Our partner works in Tanzania to improve maternal and newborn health through direct care, clinician training and wider health systems strengthening. The organisation also operates alongside a women-led social enterprise clinic model, with the longer-term aim of strengthening sustainability and reducing reliance on grant funding.
The organisation has recently secured significant new funding and is entering a major growth phase, with changing operational plans, a developing management team, and increasing donor expectations. The team would value an experienced finance mentor, with an understanding of managing a complex and growing donor grants portfolio, who can act as a sounding board, review work prepared internally, and help them make practical decisions around budgeting, forecasting and financial controls.
The mentoring will focus on:
- Supporting the team to develop a more controlled approach to budgeting, forecasting and financial planning during a period of growth and operational change
- Helping the organisation think through how to allocate costs and funding across unrestricted and restricted funding streams, particularly where one restricted programme cuts across wider organisational activity.
- Helping the organisation to plan how to spend their unrestricted funds to cover programme delivery, operating costs and to support with their fundraising plan.
- Reviewing and sense-checking financial planning tools, assumptions and draft budgets prepared by the team
- Advising on financial controls and reporting needs linked to a new large restricted grant programme
- Supporting the team to think through sustainability, reserves and longer-term financial health as they continue to grow
- Acting as a strategic sounding board for the finance and leadership team as they navigate donor expectations, operational change and future fundraising plans
This mentorship would suit a senior finance professional with experience supporting growing non-profits or social enterprises through periods of change. Experience in donor grant management – budgeting, forecasting, restricted fund management, cost allocation & full cost recovery, financial controls, management reporting and strategic financial planning would be especially valuable.
The role is advisory rather than implementation-based. The mentor would not be expected to build systems or carry out finance work on behalf of the organisation, but would support the team to prioritise, review, challenge and strengthen the work they are taking forward internally.
The mentorship will be delivered remotely over six months, with approximately 2–4 hours of support per month.
