Head of Finance - Tanzania

Who We Are! 

🌍 Africa has the world’s youngest and fastest-growing population. By 2035, the continent is poised to contribute more young people to the global workforce each year than the rest of the world combined. 

At Educate! we're obsessed with impact. We leverage iterative learning to build highly scalable youth employment solutions aimed at unlocking the potential of the world’s youngest continent. 

Educate! prepares youth in Africa to learn, earn and thrive in today’s economy by: 

1. Introducing an employment-focused school subject into secondary and 
2. Delivering livelihood boot camps for out-of-school youth, with a focus on marginalized rural girls and young women.

To date, more than 500,000 youth have been meaningfully impacted across Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, and Tanzania, and along the way, Educate! has become the largest youth employment and skills provider in East Africa.

Educate! is a team of over 300 largely African staff and 300 volunteer youth mentors. We prioritize building an engaging, fulfilling and growth oriented work environment. 50% of our top 30 leaders have been with us for over 5 years, 10+ alumni have started their own organizations, and 6 current or former team members were Acumen Fund East Africa fellows. 

We have been backed by top foundations such as Imaginable Futures, Livelihood Impact Fund,  Jack Dorsey’s #startsmall, CIFF and Echidna Giving. Educate! won a 2018 Klaus J. Jacobs Prize and a 2015 WISE Award, and has been highlighted by the World Bank’s S4YE's Impact Portfolio, an Al Jazeera documentary, BBC, The Brookings Institution as one of 14 case studies on scaling education, and the Gates Foundation as a Goalkeepers Accelerator. In 2022, we received a catalytic investment from philanthropist Mackenzie Scott to scale our systems change work.

Educate!'s long-term vision is to design solutions that measurably impact millions of youth across Africa each year.

Good to note: To Our Awesome Applicants! 🚀💫

We know that incredible candidates sometimes hesitate to apply if they don’t meet every requirement. If this role excites you, we encourage you to apply! 

We’re looking for passionate individuals who believe in our mission and can bring unique perspectives to our team—not just those who check every box. We value diversity and strongly encourage women and individuals from all backgrounds to apply.

Position Overview

Educate! an award-winning non-profit social enterprise seeks an enthusiastic, systems-oriented, ethical, and analytical individual with great interpersonal and communication skills to fill the Head of Finance Tanzania position. S/he will be the finance lead in the organization ensuring the implementation of accounting and financial management functions, designing and co-ordinate the implementation of sound accounting and financial management and control systems and procedures for all operational and administrative areas, and facilitating the maintenance of accurate and up to date financial and accounting records for effective and smooth running of all business operations under fast-changing and complex circumstances.

Educate! is looking for someone who has non-profit experience, delivers results while leading multiple projects, is willing to improve on processes, and is able to lead change management processes. The Head of Finance Tanzania  will supervise a team of two and shall report to the Managing Director.

To all our amazing applicants: We are a diverse team, and we strongly encourage women and individuals from diverse backgrounds to apply, even if you don’t meet every single requirement. We value potential, growth, and diverse perspectives in our team. 

Performance Objectives

Financial Management & Oversight (30%)

• Provide leadership to the finance and accounting areas of the organization, proposing and implementing improvements in processes to increase efficiency.
• Provide useful financial insights to help make better decisions about formulating and executing strategy, and provide guidance and analysis to executive and operational management to improve results.
• Maintain control of the following areas: general ledger, accounts payable, expense reports, and payroll.
• Prepare a variety of ad hoc financial scenarios as requested.
• Ensure full compliance with the Tanzania Revenue Authority, NGO Board, and returns requirements
• Ensure accurate and timely financial reporting for decision-making
• Overall responsibility for maintenance of internal control systems
• Collaborate and lead finance functions with Educate! team, especially with the budget owners/managers.
• Provide finance support and collaborate closely with the operations team
• Key contact with bank support personnel and Tax Advisors
• Periodic meetings with the Group Finance team (Country Finance Managers, Controllers, and CFO) for all Educate! accounting needs and deliverables
• Work in close collaboration with other contracted finance support teams

Financial Reporting (30%)

• Ensure the monthly budget balances report is up to date and shared with budget holders
• Confirm expense codes on all requests as they are received, and correct where necessary through the budget manager.
• Minimize the number of errors from the team through constant feedback and also in reporting.
• Prepare and analyze accurate monthly financial and management reports, including; income statement, balance sheet, budget and variance, projections and forecast, and cash flow
• Submit accurate, complete, and timely management reports.
• Coordinate the preparation of the audited financial statements and all tax returns
• Reporting as needed to the regional finance team on Educate! financials

Financial Control & Accounting (20%)

• Observe and implement all Educate! accounting systems, payments, bookkeeping, and statutory filing.
• Ensure that all financial transactions are processed accurately, in a timely manner, and in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles through the Quickbooks system, identifying and correcting any variances.
• Develop, implement, and maintain processes and controls that are current best practices related to transaction processing.
• Manage, oversee, and process (as appropriate), all of the following transactions: payroll, accounts payable, revenue and expense, fixed assets, cash, bank reconciliations, and allocations.
• Perform month-end closing procedures, including account reconciliations, and updating schedules.
• Maintain an orderly accounting filing system
• Revenue management & improvement of payment systems

Budget Management (20%) 

• Involved in the preparation of periodic budgets and updates
• Collaborate with budget managers by sharing budgets and providing support and clarity where needed.
• Ensure budgets are entered into the accounting system.
• Ensure BVA reports are prepared and have clear explanations at month-end.
• Share monthly BVA reports with budget holders for ease of planning.
• Share quarterly BVA reports with clear explanations
• Monitor the budget memos and update the approved budgets and Quickbooks with the Budget Memos where needed
• Offer periodic training or refresher training to the teams aimed at improving financial management, discipline and accountability as stipulated in our policies and procedures.

Qualifications

• BSC in Finance, Accounting Business Administration, or Commerce
• Must be a Member of CPA (T) (NBAA) in good standing
• Proficiency in Ms. Excel and Quickbooks.
• Finance & Accounting experience working in a non-profit environment.
• Minimum of 5 years of finance and accounting experience, including finance, accounting, audit, and analysis (including gathering, evaluating, presenting, and reporting financial information to management and external stakeholders).
• Minimum of 3 years of managerial experience leading finance teams and cross-function collaborations.
• Solid experience in coordinating audit activities and managing reporting, budget development and analysis, accounts payable and receivable, general ledger, payroll, and accounting.
• Entrepreneurial drive and proven ability to take ownership and lead the team’s combined learning.
• Collaborative, data-oriented approach to problem-solving.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a self-directed manner, seeking out areas that need attention rather than being asked to look at specific problem areas.
• Consistently asks for help and seeks advice from colleagues to let the best idea or process win.
• Engaging and interactive communicator with a passion for coaching others.
• Fits our Five Cultural Tenets (see What is Educate! About? below); Learn more by looking at Educate!’s culture deck here

What We Offer 💼

• A vibrant, mission-driven environment with a supportive and fun team.
• Flexibility— Hybrid work environment to empower you in your mode of work. 
• Competitive salary based on experience.
• Healthcare coverage for you and your dependents, work laptop, Internet & call stipend
• Learning & growth opportunities
• This is a Fixed term  contract with a possibility of extension based on performance

Application Process: Rolling basis, interviews happening soon!

Our Culture & Tenets(Values) 🌱

We’re ambitious. Are you? Educate! is growing fast, so new opportunities are opening up and expanding all the time. We’re inspired by people with drive, and we love to help them reach their full potential. We expect everyone at Educate! to contribute above and beyond their job description, grow their skills, and advance their careers, and we are committed to supporting our staff members on that journey of their careers, and we are committed to supporting our staff members on that journey. 

1. We put Youth First, Impact-Obsessed - We are purpose-driven, focused on impact, and prioritize what truly matters. We listen to youth, design our efforts around their needs, and ensure every dollar creates transformative experiences they value.
2. We Exceed Expectations - We take pride in going above and beyond to achieve the best results—proactively identifying problems and seeking solutions without waiting or stopping at what's requested.
3. We Are Always Learning - We are committed to seeking and applying new knowledge and ideas. We stay open-minded and continuously try new things, experiment, grow, and improve. We invest in learning for ourselves and our teams.
4. We are One Team, Many Views - We value all individuals, believe diverse ideas and open dialogue drive excellence, foster a supportive and respectful environment where everyone can freely express themselves. We work as one team and prioritize the organization's mission over personal or team interests.
5. We have the Startup Mindset - We innovate relentlessly to grow our impact, we never think “we have arrived” or “we’re done.”We constantly challenge the status quo, embrace change, and move quickly toward our vision. Unafraid of failure, we question anything that hinders progress.

Every person at Educate! — from interns to the executive director — is evaluated by how they live up to these five cultural tenets. They are at the core of how we achieve our mission and why we work as well as we do.  Educate is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all who interact in our community. In creating this environment, we encourage people from a variety of cultures, backgrounds and life experiences to join our diverse team. 

We’re committed to ensuring all candidates are screened for child and youth safety. As part of the process, you’ll need to provide a Certificate of Good Conduct. Educate! reserves the right to withdraw employment offers if any risks to youth are identified.