Financial Analyst

University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) Kigali, Rwanda

Job Title: Financial Analyst (FA)

Job Level: Entry / Foundation Professional

Department: Finance

Reports to: Financial Planning and Analysis Lead

Location: UGHE Kigali Office (with structured travel to Butaro)

Employment Type: Full-Time

1. Organizational Context and Strategic Role of Finance

The University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) is an internationally recognized university based in Rwanda, dedicated to advancing global health education and promoting equitable health systems through high-quality teaching, research, and partnerships. The institution’s mission emphasizes the training of future leaders in healthcare delivery, particularly in resource-constrained settings.

UGHE operates within a complex financial ecosystem characterized by:

• Multi-donor funding arrangements
• Restricted and unrestricted grants
• Tuition-based revenue streams
• Research and program funding
• Capital and infrastructure financing

In this environment, the Finance function is not only a compliance unit but a strategic enabler of institutional sustainability, accountability, and mission delivery.

The Financial Planning and Aanalysi function plays a central role in ensuring:

• Evidence-based financial decision-making
• Efficient allocation of scarce resources
• Strong financial governance and transparency
• Alignment between strategy, operations, and funding

All financial operations are expected to comply with institutional policies and national regulatory oversight and laws, including frameworks under the Higher Education Council

2. Job Purpose

The FA is a critical execution and data integrity role supporting the entire financial planning lifecycle.

The role ensures:

• Financial planning systems are populated with accurate, validated, and reconciled data
• Budgeting and forecasting processes are executed with discipline, consistency, and timeliness
• Financial reporting outputs are audit-ready and decision-useful
• Variance analysis is supported with structured, traceable financial evidence

This role functions as the data backbone of institutional FP&A, enabling higher-level analytical and strategic work by senior finance staff.

The position is foundational in building institutional FP&A capability, supporting both operational finance execution and strategic planning processes.

This role requires strong discipline in data integrity, financial documentation, and structured analytical support, particularly within a donor-sensitive institutional environment.

3. Detailed Duties and Responsibilities

3.1 Full Budget Cycle Support (Planning, Preparation & Consolidation)

• Assist in designing annual budgeting frameworks, assumptions, and planning guidelines
• Support formulation of budget assumptions:
  • Inflation factors
  • Enrollment projections
  • Staffing projections
  • Donor funding assumptions
• Coordinate issuance of budgeting instructions across departments
• Distribute standardized budget templates to academic, clinical, and administrative units
• Collect, review, and validate departmental budget submissions
• Ensure alignment of departmental submissions with:
  • Strategic and annual work plans
  • Donor requirements and restrictions
  • Historical spending patterns
  • Operational capacity constraints
• Validate budget submissions for:
  • Mathematical accuracy
  • Cost classification correctness
  • Completeness of justification
• Support budget interrogation processes by identifying:
  • Inflated cost estimates
  • Missing justifications
  • Misaligned cost classifications
• Aggregate multi-unit budgets into an institutional master budget
• Assist in reconciliation of overlapping cost allocations
• Maintain structured consolidation files and audit trails
• Support multiple revision cycles during budget finalization.

3.2 Financial Reporting, Variance Analysis, and Performance Monitoring

• Participate actively in the preparation and conduct of quarterly budget review meetings with budget managers, focusing on budgetary control by monitoring actual performance against approved budgets, identifying variances, recommending corrective actions, and ensuring adherence to financial policies and cost control measures.
• Prepare standardized quarterly budget vs actual expenditure reports across programs and funds
• Support reconciliation of actual expenditures against approved budgets
• Assist in identifying and categorizing variance drivers:
  • Timing differences
  • Cost overruns
  • Permanent variances
  • Savings or underutilization
  • Budget misallocations
  • Structural budget gaps

• Support the creation of variance commentary narratives and document their explanations from program managers
• Maintain quarterly reporting calendars and ensure timely submissions
• Assist in preparing quarterly financial performance reports for leadership reporting
• Support development of narrative explanations accompanying financial results
• Assist in the preparation of institutional financial dashboards
• Maintain consistency across reporting formats, definitions, and metrics

3.3 Financial Data Management and Control

• Extract financial data from ERP/accounting systems and validate completeness
• Reconcile system data with departmental submissions and supporting documents
• Maintain master datasets for budgeting, forecasting, and reporting
• Ensure integrity and consistency of:
  • Chart of accounts mapping
  • Program structures
  • Super codes and classifications
  • Funds classifications
• Perform routine data validation checks:
  • Duplicate entries
  • Misclassifications
  • Missing transactions
• Flag discrepancies and anomalies for review by senior finance staff
• Ensure updates are documented and version-controlled
• Maintain structured digital and physical financial documentation systems
• Ensure compliance with data retention and audit documentation policies

3.4 Forecasting Support & Basic Financial Model Maintenance

• Assist in updating Vena forecasts (monthly and quarterly cycles)
• Input actual financial data into forecasting models and templates
• Support maintenance of forecasting assumptions (inflation, enrollment, funding flows)
• Assist in updating scenario inputs under supervision:
  • Student enrollment changes
  • Donor funding variations
  • Cost escalation impacts
• Support preparation of trend analysis reports on revenues and expenditures
• Maintain forecasting model version control and documentation logs
• Assist in preparing inputs for long-term financial planning exercises

3.5 Donor Funded Project Financial Tracking and Support

• Track expenditures across donor-funded projects and grants
• Assist in aligning financial transactions with donor-approved budget lines
• Support classification of expenses according to donor cost categories
• Support reconciliation of donor reports with internal accounting systems
• Maintain detailed project-level financial tracking files
• Assist in the preparation of donor reporting schedules and templates
• Identify potential compliance risks such as:
  • Misclassification of expenses
  • Ineligible expenditure
  • Budget over/under-utilization
• Maintain audit trails for all donor-funded transactions
• Prepare supporting schedules for donor audits
• Assist in responding to donor queries and clarification requests
• Ensure traceability of all donor-related financial transactions

3.6 Cost Analysis, Resource Utilization, and Efficiency Monitoring

• Monitor key institutional cost drivers, including:
  • Academic program delivery costs
  • Human resource and staffing allocations
  • Operational infrastructure costs
  • Research and training expenditure
• Assist in preparing cost breakdown and allocation reports related to:
  • Direct academic costs
  • Indirect administrative costs
  • Shared service allocations
• Support unit cost analysis (e.g., cost per student, cost per program, and cost per research output where applicable)
• Identify deviations from expected cost patterns and benchmarks.
• Support efficiency tracking and cost optimization initiatives
• Assist in preparing financial inputs for operational decision-making

3.7 Audit Support, Internal Controls & Compliance Assistance

• Prepare audit-ready financial schedules and supporting documentation packs
• Assist in responding to audit queries from internal and external auditors
• Ensure proper filing, indexing, and traceability of financial records
• Support compliance with:
  • UGHE internal financial policies
  • Donor contractual requirements
  • National regulatory frameworks, including the Higher Education Council, RRA, and RSSB.
• Assist in documenting internal control processes
• Support follow-up on audit findings and corrective actions
• Maintain audit trail integrity across financial datasets

3.8 Stakeholder Engagement, Coordination and Support Functions

• Liaise with academic and administrative department focal people
• Support collection and validation of financial submissions from non-finance departments
• Provide basic technical guidance to non-finance staff on budgeting templates and reporting formats
• Assist in organizing FP&A meetings, review sessions, and reporting discussions
• Track and respond to financial data requests from internal stakeholders
• Support communication and coordination between Finance and academic/administrative departments
• Maintain logs of financial queries and resolutions

3.9 Systems Support, Digital Tools, and Continuous Improvement

• Maintain Excel-based FP&A models, templates, and reporting tools
• Assist in improving automation of repetitive reporting processes
• Support data visualization development (dashboards, charts, summaries)
• Participate in testing financial system upgrades or enhancements
• Contribute to the standardization of financial reporting tools across the university
• Support digital transformation initiatives within Finance
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives within the Finance function
• Perform other duties as assigned by the direct supervisor or the Director of Finance and Grant Management

4. Key Deliverables

• Annual UGHE consolidated budget
• Quarterly budget vs actual performance/execution reports
• Clean, validated financial datasets and reconciliations
• Budget consolidation working papers
• Donor project tracking schedules and reports
• Forecast input templates and updated planning files
• Audit support documentation packs
• Strategic financial analysis and scenario models
• Financial dashboards and summary reports (supporting role)

5. Education, Experience, and Professional Foundation

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, Accounting, Economics, or related field (required)
• Master’s degree (MBA, MSc Finance/Economics) is an added advantage
• Professional certification (CPA, ACCA, CFA) is mandatory.

Experience

• At least 2 years of relevant professional experience
• Exposure to:
  • Budgeting systems
  • Financial reporting environments
  • Donor-funded or academic institutions (strong advantage)

6. Technical Proficiency Requirements

• Advanced Excel capability (mandatory):
  • Financial modeling
  • Pivot tables
  • Lookup functions
  • Data Reconciliation
• Understanding of accounting principles and financial systems
• ERP exposure (Serenic, or similar systems)
• Data handling and validation capability
• Exposure to Power BI/Tableau is an advantage
• Language: Excellent professional communication skills (written and verbal) in English are required; proficiency in Kinyarwanda or French is a strong asset.

7. Core Functional Competencies

• Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy discipline
• Strong analytical and structured thinking ability
• High level of organization and documentation skills
• Ability to work within strict deadlines and reporting cycles
• Strong problem-solving mindset

8. Behavioral and Cultural Competencies

• Integrity, confidentiality, and ethical conduct
• Strong willingness to learn and develop professionally
• Commitment to UGHE’s mission and values
• Team collaboration and responsiveness under pressure
• Adaptability in a complex institutional environment
• Proactive attitude toward improving processes
• Commitment to quality and accountability
• Respect for governance structures and financial discipline

9. Performance Management Framework (KPIs)

• ≥98% accuracy in financial data submissions
• On-time delivery and quality of financial quarterly reports (100% adherence target)
• Reduction in reconciliation errors over time
• Timely resolution of data queries
• Effective integration of donor funding into planning s
• Audit readiness score (no major findings attributable to data errors)

• Responsiveness to stakeholder requests.
• Contribution to the university's financial sustainability

10. Working Environment

• Based in Kigali
• Occasional travel to Butaro
• Office-based role within a multidisciplinary academic environment
• Peak workload during:
  • Annual Budget preparation cycles
  • Quarterly reporting periods
  • Audit seasons
• Exposure to international donors, academic leaders, and program team leaders

11. Final Organizational Alignment Statement

This role is essential to ensure that UGHE maintains:

• Financial discipline
• Donor accountability
• Institutional sustainability
• High-quality data-driven decision-making

12. How to Apply

Applicants should provide: (1) curriculum vitae, (2) Degree, (3) A cover letter describing your interest in UGHE and relevant experience. Please upload these under the ‘Additional Files’ tab on the application page. Financial Analyst

University of Global Health Equity is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

13. Organizational Profile

UGHE is a new kind of university focused on training the next generation of global leaders in health care delivery. The university launched in Rwanda in September 2015. Through an academic experience uniquely rooted in the values of equity, students are empowered to both ease suffering at the bedside and drive transformational, systemic changes to the health system.

UGHE is an initiative of Partners In Health (PIH), an internationally recognized non-profit organization whose mission is to provide a preferential option for the poor in health care. In over nearly three decades of operating alongside public sectors in countries around the world, PIH has developed a model to deliver high quality healthcare to some of the world’s most marginalized communities. Nowhere has this impact been more profound than in Rwanda, where Inshuti Mu Buzima—PIH’s sister organization—and our government partners have driven innovation for a decade.

Members of the UGHE community are tenacious and resolute in our drive to attain social justice, make common cause with those in need, listen to and learn from others, and operate with honesty and humility as we uphold academic integrity and intellectual curiosity. The University of Global Health Equity seeks individuals committed to these values to join the team.

14. Commitment to Safeguarding and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Sexual Harassment:

At UGHE, we are committed to ensuring that those who benefit from our work- including community members – as well as our students, contractors, staff, and visitors to our campus are treated with dignity and respect and protected from sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment and any form of systemic abuse, whilst reducing risk and vulnerabilities. A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with UGHE’s policy.

UGHE will request information from applicants’ previous employers about any findings of fraud, harassment, sexual harassment and any form of systemic abuse or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By applying, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.