Position Overview: The Finance Director is a senior leadership role responsible for overseeing the financial, accounting, and HR functions of the organisation, ensuring fiscal health, regulatory compliance, and sound financial governance. Reporting to the CEO or equivalent and liaising with relevant Board members, the Finance Director plays a pivotal role in the Company’s financial management, resource allocation, and strategic financial planning. This role will also oversee donor and funding tracking, operational expenses, and vendor relationships.
This role is suitable for: Singaporeans/PRs only. Finance and accounting professionals; HR knowledge and experience is a bonus. SHE is a lean team, and senior leadership candidates are expected to be highly independent and able to work cross-functionally with other team members.
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Key Responsibilities:
1. Financial Management and Reporting:
- Manage the Company’s bank accounts and financial assets to ensure liquidity and effective cash flow management.
- Prepare and present financial updates to the Board and key stakeholders.
- Prepare, monitor, and update monthly and annual budgets, ensuring alignment with organisational priorities.
- Conduct regular budget utilisation reviews and provide timely financial analyses and recommendations.
- Prepare and ensure the accurate and timely month-end and year-end closing of accounts.
2. Compliance and Governance:
- Ensure that all financial reports comply with applicable accounting standards and regulations.
- Handle all statutory and regulatory filings, including compliance with charity financial regulations.
- Stay up to date on key changes in accounting standards, tax regulations, and nonprofit governance requirements.
3. Audit, Tax, and Fixed Assets Management:
- Handle all audit-related matters, liaise with external auditors and ensuring compliance with audit recommendations.
- Oversee tax-related matters, ensuring that all applicable tax filings are completed accurately and on time.
- Manage the fixed assets functions, including maintaining the fixed assets register, asset tagging, and reconciliation.
4. Financial Controls, Policies, and Procedures:
- Implement, monitor, and enforce financial controls, policies, and procedures to safeguard the organisation’s assets.
- Make recommendations to improve financial policies and procedures where necessary, including updates to the Finance, HR, Board, and Compliance Manuals.
5. Operational and Vendor Oversight:
- Oversee outsourced accounting, payroll, and claims functions to ensure accuracy and timeliness.
- Manage the Company’s insurance and employee benefits policies, ensuring renewals and coverage are up to date.
- Supervise and approve all organisational expenses and payments.
- Manage lease, premises, and facilities-related vendors, ensuring smooth day-to-day operations.
6. Donor/Stakeholder Engagement:
- Onboarding: Manage the end-to-end process for new donors, ensuring all personal and corporate information is accurately collected and updated in the CRM/management system.
- Database Oversight: Maintain the donor management system to track historical donations and funding commitments.
- Receipting: Timely issuance of official donation receipts, ensuring compliance with tax-deductible status regulations where applicable.
- Tracking: Monitor how donations are allocated across various programs to ensure funding is utilized according to donor intent or grant conditions.
- Accountability: Prepare reports for stakeholders that demonstrate transparency in funding utilization, supporting the organization’s "clean" audit objectives.
- AML Screening: Conduct Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and "Know Your Donor" (KYD) checks for all contributions to mitigate reputational and legal risks.
- Liaison: Act as the primary point of contact for the Company Secretary to ensure all board resolutions, statutory filings, and governance checklists are aligned with current regulations.
- Audit Readiness: Ensure all donor-related documentation is organized and available for internal and external audits.
7. Grant Monitoring and KPI Alignment
- Outcome Tracking: Monitor program spending and activities to ensure they remain strictly within the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and milestones defined in the grant agreement.
- Variance Analysis: Regularly review utilization reports to identify potential under-spending or over-spending, providing early warnings to the CEO and Board.
- Compliance Framework: Ensure all grant-funded expenses adhere to the specific "allowable cost" guidelines set by the grantor.
- Audit Engagement: Coordinate and manage the Grant Audit process. This includes selecting/engaging auditors (where required), preparing the necessary schedules, and ensuring the audit is conducted according to the specific procedures mandated by the grantor.
- Regulatory Response: Act as the primary lead in handling technical queries or clarifications from the Grantors or Commissioner of Charity.
- Issue Resolution: Develop and implement management responses to any audit findings to ensure the organization remains in good standing for future funding cycles.
8. Data Protection Officer
- Policy Management: Developing and maintaining internal data protection policies (eg. Data retention, access control and breach response plans).
- Oversee in-house team of Secondary DPOs to ensure consistency in processes.
- Staff Education: Organising training sessions to ensure all employees understand their data protection obligations.
- Regulatory Liaison: Serving as the primary contact for data protection authorities during inquiries or audit.
- Public Requests: Managing Data Subject Access Request (DSARs) where individuals ask to see, correct, or delete the data the organization holds about them.
- Breach Management: Leading the response if a data leak occurs, including notifying the authorities and affected individuals within legal timeframes.
9. HR Function
- Support in-house HR function through overseeing employee insurance records, employee leave system, and manage various surveys.
- Review monthly payroll and CPF contributions to maintain accuracy and compliance with statutory requirements.
10. Strategic Leadership and Support:
- Support the CEO or equivalent, Board members, and leadership team with strategic financial advice to guide organisational growth.
- Prepare reports, financial forecasts, and recommendations to assist leadership in decision-making.
- Assist with any other work or special projects as may be assigned from time to time to support the Company’s mission and goals.
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Requirements
- Degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related discipline
- Professional qualification (CA / ACCA / CPA) highly preferred
- Minimum 10 years of relevant experience; social service sector experience is an advantage
- Strong knowledge in Fund and Grant management, cost control, and P&L management
- Hands-on, independent, and attention to details and comfortable working in a single-property environment
- Strong communication skills with the ability to work across operations
- Experience overseeing procurement and vendor contracts is preferred
- Strong knowledge of corporate governance, IFRS/SFRS standards, and internal controls.
- Stakeholder management experience with auditors, regulators, and financial institutions.
Personal Attributes
- Strong stakeholder management, including preparing presentations and emails to board members.
- Agile and composed under pressure; comfortable with ad-hoc requests and able to work independently
- Collaborative, with strong interpersonal skills and a positive, can-do attitude
- Interest in social service sector and women's issues a bonus
