Position: TLC Finance and Compliance Manager

Reports to: TLC Project Director

Supervises: TLC Finance and Logistics Officer

Location: Building Tomorrow, Kampala Office

Start Date: October 15, 2024 - contingent on funding

Contract Duration: September 30, 2029

OVERVIEW

Building Tomorrow, an international nonprofit organization, mobilizes communities in Uganda to deliver universal access to inclusive, quality education. To achieve the goal of literacy and numeracy for all, Building Tomorrow uses a community-powered approach that creates positive learning outcomes, accessible to all. Building Tomorrow is significantly growing within Uganda, in large part thanks to receiving its first U.S. federal sub-grant through USAID Uganda’s five-year Targeting the Learning Crisis (TLC) project. BT is seeking an experienced Finance and Compliance Manager (FCM) to provide strategic financial leadership and ensure compliance with USAID regulations. The FCM will be responsible for managing the financial and regulatory requirements of the grant, ensuring diligent and safe use of resources, finances, and personnel in the achievement of project goals.

THE ORGANIZATION

Started in 2006, Building Tomorrow supports community-powered learning in rural areas. Through over 500 Building Tomorrow Fellows and over 14,000 Community Education Volunteers, Building Tomorrow has enrolled over 140,000 out-of-school children and reached over 350,000 learners with our signature Roots to Rise (R2R) literacy and numeracy camps. Between offices in the USA and Uganda, Building Tomorrow has a full-time staff of over 230, just eight of whom work outside Uganda. Building Tomorrow has received funding and recognition for its innovative work from Echoing Green, Big Bang Philanthropy, Clinton Global Initiative, and Forbes Magazine. More information can be found online at: www.buildingtomorrow.org.

POSITION HIGHLIGHTS

The FCM has primary responsibility for overall financial management of the TLC project, working closely with program leads to ensure the effective allocation and use of resources to achieve project objectives on time and within budget. S/he will provide strategic, analytic, and tactical leadership to ensure that all financial and contractual obligations of the award are met. S/he will provide oversight for financial planning, analysis, and reporting, while developing and utilizing systems and processes to ensure adherence to relevant administrative and compliance standards. This role requires extensive experience in USAID grants management, financial assurance for large portfolios, and managing compliance in both single-entity and consortium structures.

The FCM will report to the Project Director and collaborate with the global and country teams to ensure that all financial and contractual obligations are met, including compliance with local laws, USAID regulations, and Building Tomorrow’s policies. This position is full-time and based in Building Tomorrow Uganda’s Country Office in Kampala, with travel to project sites across the country.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Finance Management and Oversight:

  • Lead and oversee the financial management of the TLC program, ensuring all financial obligations are met in line with USAID rules and regulations.
  • Develop, monitor, and manage project budgets, providing timely and accurate financial forecasts, pipelines, and expenditure reports.
  • Establish regular budget variance reviews and financial monitoring processes with the project team to proactively address issues and mitigate financial risk.
  • Oversee cash management and budgeting processes, ensuring that systems are cost-effective, transparent, and comply with internal policies and USAID requirements.
  • Ensure timely and accurate preparation, review, and submission of all financial reports, including those for the TLC Project and Building Tomorrow’s global leadership.

2. Compliance and Risk Management:

  • Assess and strengthen internal financial controls, policies, and procedures to ensure compliance with USAID regulations, local laws, and Building Tomorrow’s operational standards.
  • Lead the development and implementation of compliance policies and processes across all program areas, ensuring alignment with USAID’s evolving regulations.
  • Work with senior leadership to maintain and update the in-country risk register, proactively identifying and mitigating potential operational risks such as fraud, bribery, and corruption.
  • Conduct regular internal audits and compliance checks to ensure adherence to financial, procurement, and HR policies and procedures.
  • Stay current on USAID regulations and disseminate updates to relevant staff and partners to ensure full compliance.

3. Audit & Reporting:

  • Coordinate and lead annual audits, donor-specific reviews, and other external financial reviews, ensuring that corrective actions are implemented in a timely manner.
  • Ensure the completeness, retention, and security of all financial, procurement, and HR records, in line with USAID and Building Tomorrow’s requirements.
  • Regularly communicate critical financial matters to senior leadership, ensuring transparency and timely decision-making.

4. Management and Leadership:

  • Lead the start-up and close-out processes for project operations, including banking, logistics, and staff administration.
  • Supervise, mentor and train relevant staff ensuring team members have the appropriate skill levels for their positions and are developing to their full capacity.
  • Conduct trainings for other personnel as needed, on efficient, effective financial and internal control systems, budget analysis, and policy and procedure awareness and compliance.

QUALIFICATIONS, EDUCATION, BACKGROUND, REQUIRED SKILLS:

  • Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Finance, Accounting, or a related field, with preference to those with strong finance and accounting backgrounds like ACCA
  • Minimum of 10 years of experience in program management, with a focus on education, international development, or related fields.
  • Experience in managing risks and compliance for large donor portfolios (USAID preferable).
  • Strong leadership skills, with experience managing teams and building partnerships with government agencies, NGOs, and community-based organizations.
  • Excellent organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines effectively.

WE WANT YOU TO APPLY IF YOU

  • Have an unshakeable passion for education equality, believing access to an inclusive, quality education is a basic human right.
  • Possess creative ingenuity, being progressive in your thinking and approaching challenges old and new. You are intrapreneurial and unafraid to pilot new ideas.
  • Are relentlessly determined, refusing to accept the status quo, persistently striving to create new opportunities to reach more children, allowing them to reach their maximum potential.
  • Believe in collaborative engagement. You believe more can be achieved together than alone, believe in the power of cultivating relationships, and see everyone as an equal partner.

The compensation package includes benefits and will be commensurate with experience. This is a management position based in Kampala, Uganda.

If someone referred you to apply for this position, please provide his or her name in your cover letter.

Building Tomorrow maintains a dedication to promoting gender equity, diversity, multiculturalism, and inclusion, and recruits, employs, trains, compensates and promotes regardless of protected characteristics. Building Tomorrow will not tolerate illegal discrimination or harassment under any applicable law in any jurisdiction where it operates.