Director of Financial Planning and Budget

Job purpose

The Director of Financial Planning and Budget leads Fika's enterprise budgeting, forecasting, and management reporting across all countries and departments. They own the annual budget process, rolling forecasts, and the financial models that guide strategic decisions, and they partner with senior leadership and country teams to strengthen financial planning discipline. The role also owns Fika's indirect cost recovery strategy: the policy, rate methodology, and donor negotiations that ensure Fika recovers its full costs. 

Duties and responsibilities

Organizational budgeting and forecasting

• Own the annual organizational budgeting process across all countries and departments, setting guidelines, timelines, and templates in coordination with the CFO.
• Lead rolling forecasts and mid-year reviews, shifting the organization from budget-based to actuals-based forecasting.
• Consolidate country and department budgets, validate assumptions, and prepare the organizational budget for executive and board approval.
• Analyze budget variances, investigate exceptions, and facilitate corrective actions with budget holders.

Management reporting and analysis

• Develop management reporting frameworks with the CFO, Global Controller, and country teams that produce accurate, timely financial reports.
• Prepare recurring and ad-hoc financial analysis on spending trends, revenue forecasts, and funding gaps for the CFO and executive team.
• Provide forward-looking analysis that flags financial risks and opportunities arising from program spend and the funding pipeline.

Financial modeling and strategic decision support

• Build financial models and scenario plans for strategic initiatives, including funding scale-up, country expansion, and program investments.
• Assess the financial feasibility of new opportunities and challenge operational assumptions behind plans.
• Provide strategic financial input on decisions affecting revenue, cost structure, and resource allocation.

Indirect cost recovery

• Own Fika's indirect cost policy, rate methodology, and calculation; maintain the supporting documentation and update it as the organization evolves.
• Lead the preparation, submission, and negotiation of Fika's indirect cost rate with donors, including NICRA-style submissions where required.
• Set the standards for how indirect costs are budgeted in proposals and applied to awards across the portfolio.
• Train the Business Development team and program staff on cost recovery principles so that proposals reflect Fika's full costs.
• Monitor actual cost recovery across the grant portfolio, analyze gaps between recovered and incurred indirect costs, and recommend actions to close them.

Donor budgeting standards and proposal quality assurance

• Set organization-wide budgeting standards, templates, and guidance used across Fika.
• Provide quality assurance and final finance review on proposal budgets prepared by the Business Development team, confirming consistency with Fika's cost recovery policy and donor requirements.
• Ensure budget assumptions in proposals are realistic, fully costed, and aligned with Fika's chart of accounts and reporting structures.

Business partnering and capacity building

• Act as a finance business partner to the C-suite, country directors, and department heads, translating financial performance into clear actions.
• Strengthen the financial planning capability of country finance teams through training, tools, and documented best practices.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Finance, Accounting, or a related field, or an MBA.
• Minimum 10 years of progressive finance experience, including at least 7 years in financial planning and analysis, budgeting, and forecasting.
• Professional certification (CPA, ACCA, CA, or equivalent) strongly preferred.
• Experience in a complex international nonprofit or NGO with an annual budget of at least $20 million; strong working knowledge of nonprofit fund accounting.
• Demonstrated experience with institutional donor budgeting and indirect cost recovery.
• Advanced Excel and financial modeling skills; experience with ERP and planning systems (Sage Intacct preferred).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex financial information to non-finance audiences.
• Cross-cultural communication skills and experience working across multiple countries; French, Spanish, or Portuguese a plus.
• Strong supervisory and mentoring skills; they build capable, accountable teams.
  

Working conditions

Remote, Nairobi, Kenya or Denver, USA Preferred. Regular collaboration across time zones with colleagues in Africa, Europe, and the United States. International travel to country offices approximately 15-20% of the time.

Physical requirements

The role is office-based and is not physically demanding.

Direct reports

Financial Planning & Analysis Analyst(s) (positions to be recruited). Matrix responsibility for country finance staff on budgeting, forecasting, and reporting matters.

Application guidelines

We have seen firsthand the benefits of a diverse team, and the strength that comes with diversity in experience, background, and perspective. We strongly encourage applications from individuals that would bring a unique or underrepresented perspective to our organization.

CV Guidelines:

• Length: Maximum 2 pages.
• Education: Highlight relevant diplomas, degrees and recognized certifications 
• Exclude: personal information (photos, gender, religion, marital status, number of dependents), non-certified training.
  

Data Protection

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