With offices in New York City, Cape Town, Johannesburg and Kampala, ELMA Philanthropies develops program strategies, identifies grant and other investment opportunities, monitors and evaluates investment performance, and manages strategic partnerships for The ELMA Group of Foundations. This Group includes The ELMA Foundation, The ELMA Relief Foundation, The ELMA Vaccines and Immunization Foundation, The ELMA Music Foundation, The ELMA Growth Foundation, The ELMA Caribbean Foundation and The ELMA South Africa Foundation. ELMA Philanthropies is largely focused on providing these services to the largest foundation within the group, The ELMA Foundation. A full description of the investment frameworks and activities of each Foundation can be found on our website: www.elmaphilanthropies.org.

The ELMA Foundation’s mission is to improve the lives of African children and youth through support of sustainable efforts to relieve poverty, advance education, and promote health. It is primarily active in eastern and southern Africa.

The ELMA Relief Foundation invests in relief efforts throughout the globe with special attention to Africa and the needs of children, who often suffer disproportionately in the aftermath of such tragedies.

The ELMA South Africa Foundation funds organizations and programs that support development and progress in South Africa.

The ELMA Music Foundation invests in organizations in USA and South Africa that support youth development through music, or provide assistance to members of the music community undergoing personal and financial hardship.

The ELMA Vaccines and Immunization Foundation’s mission is to expand vaccine and immunization coverage for children globally, with a special emphasis on Africa.

The ELMA Growth Foundation invests in the growth or expansion of initiatives that improve the lives of low-income communities in Africa.

The ELMA Caribbean Foundation supports efforts to advance health or combat the environmental and economic threats posed by climate change in the Caribbean.

ELMA Philanthropies is seeking a Finance Officer to join its Cape Town team. Reporting to the Director, Finance, they will support the management of the finance and accounting function of the organization. The Finance Officer will work closely with finance, legal, operations, human resources, and program teams. The ability to be an active, collaborative, and flexible member of a dynamic global team is essential to success in this role.

Reporting to the Director of Finance, the Finance Officer will be expected to:

• Support the quarterly closing of the companies’ financial records including preparation of management accounts with budget to actual variances for presentation to the Board of Directors.
• Diligently administer monthly accounting tasks including accounting entries on Quickbooks, payroll on Pastel, expenditure and cash flow management.
• Support the management of external audits performed by independent outside accountants. 
• Maintain knowledge of financial and accounting best practices, the evolving tax and regulatory environment and related developments affecting the not-for-profit and philanthropy sectors.
• Support the Operations Team as needed in managing and implementing IT policies and procedures, infrastructure maintenance scheduling and management, and assisting with operations projects.
• Provide thorough and analytical financial support to the program team during grant development including conducting thorough due diligence including analysis of proposal budgets, work-plans, financial statements, control environments, organizational strengths and weaknesses and identifying relevant risk factors.
• Provide thorough and analytical financial support to the program team during grant management including analysis and review of periodic financial reports from grantees and relevant interpretation of performance.
• Develop high quality review reports and memoranda containing clear, thorough and complete financial information and analysis with respect to all financial information and ensuring professional presentation.
• Assist in managing relevant aspects of grants administration, managing the development of recommendations and requests in a manner that facilitates the timely review and payment of grants by the ELMA Group of Foundations.
• Provide financial monitoring support of grantee performance under the terms of grants made and assist in ELMA’s ongoing assessment of the organization’s financial control, governance, and economic environment in different geographies.
• Provide support to grantees where appropriate, while allowing them the latitude to manage their programs efficiently.
• Maintain and develop a relationship of respect and partnership with grantees.
• Assist with other tasks related to operations. finance, and administration, as requested by Director, Finance. 

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the incumbent(s) of this job. They are not intended to form an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and activities required for the position. Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

Alignment to Values:

All ELMA employees are expected to demonstrate fit with ELMA’s organizational values and culture. Specifically, all employees are expected to demonstrate a commitment to:

• ELMA’s core values of: humility and integrity; respect for human dignity; pursuit of excellence; commitment to partnership; and a results-orientation informed by continuous learning; and
• Gender equity, and social justice, and combatting white supremacy, patriarchy, homophobia, colonialism, and other intersecting systems of oppression.

• Chartered Accountant or similar professional qualification
• Excellent financial, analytical, and modeling skills
• Excellent writing, analytical and presentation skills 
• Passion for social change, philanthropy, and international development 
• Ability to source, analyze, synthesize, and effectively present information for a variety of audiences 
• Strong computer and software proficiency, and interest and ability in learning new applications quickly
• Exceptional administrative and organizational skills; detail-oriented
• Strong work ethic, and self-starter with ability to prioritize and multi-task 
• Excellent relationship-building skills and ability to collaborate on cross-cultural teams   
• Must be able to legally work in the country where this position is located without visa sponsorship
• A staunch commitment to quality and excellence 
• Excellent organizational, time management and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to work non-traditional hours and travel regionally as needed,
• Committment to the mission, values, and philosophy of ELMA Philanthropies. 

Salary commensurate with experience and qualifications. Excellent benefits package. The salary range for this position is ZAR850,000 – ZAR950,000.

ELMA is committed to helping prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to protecting the safety of our employees. All Cape Town employees will be required to be fully vaccinated unless the employee is approved for a reasonable accommodation due to medical contra-indications to vaccination or a sincerely held religious belief.

ELMA employees are expected to work in the office located in Cape Town from Monday to Thursday, with the option to work remotely on Friday. On occasion, ELMA employees will be required to work in the office on Fridays.

How to Apply

ELMA Philanthropies is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages candidates of all backgrounds to apply for this position. All employment decisions shall be made without regard to race, gender, sex, pregnancy, marital status, family responsibility, ethnic or social origin, national origin, colour, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, genetic information, HIV or other health status, conscience, belief, political opinion, culture, language, birth, military or veteran status, or any other arbitrary ground in accordance with applicable national laws or regulations.

If you would like to apply for this position, please submit your application with the following:

• A cover letter
• CV
• Details of contactable references 

Personal Information

Should you apply for this position, you consent to us collecting, using, disclosing, and storing your personal information and such special personal information, as defined in the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013, as may be required for the purposes of processing and evaluating your application, and any other purposes set out or implied when you provide the relevant personal information to us. You may withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice. If you do not consent to us collecting, using, disclosing, and storing your personal information and special personal information for the purposes of processing and evaluating your application, we regret that we will be unable to process your application.