Global Head of Finance

About the role

This senior finance position is based in Switzerland and leads the financial architecture of a multi‑entity, international organization operating in the United States and East Africa. The role blends strategic partnership with hands‑on execution, ensuring financial stewardship, compliance, and sustainability across complex, grant‑funded operations.

Key responsibilities

• Partner with executive leadership and the board to translate strategy into financial plans, forecasts, and performance frameworks.
• Own multi‑year, multi‑entity financial models that incorporate program strategy, funding scenarios, headcount, and operational assumptions.
• Lead financial planning, scenario modeling, and investment analysis to support growth and expansion decisions.
• Oversee global financial operations, ensuring accurate reporting, compliance with GAAP, donor regulations, and local laws.
• Manage audits, statutory reporting, and strengthen internal controls and risk‑management frameworks.
• Direct grant and donor financial management, including budgeting, reporting, compliance, and proposal costing.
• Mentor and develop distributed finance teams, fostering accountability and continuous improvement.
• Create financial dashboards, KPI/KRI frameworks, and reporting tools for leadership and board decision‑making.

Required profile

• 10+ years of progressive finance leadership in nonprofit, social‑enterprise, or multi‑country organizations.
• Deep knowledge of nonprofit accounting standards (GAAP), donor compliance, and multi‑currency financial management.
• Proven experience managing complex grant portfolios of $5M+.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain financial models, forecasts, and scenario‑planning frameworks.
• Experience designing internal control systems and leading finance operations across multiple jurisdictions.

Required skills

• Financial modeling
• Forecasting
• Multi‑currency accounting
• Grant portfolio management
• GAAP compliance
• Donor compliance
• Internal control design
• Audit management
• KPI dashboard development