Finance Lead - Diversity, Disability, Inclusion & Refugees and Displaced Persons at Mastercard Foundation

Mastercard Foundation is a global foundation based across four hubs in Kigali, Rwanda, Nairobi, Kenya, Accra, Ghana and Toronto, Canada. Our programs promote financial inclusion and advance education and learning in Africa, primarily for young people, and in Canada for Indigenous youth. The Foundation was established in 2006 through the generosity of Mastercard when it became a public company. From inception, the Foundation was designed to be a separate entity and independent from Mastercard. Our policies, operations, and funding decisions are made by our President and Board of Directors.

The Foundation believes that youth employment is key to unlocking prosperity, both for youth and their societies. Enabling young women and men from disadvantaged communities to secure dignified and fulfilling work will ensure inclusive development and economic growth in Africa.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Finance Lead - Diversity, Disability, Inclusion & Refugees and Displaced Persons

Location: Nigeria
Job Schedule: Full time

The Opportunity

• Reporting to the Finance Director - Special Programs, the Finance Lead will partner with the DDI & RDP( Diversity, Disability and Inclusion and Refugees and Displaced Persons Programs) teams in the management of the end-to-end financial programmatic processes (from Roadmap development to Delivery) to ensure that the programs are adequately funded to achieve intended outcomes (Budgeting) and that the funding is being utilized to deliver the intended outcome, partnering for appropriate risk management (Inc due diligence), Contracting, program monitoring & Reporting (that enables decision making).

Ways you can contribute

• Manage the full cycle of all financial aspects of programming, i.e. Expression of Interest (EOI), partnership selection, proposal development, contract approval, conduct due diligence, budget reviews, program execution, disbursements and monitoring, and program completion.
• Guide and train external program partners on all financial aspects of contract execution, including budgeting and reporting, due diligence, financial controls, and Canadian regulatory requirements.
• Provide financial expertise and advice internally to the Foundation’s Programs team on the development and implementation of comprehensive programming strategies.
• Provide ad-hoc data and support for learning and evaluation activities, including analysis of program outputs and value-for-money.
• Maintain accurate and timely financial documentation and data, and report on contract commitments, disbursements, and cash flow projections.
• Ongoing monitoring & reporting on program financial performance post-kick-off (Deliver phase) per agreed timelines to ensure foundation resources are deployed as envisaged and there are sufficient funding & financial controls in place to support the delivery of expected program outcomes as well as ensuring compliance to the CRA requirements on Books and records.
• Ensure there are adequate business controls with the programs to ensure the safeguarding of the Foundation’s assets.
• Accountable for compliance with local and international financial regulations and requirements as pertain to the programs, e.g. Canada Revenue Agency standards, anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism laws, etc. within programs.
• Provide periodic reporting on partner finance matters as determined by the partner contracts and ensure follow-up action items are closed as required.
• Troubleshooting and management of financial issues that arise during program implementation.
• Analyzes financial performance against forecast and budget, investigates variances, communicates findings, and makes recommendations to programs and partners.
• Identify and provide financial advice including but not limited to funding terms, taxation, Accounting Standards, and other application regulations/legislation that may arise.
• Ensure timely disbursements for programs to ensure programs have sufficient funding in place to deliver the program’s objectives and outcomes.
• Perform due diligence procedures on partners & sub-contractors (i.e. evaluating financial statements, tax returns, financial capacity, watchlist screening), identify gaps and ensure mitigations are in place to safeguard the foundation against financial and operational risks as well as ensure alignment to CRA requirements.
• Assess alignment with charity law (i.e., private benefit and charitable purpose rules) in coordination with the Legal & Compliance teams.
• Lead comprehensive program assessment processes ensuring quality control of the plans (Accountable for the quality of the Due diligence assessment that ensures risks are identified and mitigation plans are in place & are effective).
• Lead the assessment of the organization capacity together with the program finance teams especially as related to the financial capacity of potential partners.
• Drive annual due diligence review process and update yearly work plans with Program teams and partners.
• Ensure programs comply with Canadian regulatory requirements (e.g., charitable purposes and private benefit), and international financial regulations (e.g. anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism laws etc.), escalating to the Legal and Compliance team as required.
• Lead the risk assessment of programs together with the program teams within the various Foundation frameworks to ensure the risks are correctly identified and risk mitigations are put in place and monitored to safeguard the Foundation.
• Provide Financial Information & insights as pertains to program finance to support decision-making.
• Provide input into the Foundation's financial planning & budgeting routines within the required timelines and guidance as provided by the financial planning & Analysis team.
• Provide Monthly financial forecasts on commitments and disbursements for assigned portfolios.
• Provide monthly financial reports on the status of program portfolio including analysis and insights to support decision making on resource allocation.
• Ensure the grants management systems are updated in a timely & Accurate manner with the correct financial information for each program.
• Engaging and cultivating relationships with partners to ensure good governance and partner the program teams to enable the achievement of the intended strategic objectives/outcomes of the program.
• Any other tasks/Projects as may be required from time to time.

Who you are

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting.
• Professional accounting designation and a member of a relevant professional body.
• Minimum 10 years’ experience in progressively senior financial roles within large and/or global organizations, leading significantly large budgets and scope of financial responsibility.
• Senior leadership experience that spans multiple territories/countries, cutting across various thematic areas in private, development sector and public environments.
• At least 7 years’ experience in a management capacity, leading finance, and teams of multiple technical competencies.
• Strong Analytical skills with a high level of attention to detail.
• Working knowledge of Financial Internal Controls Management.
• Financials Reporting & Analysis experience including Budgeting and Financial Forecasting.
• Problem-solving skills and good influencing skills.
• Fluent in English, and French is an added advantage.
• Able to Identify & Mitigate Operational, Financial and Business Risks.
• Demonstrated initiative and drive towards innovative problem-solving.
• Honed business partnership skills with Impeccable integrity.
• Able to synthesise complex environments and data to assess risks and opportunities and to exercise a high level of judgment in making decisions or recommendations.
• Results-driven and self-disciplined, with a strong sense of team and common purpose to achieve ambitious goals.
• Proficient in MS Office applications, particularly Excel.
• Flexible, adaptable, and able to execute a range of job duties and changing priorities. 
• Proven excellence in verbal, written, and presentation skills with the ability to articulate information to a variety of constituents across cultures and to distil complex information and data into accessible conversation and written pieces.
• Possess professional maturity, sensitivity with different cultures, and impeccable integrity that exemplify the Foundation’s values.
• You have a commitment to Mastercard Foundation’s values and vision.

Application Closing Date
5th March, 2024.