Job Description
As the Chief Financial Strategist, you will lead a prestigious school in Lisbon, overseeing its financial and operational services. This high-autonomy role ensures financial management and operations support the effective running of the institution.
Key Responsibilities:
* Financial Leadership & Strategy: Serve as a key advisor on financial matters to senior management, leading all financial operations, ensuring accuracy, transparency, and compliance with regulations.
* Operations & Compliance: Oversee day-to-day financial operations, including accounts payable/receivable, tuition billing, bank movements, and cash flow. Ensure proper internal controls are in place and adhered to.
* Budgeting and Forecasting: Lead the annual budgeting process in collaboration with academic and operational departments, and monitor actual performance against budget, providing variance analysis and corrective actions.
* Risk Management & Procurement: Develop and implement policies to minimize financial and operational risks, and lead procurement activities, overseeing supplier contracts to ensure value for money and compliance.
* Team Management: Direct reports include the Finance team, Procurement, and Maintenance. You will supervise the accounting team and ensure accurate and timely financial reporting.
Required Skills and Qualifications
* Qualifications: A Degree in Accountancy, Finance, Business, or a related field is required. Certification as a Certified Accountant by the relevant authority is essential. A professional accountancy qualification (e.g., ACCA, CPA) is strongly preferred.
* Experience: Minimum 7–10 years of senior financial management experience, ideally in an educational or international setting. Strong knowledge of Portuguese financial regulations and compliance, as well as International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), is necessary.
* Skills: Proven expertise in financial leadership, strategic planning, budgeting, and risk management. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills in English and Portuguese are essential.