Chief Financial Officer / Global Director of Finance

About this role

Educate! is seeking a strategic Chief Financial Officer or Global Director of Finance to serve as the architect of the organisation's financial health and to build the organisational infrastructure needed to support its ambitious scale across East Africa. As a high-growth and award-winning non-profit social enterprise, Educate! prepares youth in Africa to learn, earn and thrive in today's economy by introducing an employment-focused school subject into secondary schools and delivering livelihood boot camps for out-of-school youth, with a focus on marginalised rural girls and young women.

To date, more than 500,000 youth have been meaningfully impacted across Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, and Tanzania, and the organisation has become the largest youth employment and skills provider in East Africa with over 300 largely African staff. The CFO will lead financial oversight, ensuring strong cash position, accurate timely reporting, and robust internal controls across all countries. The role involves designing and building lean financial systems tailored to each programme's stage, from pilot to massive scale. The post-holder will define key financial metrics in partnership with senior leadership, equip operational leaders with financial models and tools for data-driven decisions, and drive sustainable growth across products and programmes.

Additional responsibilities include ensuring strict adherence to risk management, internal controls, and financial regulations, while leading technology initiatives to optimise finance and administration workflows globally. The CFO will also manage external reporting to funders and the board, delivering transparent, strategically framed financial information. The ideal candidate brings 6-10 years of strategic leadership experience, including oversight over strategic finance and operational systems. Traditional CFO backgrounds are not required; the organisation is also open to finance-oriented management consultants, general managers, or strategy and operations leaders.

Strong preference is given to candidates passionate about youth employment and systems change in East Africa. The role is full-time and based in Tanzania. Applications are encouraged from diverse candidates, and women and individuals from all backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.