Head of Finance

Strategic Financial Leadership

• Develop and execute the University’s financial strategy in alignment with institutional goals, and national priorities and expectations.
• Advise executive leadership on financial risks, opportunities, and long-term planning initiatives.
• Lead financial modeling, forecasting, and scenario planning.
• Provide leadership to the Finance department by directing on the vision and mission of the department, to ensure that all direct reports are aware of what they are required to achieve and how they are performing against their objectives. 

People Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop the finance team to ensure high performance.
• Promote a culture of accountability, accuracy, and continuous improvement across the University.
• Manage the day-to-day operations of the finance team by providing guidance, encouraging teamwork and facilitating related professional work processes in order to achieve high performance standards.
• Develop direct reports through setting individual development objectives, reviewing performance and providing ongoing training and mentoring to optimise performance.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to support institutional goals. 

Budget Planning and Resource Management

• Lead on the preparation, monitoring, and management of all institutional and departmental budgets in alignment with regulator authority guidelines and regulations.
• Implement and monitor efficient budgetary control systems to ensure financial rigor across faculties and departments.
• Lead academic and administrative units on the regular review of resource utilization to ensure efficiency and optimization.
• Oversee budgetary monitoring and reporting of financial performance in order to ensure enhanced performance and/or implement corrective actions to achieve internal and external targets and metrics. 

Financial Operations Management

• Manage the day-to-day financial operations of the University to ensure consistent alignment with financial standards.
• Ensure robust internal controls and efficient financial processes support the University to meet its strategic targets and goals.
• Conduct regular controls of financial systems to ensure their currency and efficiency to drive process improvements.
• Conduct periodic financial analysis of all academic programmes to provide financial performance information to senior leadership to support effective decision-making.
• Conduct regular feasibility and financial studies of academic programmes to support management decision making and accrediting body requirements.
• Ensure that monthly, quarterly and annual balance sheets, profit and loss statements, including the drafting of the accompanying explanatory notes, are timely prepared and accurate to ensure a realistic reflection of SUAD’s financial documents.
• Conduct and ensure the financial statement analysis in order to report on the University’s financial performance and highlight issues promptly for submission to management. 

Compliance and Reporting

• Ensure compliance with statutory regulations, accounting standards, and ministry of education and accreditation requirements.
• Oversee timely preparation of financial statements, reports, and submissions to governing bodies and external auditors.
• Maintain transparent reporting practices to support decision-making. 

Risk Management and Governance

• Identify and mitigate all financial risks, including liquidity and operational risks.
• Work with internal and external auditors to ensure sound governance practices.
• Support implementation of financial policies and frameworks. 

Policies and Procedures

• Develop, review and implement the University financial policies to ensure all relevant procedural/legislative requirements are fulfilled.
• Communicate the requirement of operational policies and procedures to all relevant stakeholders and monitor adherence to ensure continued compliance with financial regulations. 

Reports

• Ensure that all departmental reports are prepared timely and accurately to meet University requirements, policies and standards
• Assist in the preparation of the quarterly and annual financial report and ad-hoc reports as requested by the Executive Management Council, Executive Committee and/or Board of Trustees 

Related assignments 

• Perform other related duties or assignments as directed by management.