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

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.