Finance and Operations Director

MANAGEMENT

Holds overall responsibility for Lɛ Wi Lan’s finance and operations  functions, including financial management, budgeting, accounting, grants  management, procurement, logistics, HR administration, ICT, asset  management, health, safety and security, compliance, risk management,  audit readiness and value for money. 

Line-manages the Operations Manager and Finance Manager, working  closely with the Senior Leadership Team, the Alliance for Transforming  African Education (ATAE), implementing partners, Lɛ Wi Lan Board  committees and government counterparts to maintain strong systems,  controls and operational support for programme delivery.

LWL is a Sierra Leonean-led organisation committed to advancing  education transformation nationally. Its vision is transformed education for  development in Sierra Leone, and its mission is to provide educational  technical assistance in close partnership with government to promote  quality education and inclusive growth. 

The Finance and Operations Director provides senior leadership for the  financial, operational and organisational systems required for LWL to  deliver its strategic objectives and the LiT Sierra Leone programme to the  standards expected by government, donors, the Board and partners. 

The post-holder will ensure that LWL has strong, transparent and  accountable systems for financial management, budgeting, accounting,  procurement, HR administration, logistics, ICT, asset management, grant  management, partner due diligence, audit, compliance, risk management,  internal controls, value for money and safeguarding-related operational  controls. 

The role is central to enabling timely delivery across the LEAD, TRAIN,  RECRUIT and MOTIVATE pillars, including support to district delivery,  school leadership development, teacher education reform, teacher 

The role must also mainstream gender equality, disability inclusion,  safeguarding and school safety within finance and operations systems so  that budgets, procurement, logistics, travel, venue selection, partner  management, risk registers, reporting and operational routines support  safe, accessible and inclusive delivery for girls, children with disabilities,  women, persons with disabilities and other marginalised groups.

RESPONSIBILITIES (Will  include but not limited  to-)

• Lead preparation, monitoring and revision of organisational and  programme budgets, ensuring alignment with workplans, donor  requirements, Board approvals and value-for-money principles. 

• Provide clear financial analysis and management information to the  Executive Director, Senior Leadership Team, Board committees, donors  and programme leadership to support decision-making. 

• Ensure financial plans and reports support management across LiT  pillars, partners, districts, activities, cost centres and donor budget  lines. 

OPERATIONS, HR, PROCUREMENT, LOGISTICS AND ICT 

• Provide senior oversight of operations, administration, HR,  procurement, logistics, travel, fleet, asset management, stores, ICT,  office management, health, safety and security systems. 

• Ensure operations and logistics systems support delivery across  national, district, school and TTI levels, including workshops, field visits,  school support activities, partner activities and technical working  groups. 

• Oversee implementation and continuous improvement of the  Operations Manual, Finance Manual, HR Manual, Procurement Policy  and related templates, workflows, checklists and approval processes. 

• Ensure operational planning supports accessible and inclusive delivery,  including accessible venues, safe travel, inclusive participant support,  reasonable accommodation and safeguarding-sensitive logistics. 

COMPLIANCE, AUDIT, INTERNAL CONTROLS AND RISK MANAGEMENT • Ensure full compliance with Government of Sierra Leone regulations,  donor requirements, grant agreements, Board policies, internal  manuals and applicable statutory obligations.

• Coordinate organisational audits, donor audits, financial verifications,  spot checks, internal audits and management responses, ensuring  findings are tracked to closure. 

• Maintain financial, operational, compliance and fiduciary risk registers  and ensure risks are reviewed and escalated as required. 

GRANT MANAGEMENT, PARTNER DUE DILIGENCE AND SUB AWARD OVERSIGHT 

• Lead financial and operational due diligence for implementing  partners, resource partners, suppliers and consultants, including  assessment of governance, financial systems, safeguarding, anti bribery, conflict-of-interest and internal-control arrangements. 

• Ensure partner grant agreements, contracts and sub-awards include  appropriate financial, procurement, reporting, safeguarding, inclusion,  audit, record-keeping and compliance requirements. 

• Oversee partner fund disbursement, retirement, financial reporting,  supporting documentation, compliance reviews, capacity  strengthening and corrective action plans. 

• Work with programme and technical teams to ensure partners have  operational and financial support to deliver activities responsibly,  efficiently and transparently. 

ERP, SYSTEMS STRENGTHENING AND MANAGEMENT INFORMATION • Lead effective use of ERP, accounting systems, SharePoint, approval  workflows and management dashboards to provide visibility of  budgets, expenditure, commitments, procurement, partner advances,  risks and audit actions. 

• Work with ATAE and T-TEL support functions to align LWL’s finance and  operations systems with strong organisational standards while  ensuring systems are practical for the Sierra Leone context. 

• Promote data quality, document control, version control and secure  digital filing so that financial and operational records are complete,  accurate, accessible and audit-ready. 

• Strengthen staff capacity to use finance, operations, procurement,  HR, ICT and compliance systems correctly and consistently. VALUE FOR MONEY, PROCUREMENT INTEGRITY AND RESOURCE STEWARDSHIP • Apply a rigorous value-for-money approach across procurement,  travel, workshops, partner grants, contracts, assets, logistics and  staffing costs. 

• Ensure procurement processes are fair, transparent, competitive,  well documented and compliant with LWL policies, donor  requirements and ethical standards.

• Safeguard organisational resources and donor funds by preventing  waste, fraud, duplication, unauthorised expenditure and weak  documentation. 

SAFEGUARDING, GENDER EQUALITY, DISABILITY INCLUSION AND  SCHOOL SAFETY IN OPERATIONS 

• Ensure finance and operations systems actively support LWL’s  safeguarding commitments, survivor-centred approach, code of  conduct, vetting requirements, safe recruitment, safe travel and  incident-reporting processes. 

• Mainstream gender equality and disability inclusion into budgets,  procurement, logistics, travel, venue selection, partner agreements, risk assessments, reporting templates and operational guidance.   

• Support programme teams to resource measures that strengthen  the school safety system and make schools, TTIs, workshops and  programme activities safe and inclusive for girls, children with  disabilities, women, persons with disabilities and other harassment and discrimination.

• Ensure operational decisions consider accessibility, reasonable  accommodation, safe participation, confidentiality, referral  pathways and prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse, harassment and discrimination.  

 ORGANISATIONAL LEADERSHIP, TEAM MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS  DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT 

• Line-manage, coach and support the Operations Manager and  Finance Manager, ensuring clear objectives, regular feedback,  professional development, wellbeing and high performance. 

• Build a collaborative finance and operations culture that  supports technical teams, partners and government counterparts  while maintaining clear standards, accountability and independence of control functions. . 

• Contribute to organisational strategy, business development,  fundraising, proposal budgeting, cost recovery, financial sustainability and the long-term growth of LWL as a Sierra  Leonean-led institution.   

• Represent LWL in meetings, events, partner discussions, donor  reviews and public fora as delegated by the Executive Director. REPORTING, COORDINATION AND OTHER DUTIES 

• Prepare timely and accurate financial, operational, risk,  compliance, procurement, HR, audit and partner-management  reports for internal and external audiences. 

• Coordinate closely with the Technical Director, Programme  Coordinator, MERL Manager, pillar coordinators and district  teams to ensure finance and operations support is aligned with  delivery priorities.

• Undertake any other duties related to finance, operations,  compliance, organisational growth and programme delivery that  may reasonably be required by the Executive Director or Board.

SPECIFICATION

• At least 15 years’ progressively senior experience in finance,  operations, grant management or organisational management,  preferably in large-scale donor-funded education, public-sector  reform, NGO or not-for-profit programmes. 

• Demonstrated experience leading financial management,  budgeting, forecasting, donor reporting, audit preparation,  internal controls, risk management and value-for-money systems  for complex grants or contracts. 

• Strong experience managing operations functions, including  procurement, logistics, HR administration, ICT, travel, fleet, office  management, asset management, health, safety and security. 

• Experience managing partner grants, sub-awards, due diligence,  fund retirements, financial reporting, contractual compliance and  capacity strengthening for implementing partners. 

• Strong understanding of Government of Sierra Leone regulations,  donor compliance requirements, audit expectations, tax/statutory obligations and not-for-profit governance would be  an advantage.   

• Experience working with Board committees, senior leadership  teams, donors, government counterparts, implementing partners,  suppliers and auditors. 

• Strong knowledge of accounting systems, ERP platforms, digital  workflows, SharePoint and management information systems;  advanced competence in Excel and strong proficiency in Word  and PowerPoint. 

• Proven ability to interpret financial and operational data, identify  risks, make practical recommendations and communicate  complex information clearly to non-finance colleagues. 

• Demonstrated commitment to ethical conduct, transparency,  anti-fraud controls, conflict-of-interest management, safeguarding, confidentiality and accountability.   

• Understanding of gender equality, disability inclusion,  safeguarding and school safety, with the ability to ensure these  are reflected in budgets, operations, procurement, logistics, risk  management and partner oversight.

• Excellent interpersonal, stakeholder management, negotiation  and communication skills, including clear written and oral English. 

• Excellent attention to detail; reliable, proactive, solutions-focused  and able to complete complex tasks with minimal supervision and  to agreed deadlines. 

• Commitment to Lɛ Wi Lan’s safeguarding of children and  vulnerable adults, including its mandatory code of conduct,  vetting and background checks, survivor-centred response  approach, and values of gender equity, disability inclusion,  integrity, collaboration and accountability. 

• Willingness to be based in Freetown and to undertake regular  travel to districts, schools, partner sites and government institutions as required.