Associate Director, Finance

Job Description

Are you ready to use your finance and accounting acumen to restore vision for millions of people in frontier and emerging markets? Would you like to work for an organization combining the best business and social impact practices?

VisionSpring, an international social enterprise, seeks a highly motivated Associate Director of Finance with international exposure to support our growing Finance team. The incumbent is responsible for leading and managing the tactical and strategic aspects of the financial operations at the regional level.

The incumbent will have a dual reporting relationship to the Global VP of Finance and the Bangladesh Country Director. The Associate Director provides expertise, guidance, and timely and accurate stakeholder support while working with internal partners. The Associate Director independently performs highly complex work, such as pre-and post- award grants and contracts activities; supervising and participating in the preparation of various budgets, financial statements, and reports; directing the maintenance of general and subsidiary ledgers, accounts receivable, revenue distribution, and operating expenses; establishing system controls for new financial systems and developing procedures to improve existing systems; collaborating with other functions (Programs, Resource Mobilization, Supply Chain, HR, IP, IT, Marketing etc.).

Additional tactical responsibilities include personnel management and building the function as needed, day-to-day local bookkeeping, and maintaining accurate and timely financial records by entering, processing, and reconciling transactions per established procedures and formats for business units in Bangladesh. S/he will prepare reports and schedules to facilitate budget preparation, tax filing, monthly and annual financial reporting, and successful year-end audits. The incumbent will serve as the primary finance liaison to the sales and operations teams, managing accounts receivable, accounts payable, and expenses for field teams, and ensuring financial compliance for restricted grants.

ABOUT YOU

• You value precision and easily keep track of the most minor details. Numbers are prepared on time, and you strive for accuracy. You create clarity for external parties - investors/donors, auditors, and vendors.
• You are analytical. You can read and understand budgets and financial statements and quickly notice when line items don't add up.
• Your world needs to be predictable, so you make it so. Instinctively, you adhere to routines and timelines and help others appreciate the need for structure and repeatable processes.
• You have a critical eye and are not afraid to be the first person to speak up if anything looks amiss. For you, organizational accountability is personal.
• Friends would describe you as trustworthy and structured, wise with low ego, resilient, and highly ethical.

ABOUT US

• VisionSpring increases lifelong earning, learning, safety, and well-being through eyeglasses for people vulnerable to poverty. We believe in the wonder of clear vision for everybody.
• We sell and deliver radically affordable optical products and services and develop markets for eyeglasses—a 700-year-old technology that has failed to reach 1 billion people in need of vision correction, most of whom live on less than $4 a day.
• We serve low-income consumers, not as beneficiaries but as customers. Our customers expect quality, affordable products and eyecare services, and will spend limited discretionary income for the immediate and tangible benefits of vision correction.
• As a social enterprise, we are purpose first. We blend philanthropic and earned revenue, draw on non-profit and business practices, and use sales and efficiency metrics and social impact measures to bring vision correction to ever more people.
• We catalyze collaborative action in an expansive, multisector partner network and use our evidence and experience to influence systems change and close the global clear vision gap.
• We believe in scaling our impact, not our organization. We are a lean team of doers.
• Our big goal: Everyone who needs eyeglasses will have them by 2050.

Job Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required in accounting, finance, or another relevant field. Chartered Accountant (CA) / Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or related field.
• Minimum 12-15 years directly related experience, including senior or managerial-level work experience as a financial leader. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
• Strong understanding of the practices and procedures of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) or International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) applied to financial accounting and reporting.
• Must have high proficiency in accounting experience using computerized accounting systems. Working knowledge of SAP will be an added advantage.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
• Strong command of financial principles, regulatory compliance, and advanced financial systems.
• Ability to work with large financial data sets, prepare and analyze financial statements and reports. Knowledge of using Power-Bi tool for reporting will be an added advantage.
• Capacity to work effectively within timelines in a dynamic, multi-jurisdictional environment.
• Preferred experience: (1) Working with organizations that have multi-country operations; and/or (2) Working with an organization having both product and service offerings.
• Must meet the highest standards of ethics and personal integrity.
• Highly preferred if you have any of the following: (1) CA; (2) Work with organizations that have international operations especially not-for-profit; (3) Experience supporting an annual external audit process;; (5) Experience in an FMCG business, nonprofit organization, or enterprise with job/project-based accounting (percentage of completion accounting method); (6) Experience preparing financial updates for leadership, including contributing to PowerPoint presentations.

Job Responsibilities

Financial Planning and Budget Preparation

• Collaborate with senior leadership to define and execute the organization's long-term financial strategy for Bangladesh operation.
• Drive financial scenario planning, risk assessment, and decision-making processes to position the organization for sustainable growth.
• Lead annual budgeting, forecasting, and cash flow planning while monitoring expenditures against approved budgets.

Financial Reporting and Analysis

• Prepare and review financial reports, including budget variance analysis and program expenditure reports.
• Oversee the implementation of financial software, analytical tools, and process improvements to enhance analytics, with speed, accuracy and completeness.
• Act as a key financial advisor to executive leadership, providing insights that drive data based decision-making.
• Analyze financial data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities and timely monitoring of progress/performance, financial outlook, and forecasting.
• Drive SKU-wise / category-wise profitability analysis and monitoring.
• Monitor cash flows and fund requirements.
• Prepare monthly, quarterly, and year-end financial reports for review – internal, external, and Board as per schedule.
• Provide deliverables on time.

Grant Management and Compliance

• Coordinate with internal and external audit teams to ensure timely and accurate compliance with statutory and donor-specific reporting requirements.
• Support grant management and donor reporting for both direct donor-funded programs and internal grants, ensuring alignment with financial best practices.
• Drive the project budgeting, reporting and review process for every project in collaboration with all stakeholders for the process.
• Manage grant finances, ensuring compliance with donor restrictions and requirements.

Audit, Compliance and Risk Management

• Complete responsibility for the timely completion of required legal entity audits and compliance for Bangladesh.
• Ensure compliance with organizational financial policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.
• Identify and mitigate financial risks, ensuring adequate internal controls.
• Collaborate with the Global Finance Leadership to provide reports and schedules for annual audit and tax filings, and all related requirements.
• Monitor changes in financial and accounting protocol/in-country laws to maintain compliance.
• Engage with external partners, regulatory bodies, and stakeholders as required.

Bookkeeping

• Oversee all finance and accounting activities ensuring compliance with local accounting requirements, local regulatory frameworks, US GAAP, and internal policies.
• Overall responsibility and accountability for the day-to-day financial operations.
• Ensure effective internal controls and robust financial practices.
• Approve/support timely payment processing in compliance with local regulatory requirements and internal policies.
• Ensure daily, monthly and quarterly accounts reconciliation process for Balance Sheet accounts.
• Lead initiatives to optimize financial systems and processes, including automation and technology integration, to improve bookkeeping and reporting efficiency and data accuracy.
• Serve as the primary finance liaison to the Sales teams, managing customer invoicing, accounts receivable, and field team expenses.

Global Finance Support

• Support global initiatives both within Finance function and at an organizational level to support the mission.
• Drive standard and consistent global financial accounting, reporting and review processes and practices.
• Provide robust and timely support for all informational requirements for global consolidation, reporting and review.
• Manage the financial recording of all restricted grants adhering to the local regulatory requirements and internal policies.
• As VisionSpring expands in key market countries, support and oversee local bookkeeping and accounting, financial review, planning, analysis and support.

Job Benefits
COMPENSATION

• Based on experience and education.
• We offer comprehensive benefits, including 2 festival bonuses, health insurance, gratuity, mobile allowance.

TO APPLY

• We want to know more than just what you have done. We want to know who you are. What are the passions and talents that draw you to this role?
• Please submit an application, including a thoughtful cover letter and your CV/résumé. Please briefly describe each company or organization you have worked with on your CV/résumé.
• Please note, only candidates to be interviewed will be contacted.
• Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise, which will be followed by a competency-based interview.
• We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.

At VisionSpring, diversity, equity, and inclusion are directly aligned with our core value to advance equity. Our mission is predicated on removing a fundamental barrier to full economic and social participation—uncorrected blurry vision. The values that underpin our mission energize our commitment to a diverse and inclusive team. A diverse team also allows VisionSpring to approach problems with nuance and develop unique insights that drive an outsized positive impact in the world. We actively recruit, develop, and retain talented people from diverse backgrounds and support everyone in being exactly who they are. VisionSpring is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes people from all experiences, abilities, and perspectives to apply.