Finance Manager — Job Description
Organisation: Education Bridge (Greenbelt Academies)
Website: www.education-bridge.org
Location: Preferred Juba, South Sudan; open to Kampala, Uganda (regular travel to Bor & Juba)
Start date: ASAP
Employment: Full-time
Salary range: USD 1,200 - USD 1,600 / month (gross)
Reports to: Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Direct reports: School/Project Accountants; Bursars (Bor & Juba)
Key internal relationships: Managing Director; HR; Procurement; School Leadership; Programs/Grants
About Education Bridge
Education Bridge is a nonprofit organisation founded in 2015 with a mission to empower young people in South Sudan, through holistic education, to end poverty and violent conflict in their communities. We believe that investing in education is the most powerful way to equip the next generation of leaders and peacemakers with the tools they need to transform their country.
Since opening our first school in Bor in 2017, we have grown into a network of Greenbelt Academies that now serve more than 900 students each year across Bor and Juba. Our schools deliver a world-class secondary education while embedding peace education, leadership development, and entrepreneurship training into the curriculum. Our graduates go on to attend some of the best universities in Africa and abroad, including Ashesi University and Stanford University, while others start businesses, launch community initiatives, or enter professions that directly contribute to rebuilding their communities.
Education Bridge has an ambitious vision: to expand from two campuses to a network of at least ten secondary schools by 2035, representing all regions of South Sudan. Alongside school expansion, we are investing in innovative teacher training, leadership programmes, and college and career pathways to ensure that every young person who passes through our schools is prepared to succeed and contribute to peace and prosperity. By combining high-quality learning with character development and a strong focus on community impact, Education Bridge is shaping a generation that can break cycles of poverty and conflict and create lasting change.
Role Overview
The Finance Manager is a senior leadership role responsible for safeguarding the organisation’s resources, ensuring accountability to donors and communities, and equipping Education Bridge with the financial tools it needs to scale. This role goes beyond managing numbers: it is about building a financial system that supports a rapidly growing school network operating across two countries, in complex environments, with both local and international funding streams.
The Finance Manager will provide strategic oversight of Education Bridge’s entire financial function—from designing budgets and financial models, to ensuring compliance with South Sudanese regulations, to meeting the exacting standards of international donors. The postholder will lead on cash flow planning, multi-currency and foreign exchange management, donor grant reporting, payroll, and audits. Equally important, the Finance Manager will build and mentor a strong finance team, strengthening school-level financial operations and creating user-friendly tools that empower school leaders and budget holders to make sound decisions.
As a member of the senior leadership team, the Finance Manager will be a trusted advisor to the CEO, Board, and management colleagues. They will be expected to balance day-to-day operational demands with longer-term strategic thinking, ensuring that Education Bridge has the financial resilience to grow its school network, expand its programmes, and deliver on its vision of nurturing the next generation of South Sudanese leaders.
Key Responsibilities
1) Financial Strategy, Planning & Budgeting
- Lead the annual organisational budget; consolidate departmental and school budgets; run rolling forecasts and scenario planning.
- Monitor economic and FX trends (SSP, UGX, USD) and advise leadership on implications for cash flow, procurement, payroll, and grant delivery.
- Provide financial input to proposals (costing, pricing, donor rules, cost recovery/overheads).
- Build budget monitoring tools (variance analysis, burn-rate, unit costs per student/classroom) and brief budget holders monthly.
2) Treasury, Cash & FX Management
- Prepare monthly cash-flow projections; submit fund requests; optimise funding across bank/mobile-money/petty cash.
- Manage multi-currency holdings and FX conversions; document rates; manage FX risk and value-for-money.
3) Accounting, Systems & Reporting
- Ensure complete, accurate, timely posting of transactions and monthly closes; maintain a clean chart of accounts and supporting documentation.
- Produce monthly management accounts (P&L, balance sheet, cash flow, budget vs. actuals, dashboard KPIs) for the SLT and Board, within set deadlines.
- Maintain and improve accounting software workflows (e.g., QuickBooks/Sage/Xero; MYOB exposure an advantage).
4) Internal Controls, Compliance & Policies
- Design, implement, and monitor internal control systems (segregation of duties, approvals, reconciliations, asset register, inventory).
- Ensure statutory compliance (PAYE, NSSF, WHT, local taxes) in relevant jurisdictions in coordination with HR/Payroll.
- Periodically review and update the Finance Procedures Manual; conduct spot checks and internal control self-assessments.
5) Donor Finance & Grants Management
- Set up grant budgets, reporting calendars, and cost allocation plans; track eligible costs, procurement thresholds, and documentation.
- Prepare donor financial reports and support narrative reporting; liaise with grantors; support audits and due diligence.
- Maintain sub-award/contract controls where applicable.
6) Payroll & People Costing
- Oversee payroll preparation and review with HR, ensuring accuracy, confidentiality, and alignment with contracts and donor rules.
7) Procurement & Asset Oversight (Finance Controls)
- Review procurement documents for budget availability, compliance, and value-for-money; confirm correct coding and approvals.
- Maintain asset register and depreciation schedule; steward asset verification.
8) School Finance Operations
- Supervise Bursars/Accountants; standardise fee receipting, bank-ins, and reconciliations; follow up fee balances with school leadership.
- Build simple, robust school-level tools (fee tracking, petty cash, capex logs).
9) External & Internal Audit
- Lead audit readiness (schedules, samples, confirmations); coordinate field visits; track and implement audit findings.
10) Team Leadership & Capacity Building
- Build a high-performance finance team with clear KPIs; coach, mentor, and appraise staff; plan training for budget holders and bursars.
11) Safeguarding, Ethics & Data Protection
- Uphold child safeguarding, anti-fraud, anti-corruption, and confidentiality standards across all financial processes.
- Ensure secure data retention and disposal aligned to policy and law.
Candidate Profile
Qualifications & Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting/Finance (master’s or professional certification—ACCA/CPA—preferred).
- 5+ years progressive experience in finance/accounting, including at least 2 years supervising finance staff (nonprofit and/or education sector experience strongly preferred).
- Experience working in the non-profit sector is a plus as familiarity with financial reporting for donors is important for this role.
- Track record producing management accounts and donor reports to deadlines.
- Strong systems skills: accounting software (experience with SAGE InTact is a big plus) advanced Excel (pivots, lookups, error checks).
- Familiarity with East Africa/South Sudan statutory requirements and cross-border operations (tax, payroll, FX, banking).
Skills & Attributes
- Meticulous attention to detail; excellent data analysis and reporting; strong written and spoken communication.
- Sound judgement, problem-solving, and the ability to prioritise under pressure; collaborative team player who can train others.
- Commitment to Education Bridge’s mission and values.
Travel: Regular travel to Bor & Juba; occasional travel to Kampala/Juba depending on base.
How to Apply
Please upload your CV and answer the application questions on this form. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the role is filled. If you have any questions about the role, please contact admin@education-bridge.org.
JD_ Finance Manager 2025.pdf (147.1 KB)