Finance Lead

Job Title: Finance Lead

Reports To: Finance and Admin Manager

Job Type: Full time

Location: Lagos Nigeria (60% office 40% remote minimum 3 days in the office)

Experience: 7 years

Industry: Food Systems / Development / Consulting

Position Summary:

Food Health Systems Advisory is a management consulting and business advisory firm providing top-tier advisory and technical services to philanthropic foundations international organisations donors governments non-profits and corporations on strategy policy and program implementation. We specialise in topics related to food systems nutrition agriculture health and climate. Our experts work with philanthropic foundations international organisations donors non-profits investors and food companies/ corporations focused on sustainable food systems and value addition.

The Finance Lead will provide strategic financial oversight across the organization managing key aspects of project finance budgeting forecasting cash flow and enterprise-wide financial reporting. This role demands a highly analytical finance professional capable of designing financial frameworks building automated dashboards and aligning financial plans with operational and revenue realities.

The ideal candidate brings strong private-sector experience preferably from consulting corporate finance or project finance and is comfortable operating in a fast-moving environment where accuracy strategic thinking and stakeholder communication are essential.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Financial Oversight

• Support the development of the organizations financial strategy ensuring alignment with broader business priorities.
  

• Conduct top-down and bottom-up financial planning to support business growth.
  

• Partner with executive leadership to define financial goals performance metrics and capital allocation needs.
  

• Evaluate business cases investment opportunities and project financing structures.
  

2. Project Budgeting & Cost Control

• Develop comprehensive project budgets ensuring realistic cost structures and financial feasibility.
  

• Continuously monitor spending validate cost assumptions and implement corrective actions where needed.
  

• Coordinate with project teams to ensure cost discipline milestone financial tracking and variance analysis.
  

3. Financial Analysis Forecasting & Scenario Planning

• Build detailed short- and long-term forecasts comparing budgets vs. revenue vs. actuals.
  

• Conduct sensitivity analyses scenario modelling and profitability assessments.
  

• Identify financial risks revenue leakages and opportunities to optimize margins.
  

• Translate financial data into business insights for both financial and non-financial stakeholders.
  

4. Cash Flow Management & Treasury

• Support the Management of day-to-day and long-term cash flow planning to ensure operational liquidity.
  

• Monitor working capital payment cycles and treasury processes.
  

• Support banking relationships and ensure compliance with treasury policies.
  

5. Financial Reporting & Dashboard Development

• Build automated financial dashboards (Excel BI tools) for real-time performance tracking.
  

• Deliver accurate monthly quarterly and annual reports including P&L balance sheet and cash flow statements.
  

• Align budget forecasts with revenue projections through comparative reporting frameworks.
  

• Present clear financial narratives and insights to senior leadership.
  

6. Contract Finance & Compliance

• Manage financial aspects of contracts including pricing billing schedules milestones and cost recoveries.
  

• Monitor contract compliance and assess financial implications of commercial terms.
  

• Ensure alignment with project accounting standards and internal controls.
  

7. Tools ERP Systems & Process Improvement

• Implement and optimize enterprise financial tools accounting software and ERP systems.
  

• Build financial processes from scratch where necessaryfocusing on efficiency data integrity and automation.
  

• Drive adoption of best practices in reporting analytics and financial governance.
  

8. Regional Knowledge & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with IFRS tax rules and business regulations.
  

• Apply strong contextual knowledge of regional business culture and financial practices.
  

Requirements

• degree required in Finance Accounting Management Economics or related fields.
  

• MBA preferred.
  

• 7 years in FP&A consulting investment banking corporate finance or project finance.
  

• Demonstrated experience in private sector financial management.
  

• Experience working in fast-paced dynamic cross-functional environments.
  

Technical Skills

Advanced Excel (macros VBA pivot tables Power Query scenario modelling complex financial models)

Financial Modeling (DCF sensitivity analysis scenario planning project finance models)

Dashboard & BI Tools:

• Power BI
  

• Tableau
  

• Excel Power Pivot
  

• Google Data Studio
  

ERP & Accounting Systems:

• Zoho
  

• QuickBooks
  

Project Finance & Reporting Tools

Core Competencies

• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
  

• Ability to dive deep into details while summarizing key strategic insights.
  

• Strong communication (written & verbal) and stakeholder engagement skills.
  

• Proven ability to design and implement financial processes from scratch.
  

• Strong organizational skills with the ability to handle competing priorities.
  

• High level of ownership accountability and professionalism.