Global Head of Finance

About the role

The Global Head of Finance will lead the financial strategy and operations of a multi‑entity, international organization active in the United States and East Africa. Based in Portugal, you will act as a strategic partner to the executive team and board, ensuring robust financial stewardship, compliance, and sustainability across complex, multi‑country programs.

Key responsibilities

• Partner with executive leadership and the board to translate strategy into financial plans, forecasts, and performance frameworks.
• Own and maintain 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 accuracy, compliance, and consistency with GAAP, donor regulations, and local laws.
• Manage audits, statutory reporting, and compliance requirements across all entities.
• Strengthen internal controls, risk management, and financial governance.
• Direct grant and donor financial management, including budgeting, reporting, and proposal costing.
• Lead, mentor, and develop distributed finance teams.
• Develop dashboards, KPI/KRI frameworks, and reporting tools for leadership and board decision‑making.

Required profile

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

Required skills

• Financial modeling
• Forecasting
• Grant portfolio management
• GAAP compliance
• Multi‑currency financial management
• Internal control design
• Financial dashboards
• KPI/KRI development