Head of Finance & Compliance

The Aga Khan Academy Maputo seeks to hire a Head of Finance & Compliance.

Context

The AKDN:

The Aga Khan Academy Maputo, is part of the Aga Khan Development Network which is “… dedicated to improving the quality of life of those in need, mainly in Asia and Africa, irrespective of their origin, faith, or gender… We offer healthcare, education, and parental support to help people flourish.” To help fulfil the above mission, 200 schools and four academies were established by His Highness the Aga Khan and his predecessors mainly in Africa and India. Our school opened in 2013 and follows the highly successful model established by academies in Mombasa, Kenya (2003) and in Hyderabad, India (2011).

Mozambique:

The 1998 agreement signed between the AKDN and the government of Mozambique aims “…to bring sustained benefits and improve the quality of life for the people of Mozambique.” According to the Mozambique Government and USAID (2023) “…less than half of the population finishes primary school, and of those who do finish, only 8 percent transition to secondary school… Among children who finish primary school, nearly two-thirds leave the system without basic reading, writing, and math skills”.[1]
[1] https://www.usaid.gov/mozambique/education

The Aga Khan Academy Maputo:

Our school is a non-denominational, co-educational day and residential IB World School for primary and secondary students. Located in Matola, Maputo Province, Mozambique, our Academy is dedicated towards its mission of providing educational excellence.

Our Mission is to “Identify and nurture exceptional young people from any background with the potential to become effective and ethical leaders. Admission is based on merit and not on a student’s socio-economic background nor a family’s ability to pay.”

The school is focused on the following five ‘strands’: (i) ethics, (ii) pluralism, (iii) cultures, (iv) governance and civil society, and (v) economics for development, which helps to distinguish us from other IB World Schools. AKA Maputo is currently authorized to offer the IB PYP, MYP and DP. We provide a bilingual education in Portuguese and English for students in our kindergarten and primary school, and students in the senior school are expected to develop two first languages, English plus Portuguese, Arabic, Farsi, or French, and thus aim for a bilingual diploma. Currently around 60% of our students receive some form of financial assistance.

To fulfil our mission and vision we also plan to offer the IBCP to help more local students to enter university or to follow a career path, and where their knowledge, experience and preference for learning and assessment would be catered for better than via the IBDP. We believe that this new program will move us closer to the spirit of the agreement we have with the government of Mozambique.

We also aim to develop and leverage partnerships with key external organization such as we have with ABB (Blackbulls Football Club) to help us to enrich our programmes, develop student leaders, increase enrolment and or to support student learning and wellbeing. Currently we are working on agreements with Lenmed Hospital, ISCTEM University, and Neurodiversity South Africa.

We intended to promote the school as a centre for academic and sports excellence to drive enrolment both in Mozambique and the wider region. We will continue to develop our sports facilities to this end with the support of additional partners.

This focus and our third-party agreements will help us to increase paid enrolments including via potential scholarships to be paid by local companies. The post holder will be expected to help to support the strong relationships with such organizations to increase the number of such enrolments.

Purpose

The Head of Finance and Compliance will provide leadership and management of the Financial and Compliance functions at the Aga Khan Academy Maputo. The incumbent will also be a member of the Senior Leadership Team of the Academy and deputize for the Head of Academy in his/her absence. Thus, holidays of the Incumbent and the Head of Academy will need to be mutually exclusive.
The incumbent will act as company secretary, develop and monitor the annual budget, generate financial reports for the review of supervisors, and help the Head of Academy to develop and strengthen an effective business model.
Like all senior leaders the incumbent shall also work to drive improvement in line with our motto “Excellence is Expected”.

Relationships

The Head of Finance and Compliance will:

• Report Directly to the Head of Academy;
• Attend the AKS Mozambique Board Meetings to report on all financial and compliance matters at the behest of the Head of Academy;
• Have a dotted line report to the AKS Head of Finance (a board member and who works out of Geneva);
• Builds strong positive relationships with Mozambican government officials to ensure for school financial and administrative compliance;
• Be a member of the School Senior Leadership Team (SLT) of the Academy;
• Work closely with the Head of HR on contractual matters, payroll, and other administrative functions related to finance;
• Lead and supervise the Finance and Compliance Teams at the Academy to ensure good working relationships across the academy, with internal and external auditors, banks, and donors where necessary;
• Oversee the effective Professional Development of staff to ensure their professional growth;
• Interact with all staff as per the school’s policy requiring “Adult to Adult” conversations where parties are expected to treat each other with respect, courtesy and as equals and problem solvers;
• Work in collaboration with the Head of Academy to support the work of the AKDN Rep Office, Board Members of AKES, Mozambique and Senior Management Teams of AKF, and the other AKDN institutions in Mozambique.

Main Responsibilities

• Work closely with the Head of Academy and the Senior Leadership Team on all financial and compliance matters, pertaining to the effective running and management of the Academy, including keeping them abreast of any relevant changes to statutory and financial regulations or internal AKES protocols;
• Develop, implement and manage financial policies, processes, systems and controls to ensure the integrity of the data and reporting as well as adherence to best practices;
• Oversee and mange effectively the lender framework with AFD including the payment of loans that were or will be established to secure the future growth of the Academy. This will also include managing relationship with banks, government institutions and AFD in Mozambique and will involve working in close collaboration
  Head office requirements on compliance to the financing and procurement regulations and covenants;
• Manage the accounting system and ensure timely monthly and annual closing and financial reporting;
• Lead and manage collaboratively the annual budget process for the Academy under the guidance of Head of Academy; ensuring input from the Senior Leadership and Heads of Departments;
• Responsible and accountable for managing and achieving targets related to the financial performance including revenue targets, cash flow, lender compliance, insurable risks, internal controls and timely completion of statutory and non-statutory audits;
• Lead the process of risk assessment and management with the support of the Head of Academy;
• Work in collaboration with the Head of HR to ensure for payroll management and the development and management of any third-party contracts;
• Work closely with the Head of Academy to develop and support a business model which ensures the academy can live up to its vision;
• Oversea the work of the Finance team to ensure for the timely invoicing of parents, and then follow up of any arrears;
• Work in collaboration with the Finance Assistance Committee to ensure for proper billing and follow up with parents as needed;
• Develop a culture within the Finance department which is consistent with the values and our motto of “Excellence is Expected”;
• Help recruit Finance staff and ensure for their induction into the school;
• Work with the Head of our Extra Curriculum Activity (ECA) program to ensure for efficient receipt of parent payments and that external coaches are paid according to appropriate contracts;
• To attend morning briefings of the SLT and any other meeting as required by the Head of Academy. To present details of Finance to the board and others at the request of the Head of Academy;
• To undertake performance review and appraisal of Finance Staff and other colleagues within the department (at AKA Maputo this is called Appraisal for Growth);
• Manage all bank accounts seeking Head of Academy and Board Approval where required, and ensure for appropriate signatories and compliance as per policies;
• Consider and manage foreign exchange risks seeking advice from AKES Board and Head of Finance (Geneva) as required;
• Work alongside the Head of HR, Brokers, and Head of Academy to review insurance premiums and levels of service to ensure for appropriate price and levels of service;
• Any other tasks as directed by the Head of Academy.

Capital Expenditure Management

• To work with the Regional and World Facilities Managers and Security managers to inform the annual maintenance and capital improvement plan (September);
• Provide leadership and management of the ongoing Capital Investments ($50m) for the Academy including regular reporting and to insure for the insurance of these assests;
• Ensure systems and controls are in place to effectively manage compliance to AFD ethical and financing frameworks;
• Track, claim and ensure regular reimbursement of VAT and other tax exemptions as granted by the Government of Mozambique to the AKDN in close collaboration with the AKDN Rep Office;
• Ensure all capital procurement comply with the AFD and AKDN procurement guidelines;
• Report to the Head of Academy and the Academies Unit on any variations against the agreed project schedule and where appropriate provide recommendations on any interventions that are required;
• Ensure that loans and or grants are monitored, used effectively, and payments made according to the prescribed schedule.

Aga Khan Education Service, Mozambique

• Act as Company Secretary for AKES, Mz which includes compliance of all legal, statutory, labour and other related issues;
• Establish, strengthen and maintain effective record keeping of board resolutions, meeting notes as well as management of compliance to any donor, as well as external and internal lender requirements;
• For this responsibility, the role reports to the Head of Academy, Academies Unit, the Chairman of AKES, Mozambique and the AKDN Rep Office, as needed.

Facilities and Operations

• Work closely with the Head of Facilities to ensure that tendering and other expenditures reflects operational policies and procedures. The authority to sign tenders is with the Head of Academy upon the advice of the Facilities Manager (School), the Regional and World Facilities Supervisors;
• Regularly review and track risks which may affect the financial viability and smooth operation of the Academy;
• Support the Academy in its work to generate revenue, increase enrolments and enhance its market position.

Review

This job description, along with other leaders within the school, will be discussed with the appointed member of staff, and adjusted according to their knowledge and experience, and the needs of the school. The job description will also be reviewed on an annual basis to reflect changing needs of the school, and the required roles and responsibilities of its leaders.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will have the following:

• A degree in Business, Finance and Accounting or a comparable professional qualification with a minimum of 10 years of experience, of which 7 years MUST be in the management and leadership role of a Head of Finance & Administration or General Manager of an operating unit;
• Age: 40 or more;
• Nationality: Mozambican;
• Experience in an educational setting, preferably with a residential programme;
• An understanding of ‘Not For Profit’ business practices and governance;
• Track record in use and management of a computerised accounting and management systems;
• Exceptional oral and written English and Portuguese;
• Strong leadership skills with a proven record of developing local capacity;
• Ability to work effectively in a small team while navigating requirements across a large network;
• A strong work ethic, with attention to detail while retaining a flexible approach to collaborative problem solving;
• Highly organised, resilient, able to set priorities and keep to deadlines;
• A high level of integrity to handle fiscal responsibilities and confidential information;
• Ability to work effectively in a matrix environment and multinational and multicultural settings;
• Strong interpersonal skills with ability to interact with wide range of stakeholders and a proven track record of building and sustaining relationships within an international setting;
• Desirable attributes include experience in management of capital projects, donor/lender compliance, and management of company properties;
• Experience is auditing, as a company secretary, and leading financial teams.

Application

Submission of Cover Letter explaining your strengths and suitability for the position and CV.