Ahaki is a pioneering African Institute of Higher Learning and Civil Society Organisation committed to advancing specialised education, research, policy innovation, and advocacy at the intersection of health and social justice. We offer an integrated, Afrocentric, and interdisciplinary approach to teaching and learning, designed to produce transformative leaders who drive equity and resilience across African health systems.
Through our academic programmes and civil society engagements, we cultivate multidisciplinary professionals who are grounded in the theory and practice of health and justice, and committed to ethical leadership, institutional transformation, and community empowerment. Our dual mandate allows us to influence both policy and practice—shaping inclusive governance, strengthening systems, and championing equitable outcomes for Africa’s most marginalised communities.

Role Purpose
The Finance Director serves as the strategic steward of Ahaki institute’s and its affiliated CSO’s financial integrity, sustainability, and performance. This leadership role is accountable for providing visionary financial management, ensuring full statutory and donor compliance, and enabling sound, risk-informed decision-making across all organizational tiers. As the organization’s most senior finance authority, the Director is responsible for safeguarding financial resources, optimizing returns, and embedding robust financial governance to support long-term institutional growth.
This role requires periodic national and international travel to support program delivery, compliance reviews, and strategic engagements.

Key Responsibilities
1. Strategic Financial Leadership

• Provide visionary leadership in shaping and executing the Institute and CSO financial strategies, ensuring alignment with Ahaki institute’s mission, multi-year growth plans, and evolving program priorities.
• Lead the development of long-range financial forecasts, scenario modelling, and investment strategies that support resilience, diversification, and institutional sustainability.
• Act as the principal financial advisor to the Management Team and Board of Directors, offering critical insight into capital allocation, risk mitigation, cost management, and return on investment across all portfolios.
• Integrate financial intelligence into enterprise-wide planning processes, ensuring that strategic and operational plans are grounded in sound financial analysis and resource realism.
• Champion the financial elements of innovation, business development, and partnership models, supporting new program designs, revenue streams, and funding mechanisms.
• Lead enterprise-level initiatives to strengthen financial agility, including value-for-money initiatives, cost optimisation strategies, and financial performance benchmarking.
• Promote a strong financial governance culture that reinforces accountability, transparency, and ethical stewardship at all levels of the organization.
• Embed financial foresight in strategic and operational planning across the Institute and CSO.
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2. Financial Risk, Governance & Compliance

• Ensure that all financial risks, obligations, and projected returns are critically evaluated to support evidence-based decision-making.
• Serve as an authority on all accounting and financial governance matters across the organization.
• Ensure the timely and accurate preparation of monthly and quarterly management accounts, enabling strategic oversight and agile decision-making.
• Coordinate the preparation of statutory accounts and the successful completion of annual audits, in full alignment with internal and group reporting timetables.
• Guarantee strict adherence to the financial provisions of Donor Agreements, Internal Finance Manual, and all applicable statutory frameworks.
• Ensure full compliance with donor financial regulations, reporting standards, and contractual obligations across all grants and funding instruments.
• Oversee the preparation and submission of donor financial reports, ensuring quality, timeliness, and alignment with donor-specific standards.
• Act as the principal liaison with both internal audit teams and external auditors, ensuring an open, responsive, and transparent audit environment.

3. Operational Excellence & Performance Management

• Lead the design and implementation of financial monitoring systems to drive operational efficiency and fiscal discipline.
• Ensure high-quality, timely reporting and performance analytics to support programmatic and institutional excellence.
• Oversee budgeting forecasting and cash flow management processes to maintain financial health.

4. Treasury, Asset Management & Statutory Compliance

• Oversee cash flow planning and forecasting to ensure sufficient liquidity is maintained for uninterrupted operations, aligned to program needs and institutional priorities.
• Monitor drawdowns against cash requirements and manage short-term and long-term liquidity needs proactively.
• Lead the management of investments, receivables, payables, and donor advances, ensuring accurate accounting and monthly reconciliation of all relevant Balance Sheet items.
• Drive efficient and proactive working capital management to support financial sustainability and operational agility.
• Ensure full and timely compliance with all statutory obligations including payroll taxes, VAT, income tax, pension contributions, insurance, and other regulatory submissions.
• Maintain oversight of all financial clauses in contractual agreements to ensure obligations are fiscally sound and aligned with organizational interests.
• Assume overall accountability for the safeguarding, monitoring, and reporting of all organizational assets, ensuring compliance with asset management policies and protocols.

5. Team Leadership & Capacity Building

• Build, mentor, and retain a high-performing finance team aligned with the institute’s strategic goals.
• Support capacity strengthening across programs through financial literacy, budget ownership, and internal controls training.
• Lead structured performance appraisal processes for the finance team, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives, continuous improvement, and individual development plans.
• Continuously review and refine the operational structure of the finance function to ensure it remains agile, fit-for-purpose, and aligned with evolving organizational needs.
• Set clear performance expectations, define success metrics, and cultivate a culture of excellence, accountability, and professional growth.
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6. Collaboration

• Collaborate with senior leaders to translate financial insights into strategic value.
• Serve as a trusted advisor across programs and institutional portfolios, offering sound financial counsel and enabling agile responses to emerging opportunities and risks.
• Contribute to the strategic direction and policy development as a key member of the Leadership Team.
• Contribute actively to organisational policy formulation and strategic planning as a core member of the Senior Leadership Team, ensuring financial considerations are embedded in institutional decision-making at the highest level.
• Foster a culture of collective accountability and shared success, encouraging interdepartmental cooperation and a unified approach to institutional sustainability.
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