Finance Manager

At Craydel, we believe in the power of education to transform lives and create opportunities. Our mission is to democratize access to quality higher education for students and working professionals in Sub-Saharan Africa.

We exist because we know that education should not be a privilege reserved for the few, but a right available to everyone, regardless of their background or location. We have helped over 100, 000 students find the right university and currently provide access to 500+ universities in 40+ study destinations around the globe.

Our commitment is to ensure that every student/working professional has the chance to achieve their educational and professional goals.

Build a high‑integrity, insight‑driven finance function that enables Craydel to achieve enrollment and growth goals through data-driven decisions, while maintaining rigorous controls and compliance.

You will lead a team of one mid‑level accountant and two junior accountants. Your focus is to:

• Take ownership for the deliverables of the Finance department

• Oversee the team's day‑to‑day work quality and deadlines

• Continuously improve and automate finance processes and controls

• Focus on strategic finance (e.g. delivering actionable insights for faster, better decisions) and complex, high impact activities (e.g. cross-border tax structuring)

• Financial operations and controls (oversee)

  • Oversee monthly close, reconciliations, and management accounts, supported by team of two to three accountants

  • Ensure timely, accurate audits, tax computations and filings. Maintain a clean document trail

  • Oversee statutory filings and compliance across all markets (currently, 6 countries)

• A/R and collections (oversee)

  • Tighten invoicing, collections, and partner settlements for greater accuracy and faster collections

• FP&A and decision support (implement and oversee)

  • Build and maintain rolling forecasts, budgets, and variance analyses for P&L, KPIs and cash

  • Prepare monthly finance packs, board materials, and fundraising data requests

  • Translate numbers into insights and actions for leadership

• Cash and treasury (own)

  • Own cash flow forecasting and runway planning

• Systems and process improvement (own)

  • Improve the chart of accounts, close checklist, and SOPs. Drive automation in accounting and reporting

  • Evaluate and implement finance tools to reduce manual work and error rates

• Risk Management & Governance (own)

  • Identify and mitigate financial risks, including FX, tax, and regulatory exposure across countries

  • Strengthen internal controls and anti-fraud frameworks

• Admin and HR operations (oversee)

  • Oversee admin activities including office leases, office purchases, sharing of offer letters, etc.

• Leadership & Team Development (own)

  • Develop and mentor the finance team (currently 3 accountants) to support growth

• CPA or ACCA qualified, or equivalent professional certification

• 5-10 years of progressive finance experience, including ownership of FP&A

• Experience in a high‑growth startup or scale‑up environment with lean teams

• Highly organized. Detail‑obsessed with checklists and trackers. This is a must

• Advanced Excel skills. Comfortable with financial modeling and scenario analysis

• Excellent written and spoken communication. Clear and structured

• Track record of managing a team and getting the best of your direct reports to meet KPIs and deadlines

• Love using AI in your work and personal life

• Entrepreneurial self‑starter who owns outcomes, meets deadlines, and asks for help when needed

• Unwavering integrity and a strong moral compass. Passionate about Craydel's mission

1) We are learner-obsessed

We put learners first in everything we do.

2) We do more with less

We stretch ourselves and our budgets to accomplish more with less.

3) We think in solutions

We know there are many obstacles in building a world-class start-up. That's why we commit to identifying potential solutions every time we face a challenge.

4) We are performance-driven

We hold ourselves accountable to achieve our KPIs.

5) We are stronger together

We know that while each activity has an owner, we all depend on each other to achieve our key results.

1. We are not a 9 to 5 organization. We have to do whatever it takes to get the job done. Putting learners first often means meeting them on evenings and weekends.

2. We are not a remote culture. All departments must work closely together to achieve our goals, so we value in-person collaboration.

3. We do not make excuses. If something isn't getting done, we do it ourselves.