Our partner is a growing Malawian NGO working at a grassroots level across education, livelihoods, health and environmental sustainability. The organisation partners with communities, schools and government to support long term change, with a strong focus on children, young people and women.
Their work includes digital learning in schools, rural development, youth skills training, financial literacy, agricultural training, access to financial services, environmental initiatives and support for schools to grow food locally. The organisation now employs around 40 staff and manages multiple donor funded projects, with annual income of over £1 million.
As the organisation has grown, the complexity of its financial management has also increased. QuickBooks has been introduced, but it is not yet fully embedded or optimised, and many processes remain manual. They are now seeking practical, hands on support to strengthen financial management systems, reporting, controls and team confidence.
They are seeking a volunteer accountant or finance professional to work closely alongside the Finance and Administration Manager, the wider finance team and senior leadership. The placement will begin with a broad finance health check, helping the team review current systems, processes and controls, identify the most important areas for improvement, and agree clear, practical priorities.
Key areas of support are likely to include:
- Reviewing financial systems, processes and controls
- Identifying priority areas for improvement
- Strengthening use of QuickBooks, including reporting, project tracking and budgeting
- Improving budgeting, forecasting and cashflow management tools
- Developing management accounts and donor reporting to support decision making
- Strengthening internal controls and expenditure verification processes
- Supporting internal audit readiness and financial documentation
- Providing hands on training and mentoring to the finance team
- Helping ensure improvements are practical, embedded and sustainable
This is a broad and practical placement focused on helping a growing organisation strengthen its financial management foundations as it continues to manage a more complex portfolio of donor funded work.
The placement would suit a collaborative and adaptable volunteer who is comfortable working closely with a local finance team, balancing a systems review with practical support, mentoring and implementation.
