Finance Officer

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! the largest youth skills service provider in East Africa, is seeking a Finance Officer to join our team in Tanzania. We are looking for a detailed-oriented and proactive professional to support the financial operations of our Tanzania office. The Finance Officer will be responsible for ensuring accurate financial record-keeping, processing transactions in QuickBooks online, reconciling accounts,enforcing financial controls, and managing accounts receivable. Additionally, they will train staff on finance procedures and compliance. The ideal candidate has strong analytical skills, proficiency in QuickBooks and Excel, and a commitment to maintaining financial integrity in support of Educate!’s mission to impact youth.

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.

What You’ll Do 🌟

Financial Record-Keeping & Transaction Management (50%)

• Accurately post all financial transactions into QuickBooks or any other accounting software used by Educate!.
• Prepare and enter journal vouchers while ensuring proper coding and documentation.
• Reconcile ledger accounts and review bank statements to prepare journal entries.
• Follow up with the Finance Coordinator to ensure daily posting of payment vouchers and accountabilities.
• Generate and review daily transaction posting reports to ensure accuracy and completeness.
• Complete all monthly postings and reconcile accounts by the 7th working day of the new month.

Compliance & Financial Controls (20%)

• Maintain detailed records of supporting documentation for all payment transactions.
• Ensure all staff accountabilities align with Educate!’s financial policies, including the Common Cost framework.
• Verify completeness of all vouchers before posting, ensuring all necessary attachments are included.
• Identify and flag any policy compliance issues to the Finance Manager for corrective action.
• Enforce internal financial controls and ensure adherence to Educate!’s financial procedures.

Accounts Receivable & Reconciliation (20%)

• Track and follow up on outstanding accounts receivable before closing the monthly report.
• Manage staff advance accounts in QuickBooks, ensuring timely review and reconciliation.
• Provide staff with regular status reports on outstanding advances and accountabilities.
• Ensure returned balances from staff are correctly recorded and deposited in the bank.
• Reconcile accountabilities against advances before posting to prevent partial accounting.

Training & Staff Support (10%)

• Train new staff on financial procedures, systems, and reporting requirements.
• Conduct regular finance feedback sessions with field and office staff to address challenges.
• Ensure all staff are well-versed in finance forms, documentation standards, and accountability processes.
• Support team members in understanding and adhering to compliance and internal control policies.

Who You Are 🦸‍♀️🦸‍♂️

We’re seeking someone with a Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field, along with 1-2 years of practical experience in accounting or finance. You’re skilled in QuickBooks and MS Office, especially Excel, and you have an eye for detail that ensures strong financial controls. Your analytical mindset and organizational skills are top-notch, and you thrive in both communication and teamwork. With a high level of integrity and a proactive approach to solving problems, you consistently deliver results. If you’re eager to make a real impact and grow in a dynamic environment, we’d love to hear from you!

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

PLEASE NOTE THE ABOVE BENEFITS DO NOT APPLY TO TEMPORARY, CONTRACT OR INDEPENDENT CONSULTANTS. 

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.