MSF Eastern Africa is looking for a Head of Finance

Do your skills and experience not precisely match the requirements? MSF is an organization committed to promoting diversity and equity by providing equal access to professional opportunities. We understand that women, people of color, indigenous individuals, members of the LGTB+ community, and other underrepresented groups often hesitate to apply for employment if they don't meet all the requirements. At MSF EA, we strive to create a diverse, inclusive, and genuine workplace. Therefore, if you're interested in this position but your experience doesn't align perfectly with the selection criteria, we encourage you to apply anyway. You might be the ideal candidate for this or other positions.

Introduction

Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is an international independent medical humanitarian organisation that provides assistance to people affected by conflicts, epidemics, and natural or human-made disasters and excluded from healthcare. We provide this assistance without discrimination, irrespective of race, religion, creed or political affiliation.

About MSF Eastern Africa

MSF Eastern Africa is the regional institutional office of MSF. It focuses on representation and networking, recruiting and supporting staff from the region, communications and fundraising, as well as working on other dossiers of importance to MSF such as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Data Protection, mutualization, training, medical operational support and environmental health.

Rationale/Objective for Position

The Head of Finance is responsible for financial integrity and credibility to safeguard the financial reputation of MSF EA section and the legal entity MSF Spain.

This position will be hierarchically, and functionally accountable to the Director of Finance and Services.

Tasks & Responsibilities

Strategic Responsibilities

• Support and advise the Director Finance and the MT, Audit & Risk Committee, EA Board, on sustainable financial management, multi-year forecasting, and contingency planning including 5-year financial planning and treasury forecast scenarios.

• Contribute to functional strategy development, Annual Plan financial objectives for MSF-EA, training plan and HQ department budget agreed upon and realised.

Technical and Operational Responsibilities

People Leadership & Team Development

• Lead team and people performance, fostering engagement and a safe working environment.

• Develop HQ processes, policies and guidelines for teams, keeping them updated for institutional knowledge.

• Collaborate with other Heads and encourage uniformity in ways of working.

• Represent Finance at internal platforms and MSF-EA externally on various international platforms including the IO Expense Allocation Committee, IO ERP Replacement Committee, Program Typology SteerCo

Financial Reporting & Assurance

• Ensure quality of all consolidated financial reports and annual financial statements; represent MSF-EA’s financial situation accurately to stakeholders.

• Lead and coordinate the overall annual audit processes for HQ.

• Manage HQ compliance risks and design, implement and monitor internal controls.

Treasury & Cash Management and Processes

• Lead overall treasury management and represent MSF EA to IO for treasury and hedging program.

• Ensure optimal cash planning, maximizing interest while maintaining liquidity.

• Oversee technological advances in HQ control systems, encouraging continuous improvement.

Other Responsibilities

• Ensure accurate integration of EDI & Safeguarding aspects into all policies and practices within the Finance unit.

• Recognize, respond, and document any form of abuse or inappropriate behavior and alert the safeguarding unit of any suspected potential abuse.

• Compliance Assurance - Ensure that all data processing activities within the Finance unit comply with relevant data protection laws and regulations, including the Data Protection Act, 2019 and support your team to receive necessary training in this area.

• Policy Adherence - Enforce data protection policies, procedures, and guidelines within the Finance unit, ensuring that all team members are aware of and adhere to these protocols.

• Proactively participate in the individual performance management process including objective setting, performance monitoring and performance evaluation.

• Recognize and reinforce strong performance in the Finance and Services team; identify and encourage improvement where needed; and ensure quality and timely performance management process is carried out for the Finance team.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s, Master’s degree and/or other professional qualifications in Accounting, Finance, or a related discipline.

• Excellent command of English (oral and written).

• knowledge of (MSF international) finance and business processes

• Knowledge of International and Kenya accounting standards

Experience

• Minimum of 8 years in Finance Management.

• Experience as Financial analyst/data analyst is desirable.

• Experience in team coordination and management.

• Experience in MSF or other NGOs will be an asset.

Competencies

• Technical Competencies

  • Proficiency in Microsoft 365, BC and Unifield.

  • Mastery of US GAAP/IFRS, technical accounting, and the end-to-end financial close process.

  • Advanced financial modeling, forecasting, and analytical skills.

  • Expertise in corporate treasury, cash flow forecasting, and capital structure management to optimize liquidity and secure funding for strategic initiatives.

  • Proficiency in internal control frameworks.

  • Proficiency in ERP systems, BI tools, and data analytics.

• Behavioral/General Competencies

  • Full adherence and commitment to the principles, values and goals of MSF.

  • Strong leadership and decision-making capacity (strong team-leading and team-working skills).

  • Strong negotiation skills.

  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills.

  • Excellent analytical skills and ability to synthesize and effectively present information.

  • Proven experience in conflicts resolution.

  • Time management and organization skills.

  • Stress management ability.

  • Cross-cultural awareness and flexibility.

What We Offer:

• Contract: An open-ended, full-time employment contract through MSF East Africa Section Office in Nairobi, Kenya. (Global staff contracts are renewed every 3 years as per the law).

• Salary: An annual salary of EUR 48,698 at HQ Grade 11 based on a full-time appointment with an annual increment of 2% every year up to a maximum of 10 years.

• Work-life balance financial benefit; ranging between EUR 620 to 1,159/month based on individual & administrative status. This amount may be used to cover accommodation and utilities, transportation, etc.

• Other benefits include;

  • Annual Leave: 25 days of annual leave per year.

  • Other Holidays: sick leave, circumstantial leave, maternity leave (21 weeks), paternity leave (4 weeks), own affairs days off, etc.

  • Employer Pension contribution: 10% of basic salary:

  • International insurance for both medical and disability**.**

  • Relocation support for non-Kenyan residents; based on MSF EA terms/conditions. Only applicable if the contract is more than 1 year.

  • Work-life balance: Daily flexi-hours and 2 days working from home possible.

  • School fees benefits: for eligible dependents, based on individual & administrative status.

  • Diverse team composition; Collaborate with a global network of talented professionals, bringing diverse perspectives and expertise from around the world.

  • Career Development: MSF provides many learning resources (online learning resources, regular trainings – including language, Peer to peer learning.

  • Mobility: You will have opportunities to travel abroad for work, meetings, trainings and workshops; giving you a chance to experience different cultures and broaden your professional network.

  • Annual home leave ticket: To be taken once every year for both staff and eligible dependents back to their home country for vacation. Only applicable to non-Kenyans and based on individual & administrative status.

How to apply

• If you recognize yourself in this profile, we welcome you to apply directly via this link or from the MSF EA website, ReliefWeb, LinkedIn, or the MSF International website.

• Applicants are required to upload a Letter of Motivation + Curriculum Vitae (in English) in PDFformat as one combined document.

• The closing date for applications is 09th January 2026.

• If you have any questions regarding your application, please contact recruitment@nairobi.msf.org before the vacancy closing date. Kindly use this email only for technical issues related to your application, for example, if you do not receive an automated response or encounter problems uploading documents. Applications sent directly to this email will not be considered.

Information

The protection of your personal data is important to MSF. By submitting your application, you consent to MSF using your personal data only for the recruitment process to have all the information and documents necessary to proceed with the recruitment, validation of your application and selection of the most suitable candidate. Your personal data will be treated confidentially. MSF will not use your personal data in any other way not foreseen for purposes of recruitment.

MSF is an equal opportunity employer and does not charge any application/ recruitment fee.