Finance Lead - Mastercard Foundation

Mastercard Foundation is a global foundation based in Toronto, Canada with several offices in Africa. Our programs promote financial inclusion and advance education and learning in Africa, primarily for young people, and in Canada for Indigenous youth. The Foundation was established in 2006 through the generosity of Mastercard when it became a public company. From inception, the Foundation was designed to be a separate entity and independent from Mastercard. Our policies, operations, and funding decisions are made by our President and Board of Directors.

The Foundation believes that youth employment is key to unlocking prosperity, both for youth and their societies. Enabling young women and men from disadvantaged communities to secure dignified and fulfilling work will ensure inclusive development and economic growth in Africa.

Values are timeless, they transcend and rise above all. They guide everything we do, as employees of the Foundation.  We share a common vision of a world where everyone has the opportunity to learn and prosper. We make mistakes, we reflect, and we grow so that we can impact our world – it’s why we are here. We are ambitious and driven. We encourage you to bring your bold ideas, curiosity, and expertise to your work. We laugh at ourselves and with each other. We are a team. Our journey together makes our impact even more meaningful.

We have entered a very exciting time at the Foundation as we scale up our operations across Africa to realize our Young Africa Works strategy. If you are an experienced Finance professional ready to build something new and increase your impact, read on!

THE WORK AT THE FOUNDATION

The Finance team is a key partner to colleagues in Programs and Impact in implementing and managing programs with implementing partners across Africa. Together with Legal & Compliance, Finance works collaboratively to execute and manage partner contracts, develop partner relationships, and meet regulatory requirements, through financial analysis, due diligence, and audit/compliance reviews.

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THE OPPORTUNITY

Reporting to the Head of Finance and Accounting, Northern, Central and Western Africa the Finance Lead will oversee all financial aspects of our program partnerships in country, including due diligence, reporting and contracting. This is an opportunity to influence and support our growth across Africa in co-ordination with our head office in Toronto. The successful candidate will also be the primary Finance contact for the Program Leads in Ghana. As such, the individual must be highly motivated, innovative, and results-oriented, with strong listening skills and the ability to build effective working relationships. 

As the scope and scale of our work across Africa grows, the Finance team structure and processes will also change. The ability to be flexible and adaptable, and a willingness to support wherever needed, are critical to our joint success.

WAYS YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE

• Manage the full cycle of program partner contracts, i.e. Expression of Interest (EOI), proposal, contract approval, program execution and monitoring, and program completion.
• Guide and train external program partners on all financial aspects of contract execution, including budgeting and reporting, due diligence, and Canadian regulatory requirements.
• Provide financial expertise and advice internally to the Foundation’s Programs team on the development and implementation of comprehensive programming strategies.
• Provide ad-hoc data and support for learning and evaluation activities, including analysis of program outputs and value-for-money.
• Maintain accurate and timely financial documentation and data, and report on contract commitments, disbursements, and cash flow projections.
• Monitor program spend against budget, and provide analysis and recommendations on proposed changes.
• Accountable for compliance with local and international financial regulations and requirements, e.g. Canada Revenue Agency standards, anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism laws, etc.
• Travel (within Ghana, across Africa and to Canada) 15-20%.
• Other duties and responsibilities as required.

WHO YOU ARE

• An ICA-Ghana or equivalent (e.g. UK ACA, South Africa CA, etc.), with a university degree in accounting, audit, finance or related field.
• Minimum 4 years of progressive financial roles within large and/or global organizations. Previous work in the development sector an asset.
• Exceptional business, analytical and project management skills, with a high level of attention to detail.
• Excellent communicator, able to establish and maintain strong relations with diverse stakeholder groups.
• Results driven and self-disciplined, with a strong sense of team and common purpose to achieve ambitious goals.
• Flexible, intellectually curious and open, you are comfortable with ambiguity, receptive to new ideas and willing to learn and change.
• Able to formulate and develop a new or creative approach to a problem and inspire others on the team to do so as well.
• Proficient in MS Office applications, particularly Excel.
• Fluency in English required; bilingual (French and English) preferred.
• Professional maturity, sensitivity with different cultures, and impeccable integrity that exemplify the Foundation’s values.
• You are flexible, adaptable, and able to execute a range of job duties and changing priorities.
• You possess excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills with the ability to articulate information to a variety of constituents across cultures.
• You possess professional maturity, sensitivity with different cultures, and impeccable integrity that exemplify the Foundation’s values.

Mastercard Foundation values the unique skills and experiences each individual brings to the organization and we are committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and accessible environment for everyone.