Director, People, Finance and Administration

ROLE OVERVIEW

We are seeking an entrepreneurial, highly-organized professional to act as Hugo’s Director of People, Finance and Administration. In this role, you will design, deliver, and improve strong systems, processes, and practices for finance, people, and administrative operations. The Director of People, Finance and Administration will support the CEO at a unique time of dramatic growth in the organization, with a team and operating budget that is expected to double over the next 12 months.

This role is ideal for a skilled finance and administrative professional seeking a more entrepreneurial work environment and committed to expanding into people operations.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Leadership and Management

• Providing evidence-based recommendations about spending, procurement, hiring, recruitment, retention, facilities, and continued oversight of Hugo’s financials. 
• Directly oversee the strategy, management and continuous improvement of all Hugo people, financial and administrative operations to ensure compliance and enable impact.

Finance: Lead and coordinate accounting and finance functions, including but not limited to:

• Prepare monthly/quarterly/annual financial statements
• Lead annual audit preparations
• File tax returns and statutory reports
• Lead annual budgeting process: preparing and monitoring of org-wide budget, identifying areas of concern, and building processes for timely completion and oversight.
• Responsibly steward and optimize the use of funds, and monitor financial health to accomplish Hugo’s mission of social impact
• Lead vendor selection, negotiation, and management: build internal systems for contracting and procurement that allow Hugo to make decisions quickly and pay vendors on time, and support Hugo staff in working with vendors and contractors.
• Oversee monthly client billing, closely managing and monitoring Accounts Receivable.

People Operations: Lead and coordinate all US-based people administration functions (total headcount of 20-30 employees/contractors and growing), including but not limited to: 

• Lead the implementation of Hugo’s talent strategy to inclusively and equitably attract, hire, retain, and grow a diverse team. 
• Improve Hugo recruiting, outreach, hiring, retention, and performance management processes.
• Refine onboarding and offboarding processes.
• Identify and implement ways to build and maintain a healthy and positive team culture.
• Build and implement professional development strategies for Hugo Staff.
• Support Hugo Directors and Managers as they seek to recruit, hire, and support staff, by providing guidance, administrative support, and problem-solving.
• Managing payroll for US and international employees and contractors.

General Administrative Operations

• Lead and coordinate obtaining and maintaining various statutory and non-statutory licenses and certifications (e.g. MBE certifications, vendor certifications, etc.)
• Liaise with regulatory/statutory authorities, agencies, banks, vendors, clients’ finance and procurement departments on admin and compliance matters.
• Develop and implement best possible practices in software licenses, and the use of office space and facilities.
• Liaise with African-based business operations managers to share and align on best practices, and to ensure consistency across the broader organization. 

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in an Accounting or Finance related field. Professional designation preferred. 
• 7+ years of progressive work experience in a finance role and a track record of success. You have experience both creating and tracking financial models, and doing the day-to-day work of ensuring timely, accurate, and compliant financial systems.
• Working knowledge of US tax, reporting and compliance requirements.
• Proficiency with commonplace accounting tools and software, including Excel, Quickbooks, etc. 
• Demonstrable project management, organizational and management reporting skills.
• Effective interpersonal and negotiation skills. 
• Articulate and effective communicator, both orally and in writing, with strong presentation skills. 
• Exceptional attention to detail. 
• Professional services or other client-management experience preferred. 

ABOUT YOU

• Perfectionist at heart. You have a meticulous eye for improving outcomes of your work, and for the organization. You are excited to build and optimize organizations and have demonstrated experience developing and improving the processes and systems required to grow organizations.
• Solution-oriented, with a strong bias to action. You are excited to innovate, and are open to testing and learning what works (where, when, for who, and why).
• Resourceful. You are at home in a lean start-up environment, with the ability to stay focused and nimble in the face of rapid change. 
• Committed to expanding into people operations. While you may have little experience of people operations, you are willing to learn and grow in this new and exciting field to shape/curate/maximize the employee experience.
• Versatile. You are willing to roll up your sleeves and love wearing multiple hats.
• Able to both plan and execute. You care about the little things without losing sight of the big picture.
• Collaborative team member and leader. You have experience advising leadership, providing evidence-driven recommendations, and managing teams.
• Effective communicator. You are capable of communicating effectively and compassionately both verbally and in writing to understand and advocate for competing needs, inquire about workarounds, and influence and persuade people. You have experience documenting complicated processes in ways non-experts can understand, and clearly explaining the reason behind any changes to policy or procedure.
• Well-organized project manager. You have a proven track record of coordinating multi-faceted and complex projects, including the ability to anticipate issues, develop proactive solutions, and engage the right people to support and champion success.

WHAT WE OFFER

• A competitive compensation package.
• A high-caliber, fun team committed to the continent.
• Large-scale, measurable impact.
• An opportunity to shape the future of work in Africa!