About Lively Minds

Weʼre on a mission to get quality early childhood development (ECD) to millions of rural preschoolers by activating the power of parents. A staggering 250 million children globally miss out on ECD, the majority in rural communities in the Global South. Governments and formal pre-primary systems have an essential role, but the most critical – and most over looked – part of the challenge is parents. Rural children spend 75% of their time at home, giving parents the greatest opportunity to influence development. Yet many struggle to provide nurturing care and early learning. They believe they lack resources and skills, and many donʼt realise how crucial the early years are. Targeted support is scarce, especially in low-literacy communities. Women – who carry the bulk of childcare alongside farming and domestic work – face the greatest burden.

Our big idea: Parents are the sleeping giants. We awaken their potential, transforming them into confident, capable ECD providers. We pair this with innovative scale solutions and rigorous implementation systems to replicate quickly, cheaply, and sustainably. We deliver at scale in Ghana and Uganda through two proven models:

Government partnerships, where our parent-centered programme is delivered through existing systems and staff, integrating simple, practical, play-based activities into pre-primary structures.

Radio programming, providing practical parenting tools to millions of rural parents weekly in local languages.

In Ghana and Uganda, the programme reaches 138,000 parents and 314,000 children weekly across 3,800+ communities, and radio guidance reaches 2.6 million parents in 24 languages. Independent evaluations show children make gains equivalent to an extra year of schooling, while parents demonstrate significantly improved knowledge, confidence and home-based practices.

We are an award-winning, bold, fast-moving organisation of around 100 people working across the UK, Ghana, Uganda and expanding to new geographies. Our ambition is big : to lead a paradigm shift and make parent-powered ECD the norm.

To find out more about our programme, please visit www.livelyminds.org.

Role Purpose

To provide strategic financial leadership, ensure strong financial stewardship, and maintain robust systems, controls, and donor compliance across the organisation. The Director of Finance is responsible for organisational financial strategy, budgeting, reporting, external audits, risk management, and supporting programme delivery through high-quality financial oversight

The role is hands-on and requires the Director of Finance to execute daily tasks as well as oversee and mentor others within the team to undertake what is required. The successful candidate will therefore be someone who rolls their sleeves up, is as comfortable with getting the work done themselves as they are with managing others to execute, and has a “can-do” attitude.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Financial Planning

• Lead the organisation's financial strategy ensuring sustainability and alignment with mission and organisational priorities.
• Advise the CEO and Board on financial performance, risk, and scenario planning.
• Develop long-term financial models and cashflow forecasts. This will include some commercial modeling as we look at new and innovative ways of packaging up and potentially “selling" elements of our programme.
• Provide financial insight to strategic decisions, business cases, growth opportunities, and operational planning.

Financial Management & Control

• Oversee and execute specific tasks relating to financial operations, including accounting, treasury, cash management, payroll, and banking.
• Ensure monthly, quarterly, and annual financial closes are accurate and timely.
• Maintain and strengthen internal financial controls across the central team and country/project operations. Implement efficient systems and processes to support a lean but compliant financial environment.

Budgeting & Organisational Performance

• Lead the annual budgeting process
• Monitor budget performance, variances, and financial KPIs, providing clear analysis for senior leadership.
• Support budget holders to understand forecasts and make informed decisions.

Donor Finance & Grant Compliance

• Oversee donor grant finance, ensuring compliance with institutional donor restrictions and requirements.
• Ensure accurate, timely donor financial reports and statements of expenditure.
• Maintain strong cost allocation methodologies and restricted/unrestricted fund management. Support proposal development with budgeting, pricing, and value-for-money analysis.

Audit & Assurance

• Lead the annual organisational audit: prepare schedules, financial statements, and required disclosures.
• Ensure compliance with charity accounting standards (SORP)
• Oversee financial donor audits, ensuring timely, accurate responses and evidence.
• Strengthen processes to maintain a clean audit trail across all offices and functions.

Risk Management

• Contribute to the organisational risk register by recording and presenting on financial risks to the Board and Finance and Audit Committee. Lead on fraud prevention, detection, reporting, and investigation standards.
• Ensure compliance with anti-money-laundering legislation and act as MRLO for the organization. Implement financial due diligence for donors, suppliers, and country operations as required to meet organisation and donor policies.

Oversight of International Operations

• Ensure strong financial management of new country programmes creating, reviewing, and renewing policies as required.
• Support secondees in new countries, ensuring they are paid and can make payments as required. Support the development or review of financial systems, capacity, and reporting in relation to new country expansion work.
• Oversee financial arrangements for countries where the INGO has no legal entity, including fiscal hosts, secondee payments, and contract structures. Ensure multi-currency management, FX exposure monitoring, and cash flow forecasting.

Leadership, Management & Culture

• Lead, mentor, and develop the finance team to achieve operational excellence.
• Promote a culture of integrity, accountability, and financial literacy across the organisation. Provide training and guidance to programme and non-finance staff.
• Uphold the organisation's values, safeguarding principles, and anti-corruption commitments.

Person Specification

Essential

• Worked as a Finance Director or as a Head of Finance (with autonomy of decision-making and board reporting duties)
• Strong understanding of charity accounting standards and regulatory requirements. Senior-level finance experience in an INGO, charity, or multi-country organisation (preferably with operations in the Global South)
• Fully qualified accountant (ACCA, CIMA, ACA, CPA or equivalent).
• High integrity, sound judgement, and commitment to NGO values.
• Demonstrable experience with institutional donor compliance.
• Experience leading annual audits and preparing financial statements.
• Strong leadership and team management skills, including developing staff.
• Strong budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis skills.
• Experience managing multi-currency environments and international financial operations.
• Ability to communicate financial information clearly to non-finance staff, senior leaders, and boards.

• Lead the organisation's financial strategy ensuring sustainability and alignment with mission and organisational priorities.
• Advise the CEO and Board on financial performance, risk, and scenario planning.
• Develop long-term financial models and cashflow forecasts. This will include some commercial modeling as we look at new and innovative ways of packaging up and potentially “selling" elements of our programme.
• Provide financial insight to strategic decisions, business cases, growth opportunities, and operational planning.
• Oversee and execute specific tasks relating to financial operations, including accounting, treasury, cash management, payroll, and banking.
• Ensure monthly, quarterly, and annual financial closes are accurate and timely.
• Maintain and strengthen internal financial controls across the central team and country/project operations. Implement efficient systems and processes to support a lean but compliant financial environment.
• Lead the annual budgeting process
• Monitor budget performance, variances, and financial KPIs, providing clear analysis for senior leadership.
• Support budget holders to understand forecasts and make informed decisions.
• Oversee donor grant finance, ensuring compliance with institutional donor restrictions and requirements.
• Ensure accurate, timely donor financial reports and statements of expenditure.
• Maintain strong cost allocation methodologies and restricted/unrestricted fund management. Support proposal development with budgeting, pricing, and value-for-money analysis.
• Lead the annual organisational audit: prepare schedules, financial statements, and required disclosures.
• Ensure compliance with charity accounting standards (SORP)
• Oversee financial donor audits, ensuring timely, accurate responses and evidence.
• Strengthen processes to maintain a clean audit trail across all offices and functions.
• Contribute to the organisational risk register by recording and presenting on financial risks to the Board and Finance and Audit Committee. Lead on fraud prevention, detection, reporting, and investigation standards.
• Ensure compliance with anti-money-laundering legislation and act as MRLO for the organization. Implement financial due diligence for donors, suppliers, and country operations as required to meet organisation and donor policies.
• Ensure strong financial management of new country programmes creating, reviewing, and renewing policies as required.
• Support secondees in new countries, ensuring they are paid and can make payments as required. Support the development or review of financial systems, capacity, and reporting in relation to new country expansion work.
• Oversee financial arrangements for countries where the INGO has no legal entity, including fiscal hosts, secondee payments, and contract structures. Ensure multi-currency management, FX exposure monitoring, and cash flow forecasting.
• Lead, mentor, and develop the finance team to achieve operational excellence.
• Promote a culture of integrity, accountability, and financial literacy across the organisation. Provide training and guidance to programme and non-finance staff.
• Uphold the organisation's values, safeguarding principles, and anti-corruption commitments.

• Strong understanding of charity accounting standards and regulatory requirements.
• Demonstrable experience with institutional donor compliance.
• Experience leading annual audits and preparing financial statements.
• Strong leadership and team management skills, including developing staff.
• Strong budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis skills.
• Experience managing multi-currency environments and international financial operations.
• Ability to communicate financial information clearly to non-finance staff, senior leaders, and boards.

• Fully qualified accountant (ACCA, CIMA, ACA, CPA or equivalent).
• High integrity, sound judgement, and commitment to NGO values.