Sesame Workshop South Africa New Vacancy

Sesame Workshop South Africa has an opportunity for a talented and experienced individual to join our growing team as Head of Finance & Business Support and to be part of the exciting new vision for Takalani Sesame. With a passion for media and working with children, you will be responsible for providing financial management and admin support to ensure the efficient and effective running of our operations and office. You will support the Managing Director with budgeting and financial planning, maintenance of accounting records, internal controls, financial monitoring and reporting. You will also oversee the day to day running of the office and provide admin support including procurement, logistics and IT, HR and payroll, as well as contributing to organisational governance processes and resource mobilisation efforts.

Job Title: Head of Finance and Business Support

Location: Johannesburg

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES
Financial Management

• Work closely with the MD to develop and implement a comprehensive set of finance policies and procedures.
• Support the MD in preparing annual operational budgets in line with available funding and forecast revenue.
• Set up and maintain a robust accounting system to keep accurate, complete and consistent records.
• Process payments and expense claims to service providers, consultants and staff.
• Process banking transactions including reconciliations, forecasting cash flow requirements and funds transfers.
• Maintain internal control framework with checks and balances, segregation of roles and regular compliance reviews.
• Prepare monthly, quarterly and annual financial returns for the MD’s review and approval.
• Prepare and submit financial reports for donor funded projects.
• Work closely with the MD to prepare for internal and external audits, ensuring timely provision of required information and documents during the audits, as well as implementation of recommendations thereafter.

Administration

• Oversee day to day running of office including lease agreement, health and safety, security and general maintenance.
• Set up and manage a transparent procurement system for goods, supplies and services.
• Support staff with travel and accommodation logistics as appropriate.
• Oversee maintenance of office ICT systems.
• Maintain an up to date Assets Register and develop a maintenance and replacement plan.

Other Business Support

• HR and Payroll including monthly and annual SARS income tax returns.
• Contribute to organisational governance processes including internal and statutory reporting.
• Contribute to resource mobilisation efforts including preparing budgets for proposals and business cases.

REQUIREMENTS
Qualifications

• Minimum undergraduate degree, professional qualification or related with major in Accounting, Finance or Business.
• English language proficiency.

Essential Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• 5 – 10 years’ experience in accounting, finance or business, at least 3 in a non-profit or social enterprise environment.
• Demonstrated competence in accounting packages such as SAGE Pastel, QuickBooks or other bespoke systems.
• Experience in budget preparation and reporting including for donor funded projects.
• Experience preparing financial reports up to final accounts in line with international accounting standards.
• Experience working in a small office/team and flexible to take cross-functional responsibilities other than finance.
• Ability to balance between attention to detail and analytic skills for strategic decision making.
• An analytic mindset that can make connections between different data sets.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Demonstrated cross-cultural communication skills.
• Ability to work well individually and as part of a larger team.
• Flexible, creative, solution-oriented thinking.
• Willing to occasionally travel locally and internationally.
• Commitment to working with young children.

Desirable Knowledge, Skills and Experience (not mandatory but will give you an advantage)

• Experience in a for-profit business with exposure to sales or marketing.
• Familiarity with media ecosystem including TV, radio and digital.
• Understanding of early childhood development or similar educational interventions.

HOW TO APPLY
Interested candidates should email the following to [email protected]

1) a CV with two referees and 2) Cover Letter describing your interests and qualifications for the job. Please use this subject line in your email: ‘Head of Finance and Business Support: [Your Name]’. The closing date for applications is 11:59PM South African Time on Sunday 1^st July 2018. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

Only South African citizens and permanent residents will be considered. We will correspond with shortlisted candidates only. If you have not been contacted within one month of the closing date of this advertisement, you should consider your application as unsuccessful. Sesame Workshop reserves the right to not fill this position. We are an equal opportunities employer and encourage people with disabilities to apply.

ABOUT SESAME WORKSHOP
Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street, Takalani Sesame and so much more. Sesame Street is our pioneering television show that has been helping kids grow smarter, stronger and kinder since 1969. Takalani Sesame is the South African adaptation launched in 2000 and currently broadcasting on SABC, produced in partnership with Kwasukasukela, the Department of Basic Education and Sanlam. Takalani addresses a range of early childhood development needs from literacy, math, life skills, and HIV awareness to instilling in children a greater sense of self and nurturing their readiness for lifelong learning. The TV and radio broadcast is complemented by outreach programs.

Today Sesame Workshop is a global force for change reaching the world’s most vulnerable children. We’re in more than 150 countries, serving kids through a wide range of media and philanthropically-funded social impact programs, all grounded in rigorous research and individually tailored to the needs and cultures of the communities we serve. Sesame is a beloved household name in dozens of languages, and it means learning – and fun – in all of them. As we continue pursuing our vision of creating a better world in which all children reach their highest potential, Takalani Sesame is poised for a new dawn of exciting growth, with a mission to use the combined power of media and play to inspire the builders of tomorrow to grow smarter, stronger and kinder.

For more information, please visit sesameworkshop.org

Application Deadline: 1 July, 2018