ABOUT ALU

ALU provides higher education for a higher purpose. Our students declare missions, not majors.They develop the real-world skills to take on the world’s most pressing challenges. And they take ownership of their learning from day one through our peer and student-led approach – because ALU believes in the power and agency of young people to start shaping the future right now. Together with a world-class faculty and staff, our students are igniting a ripple of positive impact across Africa and the world.

We are dedicated to fostering an open yet secure environment, balancing the safety of students, staff, and visitors with respect for individual rights, and safeguarding responsibilities.

HOW WE WORK

The ALU Team works in starkly different ways to traditional academic bureaucracies. We approach education from first principles, empower individuals to design, test, and implement creative new ideas, and work closely together to craft transformative learning experiences. We are deeply passionate about our students and excited by the challenge of building something entirely new.

The African Leadership University is committed to ensuring the safety and Well-being of all students under our care. As part of this commitment , we have a comprehensive safeguarding policy in place , which outlines our Zero-tolerance approach to any violation of safeguarding.

ABOUT THE TEAM 

The Financial Performance & Reporting team at ALU is being established from the ground up. Under the leadership of the Associate Director of Financial Performance & Reporting, the team's mission is to transform financial data into strategic insights that guide institutional decision-making. This encompasses areas such as financial planning, management reporting, revenue assurance, and performance analysis.

This is a small but high-impact team, where the work has a significant impact. The systems, frameworks, and processes you help develop will directly influence how ALU understands and manages its financial performance for years to come.

ABOUT THE ROLE 

The Financial Performance & Reporting team sits at the core of ALU’s finance transformation agenda, with a mandate to establish a disciplined, insight-driven approach to financial management across the institution.

Led by the Associate Director of Financial Performance & Reporting, the team is responsible for translating financial data into clear, actionable insights that support decision-making at both operational and leadership levels. This includes ownership of financial planning, management reporting, performance analysis, and the integrity of underlying financial data.

The team operates at the intersection of FP&A and financial control, working closely with the Finance Operations function to ensure that reporting is grounded in accurate, reconciled, and complete financial information. As such, the function plays a critical role in reinforcing month-end discipline, strengthening data integrity, and enabling ALU’s “report once” reporting framework.

This role reports directly to the Senior FP&A and ultimately to the Associate Director of Financial Performance & Reporting. As part of a small, high-impact team, you will contribute to building the systems, processes, and standards that will define how ALU manages and understands its financial performance going forward.

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES 

1. COGS Analysis & Management

• Own the monthly COGS reporting cycle: extract, reconcile, and analyze all direct programme costs against budget, tracking variances by cost category, programme, and campus.
• Maintain the COGS master schedule, ensuring all direct costs, faculty fees, programme delivery costs, student-facing expenses, and contracted services are correctly coded, allocated, and reconciled to the NetSuite ledger.
• Prepare monthly COGS variance commentary for review by the Associate Director, highlighting key drivers, timing differences, and cost risks.
• Monitor cost per student and cost per programme metrics, flagging anomalies and trends for management attention.
• Drive identification of cost optimisation opportunities across programmes. 

2. Overhead Tracking & Departmental Cost Reporting

• Maintain the overhead tracker across all departments: HR, Technology, Finance, Facilities, Marketing, and Administration.
• Produce monthly departmental overhead reports with budget vs actuals, variance analysis, and narrative summaries for departmental leads and senior management.
• Reconcile overhead expenditure to NetSuite ledger entries monthly; identify and investigate mispostings, timing differences, and unbudgeted spend.
• Track committed spend and accruals to ensure completeness of the monthly overhead picture; maintain the accruals schedule.
• Challenge departmental spend against approved budgets and enforce cost discipline through proactive engagement with budget owners. 

3. Audit support  & Month-end close

• Prepare and maintain all core supporting schedules for the monthly and year-end close: prepayments, accruals, fixed assets, depreciation, and capitalized costs.
• Ensure all schedules are fully reconciled to the NetSuite trial balance and delivered to the Finance Operations Director within the agreed close timeline (by close +5).
• Maintain the fixed asset register: additions, disposals, depreciation runs, and year-end reconciliation.
• Support the Finance Operations Director in providing audit-ready schedules during statutory and donor audits.
• Proactively identify schedule discrepancies and reconcile items; investigate and resolve with the Finance Operations team.

4. Budgeting & Forecasting Support (Cost focus)

• Support the annual budgeting cycle: consolidate departmental cost submissions, validate assumptions, flag outliers, and prepare the cost budget for review by the Associate Director.
• Maintain rolling overhead and COGS forecasts, updating for actuals, known changes, and management decisions each month.
• Build and maintain cost scenario models: sensitivity analysis on key cost drivers (headcount, programme volumes, exchange rates) to support institutional planning.
• Provide cost-side inputs to the Senior Financial Analyst for integration into the consolidated financial model and Board reporting.
• Support business case preparation: model cost implications of new programmes, operational changes, and investment proposals.

5. Financial Performance Reporting (Cost contribution)

• Prepare the cost performance section of the monthly management accounts: a structured, clearly narrated view of COGS, overheads, and total expenditure vs budget.
• Deliver cost variance analysis for consolidation by the Senior Financial Analyst into the monthly Board pack and management reporting cycle.
• Produce the monthly expenditure dashboard: overhead burn rate, COGS efficiency, headcount cost trends, and key cost ratios.
• Contribute supporting data and cost schedules to donor reports prepared by the Senior Financial Analyst, ensuring budget vs actuals reconciliation for grant-funded programmes.
• Translate cost performance into actionable insights for management decision-making. 

6. CAPEX & Project Cost Tracking

• Track capital expenditure against approved budgets: maintain the CAPEX schedule, monitor spend against authorizations, and flag overspend risks.
• Reconcile CAPEX actuals in NetSuite to the project register; liaise with the Finance Operations Director on capitalization, depreciation, and disposal treatments.
• Prepare CAPEX progress reports for senior management, highlighting spend status, pending commitments, and forecast to completion.

7. Tools & Systems

• NetSuite (ERP):  Extract AR ledger, grant-coded transactions, deferred income data; run saved searches and exports
• Google Sheets / Google Suite: Primary working environment for all trackers, reconciliations, dashboards, and reporting files
• SQL: Working knowledge query writing for data extraction and reconciliation (advantage)
• Salesforce: Extract billing, opportunity, and payment data; validate against NetSuite; support donor register
• Google Suite (Slides / Docs): Format dashboards and reports for leadership and donor audiences

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE

Essential Qualifications:

• • Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field.
  • 3–5 years of experience with demonstrated experience in overhead tracking, cost variance analysis, and supporting schedule preparation.
  • Strong proficiency in Google Sheets and/or Excel: advanced formulas, pivot tables, and structured financial models.
  • Experience working with ERP systems (NetSuite experience is a strong advantage).
  • Solid understanding of management accounting principles: accruals, prepayments, fixed assets, cost allocation.
  • Detail-oriented with a disciplined approach to reconciliation and schedule accuracy.
  • Clear written communication: able to present cost findings in plain language for management

Desirable qualifications

• • Part-qualified or fully qualified accountant (ACCA, CPA, CIMA, CA, or equivalent) preferred.
  • Experience in education, non-profit, or international development financial environments.
  • Exposure to CAPEX management, project cost tracking, or fixed asset accounting.
  • Understanding of grant budget tracking and donor fund allocation (supporting role).
  • Audit or assurance background (added advantage)

Personal Attributes

• • Cost disciplinarian: brings rigour and precision to expenditure tracking, reconciliation, and schedule ownership.
  • Proactive investigator: spots variances and discrepancies early and investigates root causes before being asked.
  • Structured and systematic: naturally organizes work into clean, version-controlled, audit-ready files.
  • Comfortable with foundational work: motivated by building clean systems in a function that is still being established.

ABOUT ALU

ALU provides higher education for a higher purpose. Our students declare missions, not majors.They develop the real-world skills to take on the world’s most pressing challenges. And they take ownership of their learning from day one through our peer and student-led approach – because ALU believes in the power and agency of young people to start shaping the future right now. Together with a world-class faculty and staff, our students are igniting a ripple of positive impact across Africa and the world.

We are dedicated to fostering an open yet secure environment, balancing the safety of students, staff, and visitors with respect for individual rights, and safeguarding responsibilities.

HOW WE WORK

The ALU Team works in starkly different ways to traditional academic bureaucracies. We approach education from first principles, empower individuals to design, test, and implement creative new ideas, and work closely together to craft transformative learning experiences. We are deeply passionate about our students and excited by the challenge of building something entirely new.

The African Leadership University is committed to ensuring the safety and Well-being of all students under our care. As part of this commitment , we have a comprehensive safeguarding policy in place , which outlines our Zero-tolerance approach to any violation of safeguarding. 

ABOUT THE TEAM

The Finance function at ALU is focused on building a disciplined, scalable operating model across Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Treasury, Payroll, and FP&A, supporting a multi-entity, multi-country institution.

The Senior Accountant role sits within the core finance structure, at the intersection of Treasury and Accounting. It is responsible for ensuring effective cash management, payment execution, and financial control, while supporting the integrity of financial records and reporting.

Working closely with Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Payroll, and FP&A, the role plays a key part in maintaining liquidity, enabling smooth day-to-day operations, and supporting the broader finance team in delivering accurate and timely financial information.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Senior Accountant - Treasury is a core execution and control role within the finance function.

This role is responsible for day-to-day treasury operations, cash management, and bank control, while supporting broader accounting and month-end close processes.

This is a hands-on operator role, requiring strong attention to detail, ownership, and the ability to work across fragmented systems and incomplete data environments. This role will be the anchor for treasury execution, bank integrity, and cash control across the institution. The role sits at the intersection of Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and Treasury, ensuring that cash positions are accurate, reconciled, and actionable on a daily basis. 

You will play a critical role in:

• Establishing cash visibility and control
• Driving bank and wallet reconciliations to completion
• Supporting payment execution discipline
• Anchoring month-end close 

As the function matures, this role will take on ownership of core accounting areas (intercompany, tax support, and balance sheet), contribute directly to month-end close, and assume responsibility for reporting across selected entities/subsidiaries. 

This role reports directly to the Finance Operations Director (FOD) and operates under the oversight of the VP Finance (VPF). This role has one reportee, the Treasury & Compliance Coordinator.

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Treasury Operations Ownership & Cash Control 

• Own the end-to-end integrity, visibility, and control of cash across all ALU entities, accounts, and payment channels
• Define and enforce treasury operating standards, including:
• Daily cash visibility requirements
• Reconciliation timelines and ageing thresholds
• Payment execution protocols
• Review and validate daily cash position reports prepared by the Treasury & Compliance Coordinator
• Provide forward-looking cash insights, including:
• Liquidity constraints
• Funding gaps
• Timing mismatches between collections and disbursements
• Act as the central point of coordination for cash impact across functions:
• Accounts Payable: payment readiness
• Accounts Receivable: collections and cash application
• Payroll: salary and statutory disbursements
• FP&A: cash forecasting and reporting
• Ensure all teams operate against a single, aligned cash position

2. Oversight of Payment Execution

• Oversee execution of all treasury activities performed by the Treasury & Compliance Coordinator, including:
• Payment processing (across all ALU jurisdictions)
• Bank platform activity
• Cash monitoring
• Validate payment batches prior to release, ensuring:
• Proper approvals
• Complete documentation
• Alignment with cash availability
• Enforce discipline across bi-monthly payment cycles (15th and month-end)
• Validate payment batches against supporting documentation and approvals
• Act as control gatekeeper, flagging:
• Out-of-process spend
• Policy breaches
• Payment prioritisation issues 
• Ensure full traceability and audit ready documentation

3. Bank, Wallet & Reconciliation Control

• Own end-to-end bank reconciliations across all entities and accounts. Emphasis on the accuracy and completeness of all reconciliations across:
• Bank accounts
• Mobile money / card channels
• Intermediary payment platforms
• Review reconciliations prepared by the Treasury & Coordinator and:
• Challenge unreconciled items
• Enforce timely resolution
• Approve final balances for reporting and close
• Drive clearance of historical reconciliation backlogs
• Ensure all balances tie to NetSuite GL and supporting schedules
• Escalate systemic issues (data gaps, integration issues, timing breaks)

4. Month-End Close – Treasury Integration

• Own treasury deliverables within the month-end close process, ensuring:
• All bank accounts are reconciled and signed off
• Cash balances tie accurately to the general ledger
• Cut-off is properly applied to receipts and payments
• Review and approve:
• Cash schedules
• Bank reconciliations
• Payment cut-off reports
• Coordinate with FP&A and reporting teams to ensure accurate cash representation in management accounts
• Support preparation of cash and liquidity reporting for management accounts
• Progressively take ownership of:
• Balance sheet reconciliations
• Journal entries (cash, accruals, prepayments, intercompany)
• Support preparation of cash and liquidity reporting for management accounts
• Progressively take ownership of:

5. Intercompany Accounting & Balance Sheet Integrity

• Manage intercompany accounting and reconciliations across ALU entities
• Ensure timely and accurate balances for consolidation and reporting
• Investigate and resolve intercompany mismatches
• Maintain clean, auditable supporting schedules for key balance sheet accounts

6. Tax & Compliance Oversight

• Oversee preparation of tax schedules and statutory obligations (VAT, WHT, CIT support) prepared by the Treasury & Compliance Coordinator 
• Prepare annual tax computations and supporting schedules 
• Support statutory filings and external audits with required documentation
• Work with internal and external stakeholders to ensure compliance readiness
• Maintain organised documentation for all tax-related processes

7. Entity / Subsidiary Reporting 

• Take ownership of financial reporting for assigned entities/subsidiaries
• Ensure completeness and integrity of:
• Trial balance
• Balance sheet
• Supporting schedules
• Support consolidation readiness and reporting accuracy
• Statutory audits
• Donor audits

Tools & systems

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE

Essential qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field
• 4–6 years of experience in accounting or treasury roles
• Strong experience in:
• Liquidity management and cash control
• Payment processing and treasury operations
• Month-end close processes
• Experience working with ERP systems (NetSuite preferred)
• High attention to detail with a focus on accuracy, completeness, and control
• Strong grounding in financial accounting and reporting principles
• High attention to detail with a focus on data integrity, controls, and completeness
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to enforce deadlines and challenge slippage constructively

OTHER COMPETENCIES

Preferred

• Experience in multi-entity / multi-currency environments
• Exposure to intercompany accounting and consolidation processes
• Experience supporting tax computations and statutory processes
• Background in audit or structured accounting environments, with significant exposure to financial close and reporting processes
• Experience in education, non-profit, or international organisations

Personal Attributes

• Ownership mindset: Takes full accountability for cash integrity, reconciliations, and outputs end-to-end..
• Control-oriented: Naturally focused on accuracy, completeness, and auditability; builds and enforces strong financial controls.
• Attention to detail: Operates with precision in cash-sensitive environments; identifies and resolves discrepancies proactively.
• Structured and disciplined: Brings order to fragmented processes; enforces timelines, standards, and consistency across workflows.
• Execution-driven: Delivers reliably in high-pressure, time-sensitive environments (e.g., payment cycles, month-end close).
• Analytical and problem-solving: Able to interpret financial data, investigate variances, and resolve complex reconciliation or cash flow issues.
• Strong judgement: Makes sound decisions on payment prioritisation, risk escalation, and control exceptions.
• Leadership through oversight: Effectively manages and develops junior team members; reviews, challenges, and elevates output quality.
• Collaborative and cross-functional: Works effectively across AP, AR, Payroll, and FP&A; aligns teams around a single cash view.
• Clear communicator: Communicates financial issues, risks, and insights clearly to both finance and non-finance stakeholders.
• Integrity and accountability: Trusted to operate in a high-risk, cash-intensive environment with strong ethical standards.
• Adaptable and resilient: Comfortable operating in a rebuilding environment; able to navigate ambiguity and evolving structures.

ABOUT ALU

ALU provides higher education for a higher purpose. Our students declare missions, not majors.They develop the real-world skills to take on the world’s most pressing challenges. And they take ownership of their learning from day one through our peer and student-led approach – because ALU believes in the power and agency of young people to start shaping the future right now. Together with a world-class faculty and staff, our students are igniting a ripple of positive impact across Africa and the world.

We are dedicated to fostering an open yet secure environment, balancing the safety of students, staff, and visitors with respect for individual rights, and safeguarding responsibilities.

HOW WE WORK

The ALU Team works in starkly different ways to traditional academic bureaucracies. We approach education from first principles, empower individuals to design, test, and implement creative new ideas, and work closely together to craft transformative learning experiences. We are deeply passionate about our students and excited by the challenge of building something entirely new.

The African Leadership University is committed to ensuring the safety and Well-being of all students under our care. As part of this commitment , we have a comprehensive safeguarding policy in place , which outlines our Zero-tolerance approach to any violation of safeguarding.

ABOUT THE TEAM 

The Senior Financial Analyst brings business acumen and commercial judgment to the Financial Performance & Reporting team. This senior analyst owns the topline revenue intelligence function, tracking, interpreting, and communicating student revenue performance, collections trends, and financial outcomes to institutional leaders. Working under the Associate Director of Financial Performance & Reporting, you will transform reconciled data into performance narratives, manage the donor and grant reporting relationship, and serve as a thought partner to academic and operational stakeholders.

This is a role for a finance professional with strong business instincts, excellent communication skills, and the ability to comfortably sit at the intersection of numbers and strategy. You make the data mean something to the people who need to act on it.

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES

Topline Revenue Performance Management

• Own the monthly revenue performance reporting cycle: student fee revenue, collections rates, discount trends, deferred income movements, and receivables ageing.
• Develop and maintain revenue intelligence dashboards tailored to senior management and Board audiences — translating complex data into clear performance narratives.
• Track and analyse student cohort revenue trends, segmented by programme, campus, scholarship status, and payment modality.
• Identify revenue risks and opportunities (collection gaps, billing anomalies, discount leakage) and present actionable recommendations to the Associate Director and VPF.
• Monitor and report on collections performance against targets; provide weekly/monthly collections summaries to the Finance Operations team and leadership.
• Partner with the Registrar and Enrolment teams to align financial forecasts with academic and student data, ensuring one coherent revenue picture.

Management Reporting & Financial Performance Analysis

• Lead the preparation of monthly management accounts commentary and quarterly Board financial packs — ensuring narrative clarity, actionable insights, and variance explanations.
• Conduct variance analysis and trend identification across revenue and expenditure lines; develop and present narratives for senior management and Board reporting.
• Reconcile statutory financial statements with management accounts to ensure consistency between compliance reporting and internal performance data.
• Support the Associate Director in preparing forward-looking analysis: investment cases, cost optimisation opportunities, and resource allocation recommendations.
• Produce ad-hoc financial analysis and scenario modelling to inform strategic decisions, new programme launches, and funding proposals.

Donor & Grant Reporting

• Own donor financial reporting end-to-end: prepare accurate, timely donor reports, ensuring transparency on fund receipt, allocation, and utilisation.
• Partner with the Fundraising and Programme teams to track fund collections, expenses, and budget vs actuals per grant — reconciling financial records with donor commitments.
• Develop new programme budgets for grant applications in collaboration with the Fundraising team, aligned with ALU's strategy and chart of accounts.
• Review draft financial reports from the Data Analyst, add narrative and context, and finalise for submission under the Associate Director's oversight.
• Serve as the relationship interface between the Finance team and Fundraising/Programme teams on grant compliance matters.

Financial Planning & Forecasting

• Co-lead the annual budgeting cycle with the Associate Director: facilitated departmental submissions, challenged assumptions, and consolidated institutional forecasts.
• Maintain rolling revenue forecasts, integrating enrolment projections, collections assumptions, and pricing changes into forward-looking models.
• Support sensitivity analysis and long-term sustainability modelling, contributing business judgment to technical models built by the Data Analyst.
• Translate strategic priorities into financial targets and contribute to the institutional performance framework.

Business Partnering & Stakeholder Management

• Act as a thought partner to academic and operational leaders on financial performance, surfacing risks and improvement opportunities in plain language.
• Support in preparing Board and ExCo financial presentations, ensuring data accuracy, visual clarity, and strategic framing.
• Partner with the Business Planning & Transformation teams to integrate financial KPIs into institutional performance dashboards and planning cycles.
• Collaborate with the Finance Operations Director (FOD) to ensure smooth handoffs between operational transactions and management reporting.
• Support external stakeholder reporting (Board, regulators, donors) with validated data and clear analysis.

Tools & systems

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE

Essential qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 5–7 years of experience in financial management, FP&A, or management reporting — with demonstrated business partnering experience.
• Strong financial reporting and analysis skills: variance analysis, management accounts, Board reporting.
• Experience working with revenue-generating operations: student fees, subscriptions, project-based income, or equivalent.
• An excellent written and verbal communication applicant needs to be able to translate financial complexity into clear narratives for non-finance audiences.
• Experience managing donor or grant financial reporting, including budget vs actuals and utilisation tracking.
• Strong grounding in financial accounting and reporting principles, with the ability to challenge and validate underlying numbers
• Prior experience in audit (Big Four preferred) or a role with significant exposure to financial close and reporting processes
• Demonstrated experience supporting or owning month-end close processes in a structured environment
• High attention to detail with a focus on data integrity, controls, and completeness
• Ability to operate across both analytical (FP&A) and control/reporting environments
• Comfortable working with ERP systems (e.g., NetSuite) and large datasets, with an understanding of how transactions flow into reporting
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to enforce deadlines and challenge slippage constructively

OTHER COMPETENCIES

Desirable qualifications

• Experience in education, non-profit, or international development financial environments.
• Familiarity with Salesforce for revenue and pipeline tracking.
• Exposure to institutional performance frameworks, KPI design, and balanced scorecard approaches.
• Understanding of revenue recognition principles, deferred income, and student receivables accounting.
• Power BI or data visualisation tool experience (consuming dashboards and shaping requirements).

Personal Attributes

• Commercial and strategic thinker: connects financial data to institutional outcomes and business decisions.
• Exceptional communicator: writes and speaks with clarity and precision for executive audiences.
• Relationship builder: trusted by academic and operational leaders as a credible finance partner.
• Ownership mindset: takes accountability for the quality and timeliness of reporting outputs.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and foundational work: able to build structure in a function that is still being established.

ABOUT ALU

At the African Leadership University (ALU), we're more than just an institution—we're a catalyst for transformation. Our mission is to develop a new generation of ethical and entrepreneurial leaders who will shape Africa's future. Through our innovative curriculum, focus on experiential learning, and vibrant pan-African community, we empower students to become changemakers, problem-solvers, and innovators. At ALU, we're not just teaching; we're nurturing the leaders who will drive Africa's progress and prosperity in the 21st century

We are dedicated to fostering an open yet secure environment, balancing the safety of students, staff, and visitors with respect for individual rights, and safeguarding responsibilities.

HOW WE WORK

The ALU Team works in starkly different ways to traditional academic bureaucracies. We approach education from first principles, empower individuals to design, test, and implement creative new ideas, and work closely together to craft transformative learning experiences. We are deeply passionate about our students and excited by the challenge of building something entirely new.

The African Leadership University is committed to ensuring the safety and Well-being of all students under our care. As part of this commitment , we have a comprehensive safeguarding policy in place , which outlines our Zero-tolerance approach to any violation of safeguarding

ABOUT THE ROLE

A Campus Operations Lead holds a pivotal role in managing the comprehensive operational activities of the campus environment. The primary responsibility is to ensure the efficient functioning of various aspects of campus operations, including facilities management, security protocols, and relevant administrative support services. The role serve as a central point of contact for addressing operational issues, resolving conflicts, and implementing solutions to improve overall campus functionality. In addition, the Campus Operations Lead acts as an expert in all facilities related issue to provide the best possible experience for all ALU stakeholders.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Facilities Management 

• Ensuring a high service quality among ALU’s service providers on the campus including managing and sourcing vendors and revising current contracts.
• Preserving the value of ALU’s assets including frequent monitoring of cleanliness, maintenance and proper use of equipment.
• Ensuring the security of students on campus by working with the appointed service providers on risk assessment, security patrol management, security protocols, and managing security data including student movement.
• Acting as the point person for all ALU’s departments, and having overall responsibility for ensuring all operations teams are prepared to support the success of on- campus events including in the case of any operational emergency.
• Overseeing Health and Safety on site through monitoring, risk simulations, and tracking regulatory and policy requirements in conjunction with Health and Safety expert.
• Ensuring regulatory and legal compliance of campus infrastructure such as fire safety
• Working with external consultants where necessary to improve operational effectiveness and efficiency
• Engaging with municipalities, district councils, property association, or relevant authorities, concerning campus needs requiring approval outside of ALU.
• Acting as the intermediary and liaison between service providers and students in the case of challenges encountered, or complaints lodged against either party.
• Coordinating required checks and inspections of the buildings to ensure that all specialized maintenance and cleaning interventions are addressed in a timely manner.
• Manage external stakeholders including landlord, external service providers and local authorities to ensure that any ALU projects are approved and carried out as per requirements
• Recruit, train and supervise all interns and staff under the Operations department to enable them to carry out their duties properly
• Design and manage any project required by ALU as per ALU’s requirements.
• Ensure that all activities and events undertaken at ALU are carried out with the support of the Operations department with proper risk management.
• Manage and Ensure Cross-departmental participation where appropriate of all Operations activities.

Systems Building and Tracking

• Oversee the creation and documentation of systems and processes, policies, protocols, and SOPs for ALU and with service providers to standardize our operational delivery, promote accountability and facilitate knowledge transfer across ALU campuses.
• Running crisis simulations to proactively identify and develop new SOPs, training opportunities and procurement recommendations.
• Running routine emergency procedures eg fire drills, to prepare community in case of emergency.
• Formulate strategic and operational objectives for the operations department and ensure it is implemented, monitored and reviewed as and when required.
• Monitor performance of the Operations Department and ensure proper reporting and provide the Campus Director with an overall view.
• Analyse and optimise resources to reach Operations KPIs.
• Manage all Operations department dashboards tracking Operations KPIs.

Procurement

• Managing the campus operations budget including additional procurement, and the associated budgetary approval, by coordinating with ALU Finance.
• Plan the Operations Department yearly budget forecast, Operational and CAPEX, and ensure that monthly spendings are within the allocated budget.

Performance Management

• Tracking, managing and reporting performance using data-driven methods for all campus operations; Overseeing selection, training, and succession of external operations partners and students assisting in campus operations roles.
• Manage contracts of service providers for both ALU including drafting and reviewing of KPIs and SLAs periodically.
• Such other duties in respect of the Company as may be reasonably assigned by your team manager.
• Identify and implement ways to constantly improve the quality of customer service of the Operations department.
• Ensure level of service provided by the Operations department is at its optimal for ALU.
• Manage ALU service providers onboarding from the Request for Proposal phase up to implementation.

Line Management

• Line manage all Operations Staff members to ensure performance objectives are properly set and reviewed throughout the year.
• Lead Operations team annual planning process and ensure it is consistent with organisational strategy at ALU.
• Assist all Operations staff to ensure they have the right tools to achieve Operations goals set.

Requirements

•  Masters in Operations and Logistics, or Facilities Management or Building Services or Engineering or equivalent
• Experience: 5 - 7 Years Experience in Facilities management is a must.  Preferably in the higher education sector

Location: Mauritius

ABOUT ALU

ALU provides higher education for a higher purpose. Our students declare missions, not majors.
They develop the real-world skills to take on the world’s most pressing challenges. And they take ownership of their learning from day one through our peer and student-led approach – because ALU believes in the power and agency of young people to start shaping the future right now.
Together with a world-class faculty and staff, our students are igniting a ripple of positive impact across Africa and the world.

We are dedicated to fostering an open yet secure environment, balancing the safety of students, staff, and visitors with respect for individual rights, and safeguarding responsibilities.

HOW WE WORK

The ALU Team works in starkly different ways to traditional academic bureaucracies. We approach education from first principles, empower individuals to design, test, and implement creative new ideas, and work closely together to craft transformative learning experiences. We are deeply passionate about our students and excited by the challenge of building something entirely new.

The African Leadership University is committed to ensuring the safety and Well-being of all students under our care. As part of this commitment , we have a comprehensive safeguarding policy in place , which outlines our Zero-tolerance approach to any violation of safeguarding.

ABOUT THE TEAM

Given that the team at the School of Wildlife Conservation (SOWC) is small,   each team member has a clearly designated role, but we do expect all team members to multitask and mutually support other members of the team as needed (and within reason) across the functions of the School.  The team is led by an Executive Director and is focused on the following key areas:

• Delivery of educational support and the “conservation ecosystem” (guest speakers, conservation “boot camps”, centres of conservation excellence, internships) to the Undergraduate School of ALU in support of all students who choose a planetary health pathway, currently led by Dr Victor Muposhi as the Head of Academics
• Delivery of the conservation specialisation to the ALU MBA program - electives, capstone projects, guest speakers also currently led by Dr Victor Muposhi with support from Richard Vigne (Executive Director of the SOWC)
• Development and delivery of professional development courses to the African conservation sector including “generic” courses and bespoke courses (for various organisations including South Africa National Parks, the African Natural Capital Alliance and African Parks).  Led by the Head of Professional Development and Consultancy
• Research and thought leadership into the Wildlife Economy of Africa, culminating in regular iterations of the Wildlife Economy Investment Index for Africa and advocacy work, supplemented by the Conservation Debate series and the Lessons Learned series led by Dr Sue Snyman.  This section also secures and delivers consultancies in the African wildlife sector.
• Coordination of all SOWC operations inclusive of management of the internship program, all logistics for students attending conservation boot camps and centres of conservation excellence, financial oversight, partnership and network oversight and management, all social media, PR and marketing efforts inclusive of the SOWC website.  Led by the Operations and Fundraising Manager, Tiavina Ramandavola
• Development, management and delivery of the annual Business of Conservation Conference (BCC) - this is a team effort that runs throughout the year and includes other ALU team members.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Manager, Professional Development Courses and Consultancy will lead the development and execution of SOWC’s professional development and consultancy portfolio. The role will focus on winning, managing, and delivering contracts for professional development training and consultancy projects, as well as developing, marketing, and scaling open and bespoke courses for conservation professionals and organisations across Africa. Working closely with adjunct faculty, partner institutions, and internal and external stakeholders, the Manager will ensure that all offerings meet client needs, uphold ALU’s brand standards, and contribute to the School’s financial sustainability. As with all SOWC roles, this position will require flexibility, collaboration, and a proactive “startup” mindset.

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES

Business Development and Client Engagement

• Identify, pursue, and secure new professional development and consultancy opportunities with conservation organisations, government agencies, NGOs, and private sector partners across Africa.
• Build and maintain strong client relationships, ensuring long-term partnerships and repeat engagements.
• Prepare high-quality proposals, expressions of interest, budgets, and contracts for consultancy and training assignments.
• Represent SOWC in external meetings, conferences, and networks to expand visibility and business opportunities.

Professional Development Courses

• Design, market, and manage a portfolio of short courses and leadership programs for conservation professionals, including open-enrolment and bespoke offerings.
• Coordinate course logistics, marketing, participant recruitment, and delivery, ensuring a seamless learning experience.
• Work with adjunct faculty, subject-matter experts and the ALU Learning Experience Design and Implementation (LEDI) teams to develop course content and facilitate delivery.
• Develop and implement marketing strategies and partnerships to expand enrollment and reach new audiences across Africa.
• Monitor and report on course impact and feedback, ensuring continuous improvement and relevance to the sector’s evolving needs.

Consultancy Services

• Manage end-to-end delivery of consultancy assignments, including project planning, coordination of experts, reporting, and client communication.
• Ensure timely and high-quality outputs that meet contractual obligations and strengthen SOWC’s reputation for excellence.
• Maintain accurate financial and administrative tracking and reporting for each consultancy project in coordination with the Operations and Finance teams.

Operational and Financial Management

• Working with the Fundraising and Operations department, oversee project budgets, invoicing, and reporting, ensuring compliance with ALU’s financial policies and donor requirements.
• Contribute to the development of annual workplans, revenue targets, and financial forecasts for the professional development and consultancy portfolio.
• Maintain centralised systems for proposal tracking, client communication, contracts, and project documentation.

Partnerships and Collaboration

• Work closely with the Fundraising and Operations Manager to align fundraising, communications, and partnership strategies with the professional development agenda.
• Collaborate with the ALU Marketing and Communications and the ALU Business Development team to produce marketing materials, alumni stories, and success narratives that strengthen brand visibility
• Contribute to SOWC-wide initiatives such as the Business of Conservation Conference (BCC) and other external stakeholder engagements.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE

• A Bachelor’s degree in Business, Conservation, Environmental Management, Education, or related field (Master’s degree an advantage).
• 5+ years of experience in professional education, training, business development, consultancy management, or project management — ideally within conservation, sustainability, or related sectors.
• Demonstrated success in securing and managing contracts or partnerships with large institutions, government bodies, or international NGOs.
• Proven ability to manage complex projects with multiple stakeholders and deliver on time and within budget.

Required Competencies

• Strong business development and client relationship management skills.
• Excellent project management, coordination, and organisational abilities.
• Strong communication, proposal writing, and presentation skills.
• Financial acumen and experience in budgeting and contract management.
• Familiarity with digital learning tools, CRM systems, and workplace platforms such as G-Suite, Slack, Salesforce, or equivalents.
• Entrepreneurial mindset: proactive, adaptable, results-driven, and comfortable with ambiguity.
• A strong interest in conservation, sustainable development, and leadership in Africa.
• Excellent interpersonal and intercultural communication skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively within a small, distributed, and agile team.

How you will make an impact

As Transformation Director, you will lead Instiglio’s organization-wide transformation agenda - strengthening the systems, operating models, and change capabilities that enable us to scale impact globally.

This role sits at the intersection of strategy, systems-building, technology, and execution. It is designed for a leader who thrives in complexity and is equally comfortable designing transformation roadmaps and rolling up their sleeves to ensure adoption and results.

A member of Instiglio’s Executive Team is accountable for each substantive transformation initiative, so while reporting to the COO, you will also work closely with the CEO and Chief Impact Officer (CIO) on specific initiatives, agreeing and assuring strategies together prior to execution. You will also partner with fellow members of Instiglio Leadership Team to leverage their experience and expertise, and to ensure transformation efforts are coherent, integrated, prioritized, and embedded across the organization.

Key responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

Lead Organization-Wide Transformation & Change Management

• Own and drive Instiglio’s Transformation & Change Management Program  end-to-end.

  • Diagnose organizational challenges and opportunities, design solutions, prioritize execution in line with Instiglio’s strategic goals, and ensure successful adoption.

  • Act as the integrator across teams (e.g., Partner Group, Leadership Team, People Committee, Finance Committee), ensuring transformation initiatives are aligned, sequenced, and mutually reinforcing.

• Establish clear success metrics and track progress, learning, and impact over time. 
  

AI Integration & Digital Transformation

• Lead the design, pilot, and scale of AI-enabled tools that enhance decision-making, productivity, and service delivery.

• Drive organization-wide AI adoption, capability-building, and change management.

• Translate emerging AI opportunities into practical workflows, operating model shifts, and strategic advantages.

• Ensure ethical, responsible, and effective use of AI across the organization.

Impact Management Systems (in partnership with the CIO)

• Strengthen how Instiglio measures organizational performance, learning, and results.

• Design and refine frameworks, tools, and processes that clarify goals, drive alignment, and support strategic decision-making.

• Improve visibility and coherence across impact data, organizational learning, and performance management.

Partnerships Development Systems

• Build and refine systems that strengthen how Instiglio develops, manages, and sustains partnerships across donors, governments, and the private sector coordinating with the Partnership Development Centre and Business Development Teams.

• Develop processes that improve pipeline visibility, institutional engagement, and strategic prioritization.

• Enable leadership teams with better data, tools, and decision frameworks for partnership growth.

Internal Operating Model & Process Evolution

• Lead the evolution of Instiglio’s internal operating model as the organization scales.

• Redesign workflows, governance rhythms, collaboration structures, and decision-making processes.

• Embed AI and digital tools across core operational systems to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

• Ensure changes are practical, adopted, and sustained in day-to-day operations.

Hands-On Execution & Delivery

• This is not a strategy/transformation-only role.

• You are accountable for seeing transformation initiatives from idea to execution to sustained adoption. On internal strategies, systems & processes, you will work closely with Internal Services teams and management to see through and sustain excellence in a sustained role that is necessarily operational in nature.

• You will personally:

  • Build tools, templates, and dashboards;

  • Draft frameworks and operating models;

  • Run complex, cross-functional projects;

  • Facilitate alignment and decision-making;

  • Troubleshoot operational bottlenecks; and

  • Ensure implementation sticks beyond launch.

Who you are

We are building a team of thoughtful, driven professionals who are motivated by our mission and excited to grow with the organization. An ideal candidate will have:

• Experience: At least 10 years of relevant experience in:

  • Organizational transformation and change management.

  • AI or technology implementation in organizations.

  • Systems-building in high-growth or complex environments.

  • Management consulting, public sector reform, or international development.

  • Designing and scaling operating models, decision systems, and workflows.

  • Working closely with senior leaders to translate strategy into execution.

• Languages:

  • Professional working proficiency in English (C1).

  • Working proficiency in French and/or Spanish would be an added advantage.

• Skills & Competencies:

  • Strong builder mindset - energized by designing systems from scratch and iterating toward excellence.

  • Exceptional project management and coordination skills across multiple high-stakes initiatives.

  • Hands-on operator who can move seamlessly between strategic thinking and detailed execution.

  • Structured thinker who brings clarity to ambiguity and complexity.

  • High emotional intelligence, humility, and adaptability.

  • Creative and innovative leader comfortable in fast-changing environments.

  • Cross-cultural fluency and effectiveness working across geographies and diverse teams.

  • Deep alignment with Instiglio’s mission and commitment to public-sector transformation.

• Mindset & Culture Fit

  • Thrives as a resourceful, sleeves-rolled-up doer; not an armchair strategist.

  • Calm and effective in moments of organizational pressure and uncertainty.

  • Collaborative, influence-oriented, and committed to building strong relationships.

  • Values purpose over spotlight.

How you will grow with us

Your work will be driven by impact and purpose, within a dynamic culture rooted in inclusion, collaboration, and high performance. You will partner closely with teams delivering complex, high-impact projects, gain exposure to a wide range of approaches and contexts, and collaborate across a diverse, international organization. You will be encouraged to take ownership, exercise judgment, and contribute meaningfully to shaping how Instiglio operates and grows.

As a Director at Instiglio, you will continue to develop and deepen your leadership, systems-thinking, and transformation capabilities. You will lead internal initiatives and organizational priorities, with support and guidance from senior leadership. Instiglio has a strong feedback culture, including bi-annual, structured performance reviews complemented by ongoing, real-time feedback. Mentorship and individual development plans are embedded in our people model to ensure sustained professional growth and support.

With Instiglio’s planned continued growth there are also progression opportunities for high-performing candidates.

Working model and benefits

Instiglio has adopted a hybrid working model (i.e., minimum of two (2) days a week at the office for face-to-face connections). Instiglio offers generous benefits, which include personal days, remote workdays, travel and health insurance, pension, a company end-of-year holiday additional to vacation, and parental leave, among others.

Join Us 

To apply, please submit your CV in English and answer the application questions listed. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.