Business Analyst at African Leadership Academy

Position Overview

• The business analyst will play a critical role in supporting the financial strategy, planning and performance of the organization. Reporting directly and working closely with the CFO, the  BA will lead the budgeting and forecasting processes, provide scenario modelling for business cases, and offer financial support to key stakeholders across the organization. The BA must be able to analyze the performance and plans of the business and provide actionable recommendations to improve the financial health and advance the mission of the organization.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Planning and Budgeting

• Lead annual budgeting and forecasting processes ensuring the alignment of proposed plans with organizational strategic goals.
• Ensure financial sustainability and responsible stewardship of resources i.e. treasury management and endowment monitoring
• Work closely with leadership to support long-range plans and develop financial models and forecasts for critical projects

Financial Reporting and Analysis

• Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual financial and management reports for internal and external stakeholders
• Evaluate the financial performance of the organization against plans, highlighting key trends and deviations and providing recommendations
• Develop and maintain financial models and KPIs to monitor performance and support decision-making
• Monitor cash flow and recommend assets and investment optimization opportunities
• Produce timely donor reports internally monthly and externally quarterly (or as per donor requirement)

Compliance and Risk Management

• Support CFO in compliance with local laws and financial regulations
• Develop and implement policies and procedures to mitigate financial risks and maximize opportunities
• Support the CFO and the Controller to develop financial policies and procedures

Grant Management

• Manage restricted and unrestricted funds, ensuring compliance with grant agreements.
• Collaborate with the development team to prepare financial information for grant proposals and reporting to donors.
• Track and report on the financial performance of funded programs.

Strategic Financial Support

• Provide financial analysis and recommendations to support strategic decision-making by the CFO.
• Assess the financial impact of potential initiatives, partnerships, and investments.
• Develop KPIs to monitor business performance and guide decisions, drive insights to recommend process improvement, cost-saving initiatives, operation efficiency etc
• Lead efforts to develop, improve and implement systems, processes dashboards and tools.

Team Leadership and Development

• Support the CFO in managing and mentoring the finance team, fostering a collaborative and high-performance work environment.
• Cultivate a strong finance function that supports operational and programmatic growth.

Procurement

• Support the procurement department on negotiations and systems optimization
• Ensure that procurement activities comply with organizational policies, industry regulations, and legal requirements.
• Ensure procurement processes including RFPs are seamless, timely, rigorous, thorough and effective

Key Skills and Competencies:

• Strong report-writing skills
• Good knowledge of systems and IT architecture
• Technical skills required IFRS, strong critical thinker, solution-driven.
• Financial tools and systems SAGE preferred, excel, word, PowerPoint, BI or similar
• Analytical skills required
• Soft skills & competencies: Communication, leadership, proficiency in English,

Preferred Experience: 

• Bachelor’s degree in finance or data science
• 5 Years of experience in sector-focused entrepreneurship programs or venture accelerator programs.
• Professional Certifications are preferred