TaRL Africa- Senior Finance Associate

Location: Nairobi
Application deadline: 7 November

Under the supervision of the Operations Director, the Senior Finance Associate will support TaRL Africa’s work by carrying out financial operations for the office and supporting the systems and operational needs including processing and tracking expenses, processing payments and procurement, developing draft budgets for various activities, and supporting the documentation, management, and enforcement of operational systems. This position will be based in Kenya with possible travel across Africa.

About Teaching at the Right Level Africa

Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) Africa is a new high-profile initiative jointly led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) and the Indian Education NGO Pratham. TaRL Africa works to improve basic reading and arithmetic skills of children on the African continent and aims to reach 3 million children in the next five years. Key countries of operation include Kenya, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Zambia.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Process accounts payable including invoices, RFPs, and travel expense reports.


• Interact with vendors to answer questions and resolve issues.


• Assist Country Managers and Operations Director with assembling annual budgets and forecasts in accordance with the annual planning cycle for country and central offices.


• Consolidate finances and produce monthly, quarterly, and annual financial management information and reports across all TaRL Africa offices.


• Monitor and organize spending and reporting for external donors. Possibly provide support in developing grant budgets.


• Monitor cash position including preparation of remittance requests on a timely basis.


• Prepare monthly payroll and mid-month payments.


• Coordinate internal and external audits and ensure that audit recommendations are implemented.


• Assist with planning travel, securing venues, ordering catering, and working closely with event organizers for domestic and international events and travel.


• Support the Operations Director in analysis of finances, managing procurement, and logistics services across all TaRL Africa offices to maintain operational efficiency.

Required Minimum Qualifications

• A Degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Management, or related field preferred.


• Must be a holder of CPA (K) or ACCA or equivalent.


• 5 years of total accounting or finance experience.


• Significant experience working with external auditors, internal controls and compliance-related issues in a non-profit setting.


• At least three years’ experience in a similar position in an international non-profit organisation in financial management, receiving revenue from donors such as government agencies, private foundations, and corporations.

Required Minimum Skills and Qualifications

• Strong interpersonal skills with an ability to collaborate and work with others, create trusted client relationships and move between senior stakeholders and more tactical operations.


• Excellent business writing and communication skills; can effectively communicate and be comfortable both in the academic world and in a dynamic fast-growing implementing organization. Proficiency in French is a plus.


• Ability to think critically and analytically, identify and troubleshoot potential issues.


• Proven ability to anticipate, plan, prioritize, and meet tight deadlines; demonstrated ability to efficiently organize and manage a high volume of work.


• Excellent Excel skills and working knowledge of Salesforce, or equivalent financial systems.


• Exceptional attention to detail and ability to maintain high quality output with absolute accuracy.


• Interest in children’s learning and education.


• Experience working internationally; Africa experience is an added advantage.

How to apply

Please fill in this application form. The deadline for applications is 7 November 2020. Shortlisted candidates will be asked to complete a writing assessment, followed by an interview process. Due to the large volume of applications, we will only be able to respond to short-listed applicants.

TaRL Africa is an equal opportunity employer and committed to having a diverse workforce.