Associate Director of Finance – CMU Africa

Position Summary

CMU is seeking a senior finance professional to serve as Associate Director of Finance for its location in Rwanda, Carnegie Mellon University Africa (CMU-Africa). This position will partner with the Chief Operations Officer (COO) in the financial functions at CMU-Africa, and be responsible for accounting functions, business intelligence and analytics, developing dashboards, reports, and other analyses for robust business operations. Additionally, they will partner with the College of Engineering and international finance office in Pittsburgh, lead the charge to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of financial and sponsored program practices and processes, under the guidance of the COO. This position reports to the COO of CMU-Africa.

Inclusion, collaboration, and cultural sensitivity are valued proficiencies at CMU. Therefore, we are in search of a team member who can optimally collaborate with a diverse population of internal and external partners at a high level of integrity. We are looking for someone who shares our values, thrives in an exciting and complex environment, and who will support the mission of the university through their work.

About Carnegie Mellon University:

Since its founding in 1900, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) has been a birthplace of innovation. CMU has globally top-ranked programs in engineering, computer science, and information and communication technology, as well as a rich history of entrepreneurship. CMU is dedicated to producing creative and technically strong engineers who have a meaningful impact in their communities and accelerate positive technological change in the world. In 2011, CMU extended its global footprint into Africa with Carnegie Mellon University Africa (CMU-Africa), based in Rwanda’s Kigali Innovation City.

In a region booming with opportunities, CMU is the only U.S.-based research university offering its master’s degrees with a full-time faculty, staff, and operations in Africa. The Africa location is fast-growing, with over 300 enrolled students from more than 20 African countries. You can read more about CMU- Africa’s vision and mission on our website. CMU’s presence in Rwanda provides a platform to engage in Africa’s most significant opportunities and challenges across the continent through world-class education and contextually relevant research and innovation. CMU-Africa enjoys strong collaboration and exchange with the main campus in Pittsburgh, USA

Job Function / Core Responsibilities:

Manage business and financial analyses:

• Lead the development and maintenance of regular and robust financial and business analytics, developing dashboards, reports, and other trend analyses for CMU-Africa leadership.
• Oversee the monthly and quarterly processes of CMU-Africa’s financial close, ensuring the accurateand timely completion of invoice processing, accruals, accounts payable redistributions, and payroll distribution adjustments.
• Collaborate with the College of Engineering’s Research Accelerator to review and reconcile sponsored research and project expenditures for compliance with sponsor and CMU reporting cycles. Review Oracle Grants Management accounts for sufficient funding, correct charge string coding, and expenditure compliance, and make budget recommendations and offer solutions to program leads.
• Continually monitor budgets and expenditures to identify potential funding shortfalls and overspending, with timely communication of findings with the COO, Principal Investigators, and Program leads, and make recommendations on corrective courses of action.
• Partner with the International Finance team on fiscal year-end close and responding to audit inquiries, compliance oversight, and record retention
• Lead the continuous improvement and documentation of CMU-Africa’ financial and operational processes and implement an internal quarterly review process with program leads.
• Provide guidance, administrative management, and operational coordination to various technical, professional, and/or administrative personnel engaged in specified project activities, as appropriate to the position.

Manage purchasing processes:

• Provide guidance to all CMU-Africa staff and faculty in the procurement of goods and services in line with the CMU Procurement Manual.
• Leadstrategic sourcing and negotiations with vendors for goods and services, including outreach to local business vendors able to meet the purchasing needs of CMU-Africa.
• Collaborate with technical staff and faculty to build a pool of preferred
• Partner with the International Finance team to implement a process for preparing and executing Request for Proposals where appropriate, reviewing proposals, and selecting vendors.
• Guide finance officers to ensure that business travel expenditures remain within approved trip costs to support budgeting and financial reporting and administer procedures for ensuring accurate and compliant application of authorized funds.
• Review purchase order, expenditure reimbursement, and purchasing card expenditures for compliance with CMU policy and correct charge string coding and prepare Accounts Payable Redistributions for reallocations where appropriate.
• Design,coordinate, and implement training programs for CMU-Africa personnel on the nature and application of operating policies and procedure.

Supervision:

• Manage direct reports in Finance and Research administrative support functions. Monitor and manage team workflow. Manage and assess employee performance, provide coaching and mentoring for growth and improved performance.
• Delegate tasks and assign projects and resources as

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• A bachelor’s degree in accounting, financial management, or business administration
• Qualified professional accountant (ACCA, CIMA, ICPAR, CPA), with a minimum of five years post- qualification experience preferred.
• Atleast 5 years of experience within higher education, public or privately funded grant administration, or project accounting a plus.
• Globalexposure and / or experience of working with international organization(s)
• Fluencyin both spoken and written English and French a plus

SKILLS AND COMPETENCES

• Strong accounting skills; knowledge of higher education, public accounting, and grant administration a plus.
• Demonstrable experience and ability to lead teams effectively, coaching and mentoring for high
• Excellent analytical skills, with meticulous attention to detail; keep and maintain accurate anddetailed reports and records.
• Highly developed critical thinking skills, with ability to solve complex problems in innovative ways.
• Demonstrable ability to handle multiple concurrent projects in a deadline-driven environment, work under pressure and with frequent interruptions.
• Demonstrable proficiency with accounting software and MS Office (intermediate Excel and Word skills). Experience with Oracle E-Business Suite a plus.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills (English).
• Demonstrable ability to communicate financial information to non-finance audience, with excellent presentation skills.
• Demonstrable ability to compose and appropriately format correspondence and
• Agile learner with the ability to adapt and thrive in an evolving, diverse
• Proven ability to exercise sound judgment, excellent discretion and maintain
• Demonstrable ability to maintain composure when dealing with difficult situations and/or
• Strong interpersonal skills, with ability to work with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds

To Apply;

We are currently accepting applications for this position until January 16, 2025. Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and comprehensive resume / CV outlining their motivation for applying for the role. We encourage early applications, as we may begin reviewing submissions prior to the deadline. Please submit your application through the following link: https://www.africa.engineering.cmu.edu/about/careers.html