Director of Finance at ActionAid Nigeria

Responsible to: Country Director
Line Management: Head of Finance, Partnership Finance Manager
Grade: 11

Job Purpose

• The Director of Finance provides leadership and strategic oversight of ActionAid Nigeria’s financial health, sustainability, and governance.
• The role ensures that financial strategies are forward-looking, risk-informed, and aligned with organisational priorities.
• The position leads financial planning, long-term resource stewardship, systems strengthening, and strategic donor engagement

Specific Responsibilities
Strategic Financial Planning & Stewardship:

• Provide strategic leadership in the development of long-term and annual financial strategies, ensuring alignment with ActionAid Nigeria’s mission, strategic priorities, and ActionAid International financial frameworks.
• Lead organisation-wide financial forecasting and scenario planning to inform strategic decision-making by the Country Management Team (CMT), National Board, and Global Secretariat.
• Ensure financial plans are responsive to contextual changes, programmatic shifts, and organisational risk analysis (e.g., foreign exchange fluctuations and inflation).
• Oversee the consolidation of national plans and budgets and strategic investment proposals for Board and Global Secretariat approval.
• Provide strategic insights and recommendations to strengthen financial sustainability, including revenue diversification, cost-optimisation, and investment opportunities.
• Set national budget exchange rate strategy and provide guidance to minimise exposure to macroeconomic and FX risks. (Treasury Management)
• Coordinate income allocation strategically in line with the National Resource Allocation Framework (RAF), ensuring resources are deployed to maximise impact.
• Ensure statutory and global financial reporting meets governance requirements and supports strategic oversight. (IFRS)

Organisational Leadership & Strategic Influence:

• Provide financial intelligence and strategic guidance to senior leadership, enhancing organisational decision-making through timely, insightful financial and management reports.
• Represent ActionAid Nigeria in national and international finance forums, shaping practices and contributing to global finance conversations within the ActionAid federation.
• Provide financial support to the board for its oversight function.
• Drive a culture of accountability, transparency, and value-for-money across the organisation and partner network.

Financial Governance, Systems Strengthening & Compliance:

• Provide strategic oversight for the design and strengthening of financial management systems, internal controls, and corporate governance mechanisms.
• Lead periodic review and strategic updating of finance policies to ensure relevance to the Global Finance Framework, donor standards, and Nigerian regulatory requirements.
• Oversee strategic response to audit processes, ensuring audit recommendations inform systemic improvements and organisational learning.
• Ensure robust financial risk management, partnering with internal audit to anticipate, identify, and mitigate strategic risks across the organisation.
• Safeguard organisational financial assets and donor resources through strong governance and compliance oversight.
• Support the finalisation of the financial automation process and its sustainability within the organisation.

Strategic Support to Fundraising & Partnerships:

• Working with Business Development and Innovations Directorate, provide financial leadership in proposal development, fundraising and investment strategy, ensuring proposals and partnerships are financially sound and sustainable. Include social enterprise model and private sector engagements
• Guide senior leadership on the financial implications of donor agreements, reviewing terms and conditions to ensure alignment with organisational priorities and risk appetite.
• Support the development of financial systems for social enterprise.
• Strengthen the financial capacity and governance of partner organisations through strategic support and oversight mechanisms.

Leadership of People & Organisational Capability:

• Provide strategic direction and coaching to finance staff, ensuring the team has the competencies needed to deliver high-quality financial leadership.
• Lead organisational efforts to build financial literacy among non-finance staff and partners, enabling stronger programmatic and operational decision-making.
• Lead the management of a high-performing finance directorate/ function, including recruitment, succession planning, performance management, and professional development of finance staff.
• Foster a high-performance finance culture driven by accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Key Working Relationships:

• Internal: Entire AAN staff
• External: AAN Partners and other stakeholders.

Persons Specification
Education/Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in accounting / finance
• Nationally recognised Professional Accounting Qualification (e.g., ICAN, ACCA, ANAN).

Experience:

• At least fifteen (15) years of post-NYSC experience.
• At least ten (10) years of post-professional qualification experience with six (6) years in a senior management position.
• Experience in implementing financial control systems.
• Experience in using Accounting Systems & Spreadsheets.
• Development sector experience as a finance professional.
• Experience working with different cultures and nationalities.

Skills/Abilities:

• Exceptional strategic thinking and analytical skills.
• Excellent financial modelling and forecasting capabilities.
• Strong leadership, communication, and relationship management skills.
• IT and advanced Excel skills, including data modelling
• Deep understanding of Nigerian financial regulations, donor requirements, and global NGO finance frameworks.
• Ability to influence strategy and build trust with senior leaders and external stakeholders.
• Commitment to transparency, accountability, and feminist leadership principles.

Personal Qualities:

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Accuracy and attention to details
• High sense of integrity
• Effectively promote the AAN’s mission values and objectives.