The context:
Across the developing world, more children than ever are in school – but they are not learning. A recent study estimated that less than 1% of school children in Sub-Saharan Africa attend a school where the teaching meets basic standards of quality. At Rising Academies, we’re changing that, and we want your help. Our mission is to create the best schools and the most powerful teaching and learning tools for the people that need it most. We’re one of the fastest-growing quality-focused education companies in Africa, and a Certified B Corp®.
About us: (make sure to reference the latest company blurbs to update this as needed)
Founded in Sierra Leone in 2014, we’ve spent over a decade crafting a unique blend of high-tech and low-tech learning solutions proven to dramatically improve student outcomes that elevate teaching quality at scale. 7 RCTs have shown that the students we support learn, on average, 2.4x faster each year than their peers in comparable schools.
Today, we serve more than a quarter of a million students across 1,000 schools in West and East Africa through three integrated and complimentary channels:
- Pioneering Great-Value Private Schools: Our innovative networks of private schools deliver best-in-class results for children while developing highly scalable new technologies and approaches.
- Scalable Government Partnerships: We partner and collaborate with local and national governments across Africa to transform the quality of public school systems at scale.
- High Impact Solutions for Partners: We offer our proven high-impact solutions to other education providers and schools to improve school performance & increase outcomes.
Our innovative approaches combine expertly designed curriculum materials, personalized learning experiences, intensive teacher coaching and actionable data for school leaders. You can learn more about our solutions here: https://www.risingacademies.com/oursolutions
At Rising we keep the safety and well-being of our students at the heart of what we do. All Rising employees are expected to abide by the Child Protection Policy, and to share in our commitment to meeting the highest standards of safeguarding excellence and protecting children from harm.
About the role:
We are seeking a detail-oriented and proactive Finance Associate to join our Rwanda team. This role is responsible for maintaining accurate financial records, ensuring compliance with regulations, and supporting timely financial reporting. Working closely with the Head of Programs, the Finance Associate will strengthen financial processes, uphold internal controls, and manage day-to-day finance operations in the Rwanda office.
The Finance Associate will:
- Maintain up-to-date records in accounting software by accurately recording all transactions in real time with complete, approved, and policy-compliant supporting documentation.
- Lead the preparation of accurate and timely financial statements, reports, and presentations for key stakeholders such as management, departments and program leads.
- Assist in developing, implementing, and managing comprehensive financial plans, budgets, and forecasts for Rising Rwanda.
- Monitor and manage cash flow and implement effective cash management initiatives to ensure all operational needs are met.
- Collaborate with the central finance team to identify and mitigate financial risks through proactive measures and strategic planning for Rwanda.
- Ensure compliance with the accounting manual, internal financial policies, donor requirements, and group/country finance procedures.
- Collaborate with central finance team to ensure compliance with laws and regulations including taxation and pensions laws
- Maintain accurate and easily retrievable financial records for audit purposes and actively participate in internal compliance checks and external audit.
Location and reporting:
Location: Kigali, Rwanda.
Reporting Line: This role reports to the Head of Programs with a dotted line to the Group Finance Analyst.
Application deadline:
The target start-date for this role will be 15th December 2025. We encourage interested candidates to apply as soon as possible.
Qualifications and Experience:
- Minimum of a Bachelor's degree from a top university and a professional qualification in business, finance or accounting (ACCA, CIMA, ICPAR - full or partly qualified).
- Minimum of 3–5 years’ experience in finance or accounting in a fast paced, rapidly growing company.
- Intermediate to advanced Microsoft excel skills is essential.
- Proficiency in accounting software, preferably Xero.
- Strong understanding of reconciliations, internal controls, and financial reporting.
- Experience in statutory compliance and donor reporting is an advantage.
About You:
- You are a strong communicator, able to motivate, challenge and support your team members.
- You set high standards for yourself and others, and go the extra mile to get things done.
- You understand the contexts in which we operate and the educational and operational challenges they pose.
- You are data-driven, making decisions in a logical way and on the basis of good evidence/reasoning.
- You are very well organised and have an eye for details.
- You have proficient Excel skills and are able to present data insightfully and clearly explain the meaning of it.
- You are familiar with local labour, tax, and compliance regulations, understand their impact on the business, and know how to ensure ongoing compliance.
- You have the ability to learn quickly, are happy to give and receive feedback, and are interested in trying new approaches.
- You have the highest levels of integrity and trustworthiness.
- You are passionate about Education.
Why Join Us?
- Compensation: We offer a competitive salary and benefits package. We regularly benchmark our compensation against comparable businesses, social ventures and non-profits. Rising’s goal is to be transparent about salaries at all levels of the organisation and have a standard, global pay scale for all positions that is non-negotiable.
- Continuous Development and Growth: Rising is a Certified B Corp and twice named in its “Best for the World” list. We are committed to continuous development, which is grounded in our values and a vital part of how we bring the ‘Rising Way’ to life. We provide a nurturing environment where our staff are supported with the right ongoing conversations with their managers, among teams and as an organization, to support their career growth and help us reach our goals.
- Impact: Our students achieve learning gains 2.4 times faster than their peers in comparable schools, positioning our impact in the top 10% of global education interventions. This role offers an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to this proven success.
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Rising is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to providing a work environment that is inclusive and free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions are based on individual qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, national origin, family or parental status, veteran or disability status.
Rising is committed to creating a culture within the organisation, and its schools, that recognises the importance of safeguarding children and prioritising their rights and needs. We strive to uphold international safeguarding standards, and keep the safety and well-being of our students at the heart of what we do. All Rising employees are expected to abide by the Child Protection Policy, and to have the same level of commitment to protect children from harm. Safeguarding questions are part of every interview process and all Rising employees undergo reference checks before joining the organisation.
