lead the finance and administration teams as we grow in prominence nationally and internationally in the years ahead. This role requires significant international finance and fund accounting experience, as well as superior strategic skills to lead Sabre financially in our growth ambitions. This is an exciting opportunity for someone with strategic drive, technical skills, strong collaboration and leadership capabilities who wishes to make a real impact.

We are seeking an outstanding finance specialist, a fully-qualified accountant (ICA, CIMA, ACCA or equivalent) who can lead with confidence, and strategically manage our financial and administrative system supporting our world class programmes.

The candidate will:

• Maximise and strengthen the internal capacity of a growing and high-impact organisation with a vibrant team.
• Play a critical role with the senior leadership team in strategic decision making and enhancing Sabre’s impact.
• Offer financial thought leadership in Sabre’s growth and vision.
• Be an inspirational hands-on and participative leader who will lead an internal team to support the following areas: finance, business planning and budgeting, administration, and Information Technology.

Key Responsibilities

Financial & Management Accounting

• Provide leadership to the Finance team for successful implementation of all duties.
• Provide oversight of Sabre Education’s UK & Ghana financial accounting system, analysing transactions and ensuring that all income and expenditure is correctly allocated by account, project and donor codes.
• Act as a co-signatory on the Sabre Education bank accounts, authorising or requesting payments and transfers as required.
• Manage all foreign exchange trades, liaising with Sabre’s certified Forex Brokers to ensure that the organisation receives the best value for money on trades.
• Carry out the treasury function and recommend to the CEO any investment opportunities.
• Oversee the preparation of regular income reports for the Sabre Fundraising team to support donor care.
• Oversee all payments and ensure proper documentation is maintained for robust audit trail.
• Monitor and maintain an efficient banking system.
• Oversee the Sabre Education UK payroll provider.
• Oversee the preparation of the Sabre Trust Ghana payroll, ensuring that all employee and employer tax obligations are met
• Prepare consolidated quarterly management accounts, to illustrate the group’s financial position, performance against budget, and funding/implementation status of individual projects, and present to leadership and the Board Finance Committee.
• Work with external auditors to ensure the timely preparation of statutory accounts.
• Carry out project site visits and support project implementation by giving relevant advice on any procedures required.
• Co-ordinate the preparation of annual budgets and present to the Executive Director, CEO and Board Finance Committee.
• Work with the Programme and Fundraising teams to prepare budgets to support funding applications.
• Prepare group-wide monthly management accounts to illustrate revised position against budget, track project expenditure and ensure accurate reporting of cash flow.
• Ensure that the group’s internal financial controls are implemented and regularly reviewed to ensure good practice in all financial functions and mitigate any financial risk to the group.
• Complete periodic spot checks and internal audits to validate finance systems.
• Oversee liquidity management for the U.K. office.
• Communicate effectively with all stakeholders.
• Effectively lead, coach and develop staff.

Administration

• Participate in organisational risk assessments and management, including managing the risk register and highlighting with the Chief Executive Officer any key challenges.
• Work closely and transparently with all external partners including third-party vendors and service providers to deliver on agreed outputs. Oversee legal/contractual arrangements.
• Oversee administrative functions as well as facilities to ensure efficient and consistent operations as the organisation grows.
• Ensure all relevant administrative policies and procedures are designed or updated and implemented accordingly.
• Ensure an effective fleet management system is in place.
• Ensure the assets management policy is kept updated and implemented effectively, especially during asset acquisitions, disposals, transfers and depreciations.
• Ensure all aspects of Administration are conducted ethically and appropriately.
• Conduct regular oversight to ensure compliance with Sabre procedures and policies, and comply with local laws.
• Oversee the security company contracts and ensure that contractors are in compliance at all Sabre premises.

Information Technology

• Oversee external IT support provider to ensure that Sabre’s IT systems are kept up to date, efficient and effective.
• With your team, ensure adequate backups are maintained.
• Oversee regular assessments of Sabre’s Information Technology systems and make recommendations for improvements as needed.
• Develop IT hardware and software policies and procedures, and maintain and monitor implementation.
• Ensure that Sabre is compliant with all privacy and information storage regulations, including GDPR requirements.

Other Duties

• Participate in Senior Leadership Meetings and provide guidance in strategic financial & administrative matters.
• Serve as Officer-in-charge when other senior leaders are away, as needed.
• Provide leadership and be a role model across organisation.
• Other duties as assigned.

Salary

Competitive salary offered, commensurate with experience.

Required Skills or Experience

Preferred Qualifications & Experience

• Fully-Qualified Accountant (ICA, CIMA, ACCA or equivalent qualification).
• Minimum of a first degree in Business Administration (Accounting option) or equivalent from a recognised tertiary institution with at least 15 years post qualification relevant work experience. A second degree in finance will be of added advantage.
• Minimum of 6-8 years’ prior managerial experience in an NGO setting would be preferred.
• Strong track record in grants management and fund accounting. Experience in reporting to institutional donors will be of added advantage.
• Experience in final responsibility for the quality and content of all financial data, reporting and audit coordination.

Key Performance Indicators

• Outstanding coordination of all financial and administrative processes.
• Provision of analysis and professional financial advice for accurate decision making.
• Ensure Sabre compliance with all regulations, in Ghana and UK.

Behavioural Competencies

• Highly meticulous & analytical.
• Efficient & reliable.
• Excellent communication and relationship building skills with an ability to prioritise, negotiate, and work with a variety of internal and external stakeholders.
• Personal qualities of integrity, credibility and dedication to the organisation’s well being.
• Outstanding leadership, mentoring and team-building abilities.

Technical Competencies

• Ability to prepare, interpret and analyse financial statements and reports.
• Excellent working knowledge of taxation, pensions, procurement and internal control measures.
• Adept at Microsoft Office suite, at least one accounting software and ability to quickly adapt to new technologies and tools.
• Sound knowledge of all relevant administrative policies.