Jobs at Acumen

About The Role

• The Program Senior Finance Associate will be responsible for supporting regional financial operations, ensuring accurate accounting, statutory compliance, grant expenditure tracking, and timely financial reporting.
• The role will partner closely with program teams and global finance to ensure donor requirements are met, financial controls are strong, and resources are deployed responsibly.
• This position serves as a critical bridge between regional implementation and global finance oversight, helping ensure sound financial stewardship and operational excellence in the region.

Key Responsibilities Will Include
Program Finance & Grant Support:
In close collaboration with the Program Finance Manager and the Program Lead:

• Support financial management of a donor-funded program in West Africa, ensuring expenditures align with approved budgets and donor restrictions.
• Track program burn rates, pipeline projections, and cash flow needs across pillars.
• Prepare monthly and quarterly financial reports for internal leadership and global finance.
• Support the preparation of donor financial reports by providing regional expenditure data, variance explanations, and documentation.
• Monitor grant disbursements, local contracting, and payment schedules in line with program timelines.
• Support annual operating planning and multi-year budget preparation for AWA.
• Flag financial risks, compliance gaps, or forecast variances early to regional and global finance leadership.
• Accountability Note: While global grant strategy and donor contracting oversight sit with the Program Finance Manager based in Canada, the Senior Associate is responsible for accurate regional execution, tracking, and compliance documentation.

Financial Accounting & Reporting:

• Process and review all financial transactions through purchase orders in NetSuite in line with budgets, grant codes, and cost centers.
• Manage and maintain an accurate and efficient month-end close process by BD 5 through NetSuite and Floqast- reconciliations, amortizations, and depreciation.
• Prepare and review monthly P&L, Balance Sheet, Trial Balance, and Cash Flow statements for accuracy.
• Perform all the monthly overhead allocations and ensure that the fund assignments and cost centers and expenses are accurately allocated.
• Prepare and book general accrual and correct journal entries, and intercompany journal entries as appropriate, and ensure that all the financial transactions are captured in the systems at all times.
• Prepare monthly bank and all balance sheet account reconciliation and upload it on G-Drive.
• Prepare and maintain the Property, Plant and Equipment (PPE) schedules and reconciliations of the Fixed Asset Register in the NetSuite asset module monthly.
• Maintain a database of all the invoices and payment vouchers both electronically and physically monthly.

Treasury & Cash Management:

• Manage regional cash flow forecasting and liquidity planning.
• Serve as liaison with bankers and manage treasury relationships.
• Prepare and submit intercompany recharge invoices (e.g., SLA/TP arrangements).
• Ensure timely vendor payments and expense reimbursements.

Statutory Compliance & Audit:

• Ensure full compliance with local statutory obligations (Income Tax, PAYE, NHF, NSITF, ITF, WHT, VAT).
• Prepare and maintain reconciled tax schedules monthly.
• Coordinate the Acumen West Africa annual external audit and align with NY/global audit requirements.
• Ensure adherence to internal financial policies and donor compliance standards.
• Strengthen documentation and audit-readiness practices across the region.
• Given the regulatory complexity in West Africa, this role requires strong familiarity with local tax authorities, regulatory filings, and evolving compliance requirements.

Procurement, Controls & Risk Management:

• Ensure payments are supported by adequate documentation, proper procurement processes, and approvals, in line with budgets.
• Review employee expense reports for receipts and approval in adherence with travel policy, input in accounts payable for payment, and implement appropriate action for any outstanding balances.
• Independently verify the vendor payments to ensure value for money on procurement of goods and services/contracts and assist budget owners with the review of pricing.
• Reconcile vendor invoices and/or statements to ensure timely payments. Follow-up on any outstanding issues with vendors and service providers.
• Maintain contract tracking database (commercial and consultancy contracts).
• Strengthen internal controls, segregation of duties, and documentation practices.
• Identify areas for process improvement and efficiency in regional finance operations.

Systems & Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Collaborate with global finance on shared grants, cost allocations, and intercompany processes.
• Support program teams with financial guidance and budget management training.
• Maintain data accuracy in NetSuite and related financial systems.
• Contribute to process improvements in reporting and financial data quality.
• Perform any other tasks as may be assigned from time to time by the immediate supervisor.

Qualifications & Experience

• Minimum 7 years of progressive experience in accounting, audit, or program finance.
• Professional certification required (ACCA, CPA, ICAN, or equivalent).
• Experience working with donor-funded programs (foundations, institutional donors, government funding preferred).
• Demonstrated experience managing statutory compliance in Nigeria (and familiarity with broader West African contexts is an asset).
• Advanced Excel skills; proficiency in NetSuite or similar ERP systems preferred.
• Experience supporting audits and multi-entity financial environments.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to build relationships and work effectively in teams.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Strong ability to multitask, prioritize, and meet deadlines in a high-pressure environment.
• Self reflective and aligned with Acumen values.
• Permanently authorized to work in Nigeria.

go to method of application »

About The Role

• As the Impact Manager: Reporting, Data and Analytics you will be responsible for designing and implementing the technology solution for the programmatic MEL framework.
• That is potentially adapting existing solutions like Salesforce and Google sheets, or creating/identifying new technology solutions, to ensure that the MEL framework has a functioning and efficient technology platform, routine reporting on key data points.
• We expect the role to focus on continual identification of system and data management and reporting improvements. We expect candidates to be highly technically efficient with data and software solutions with growing skills in the use of AI.
• You will work closely with the Impact Manager: Monitoring, Evaluation and learning. The Impact Manager: Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning will focus on MEL framework design and implementation and adaptive learning.
• Additionally, you will work closely with other Impact & Insight staff based in the UK and in East and West Africa.
• The postholder is expected to travel occasionally within the region.

Accountabilities 
MEL framework design and implementation:

• Support the implementation of the programmatic MEL framework (including MEL plan, data collection plan, data management plan, quality assurance protocols, results framework) through providing a functioning technology solution to support data collection, management and reporting
• Work collaboratively with the Impact Manager: Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning to co-develop quarterly reporting processes and reports on key metrics and KPIs (including financial KPIs for companies), for sharing with a range of stakeholders (This role to focus on the technology platform e.g. Power BI or Airtable and develop dashboards)
• Carry out data analysis to derive insights in collaboration with the Impact Manager: MEL
• Develop infographics using data visualisation software and tools
• Close collaboration with Finance to quality assure and integrate finance data with impact data - including reporting on Impact Linked Finance initiatives

Programme data management:

• Ensure that data is collected and managed in line with best practices
• Liaise with Compliance and Legal team to ensure we are following best practices on data consent, use, management, retention, reporting, protection and security approaches.
• Integrate data, from a range of data sources, to produce reports (through Power BI or similar)
• Be the point person for all impact data requests

Knowledge Management and Learning:

• Set up an internal Knowledge Management system for the programme and co-develop the programme knowledge management system.
• Work closely with Programme Insights team to ensure lessons are captured and knowledge management processes are followed.
• Work closely with the Programme Insights team to ensure qualitative data is managed in line with best practices.
• Actively support any programmatic evaluations that are required by donors by ensuring all data needs are met

Capacity building - team and partners:

• Capacity building team members to use technology for MEL implementation
• Capacity building partners (organisations) to engage with technology for reporting.
• Development of training materials and training sessions to upskill staff and partners with a range of skills in this space
• Support lower capacity organisations to develop their own internal reporting systems in line with programmatic needs
• Site visits to monitor partner data management and reporting systems
• Quarterly reporting on data quality from partners

Skills And Qualifications

• At least 8 years of professional experience, including at least 3 years of experience in developing and managing data systems, MEL databases, and reporting tools
• Strong hands-on experience in Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) for complex, multi-country programmes
• Demonstrated ability to strengthen the use of data for decision-making across different organisational levels
• Strong skills in data analysis and data visualisation
• Experience setting up routine reporting systems (actuals vs targets) for quarterly and annual reporting
• Experience using technology to support MEL in field and country contexts, including mobile data collection
• Experience working with compliance teams on data governance and best practices
• Experience building or using Salesforce-based data management and reporting systems
• Interest or experience in AI solutions or AI agents for MEL
• Experience in Impact Linked Finance / Value for Money / SROI / Cost–Benefit analysis
• Project management qualification
• Experience working in multi-country, matrix-managed environments
• Experience in gender and youth programmes or working with private sector partners
• Familiarity with Power BI, Airtable, Salesforce or similar tools