Madhi Foundation - Senior Manager - Finance & Compliance

About Madhi

Madhi Foundation was established in 2016 as a non-profit organisation committed to the cause of bridging the equity gap in education for children across India. The Foundation is inspired by the Tamil proverb, "Destiny can be conquered with intellect (Madhi)". Madhi Foundation specifically works to solve the foundational learning crisis in India. Our vision, "Foundational Learning First, so every child is set up for success", guides our every action and gives our work the purpose and direction it needs.

What we do

Madhi works closely with the Tamil Nadu School Education Department to conceptualise and implement large-scale quality improvement programmes in Tamil Nadu's government schools. Over the next 5 years Madhi will strengthen its existing programmes in the state (as well as undertake new programmes) with the singular aim of ensuring transformative improvement in the quality of school education in Tamil Nadu and beyond.

Ennum Ezhuthum: We are currently also working as the 'Chief Management Partner' for Tamil Nadu's official Foundational Learning Mission, The 'Ennum Ezhuthum Mission' - a Rs. 500 Cr Mission of national and regional importance aimed at universalising foundational learning for all children in Tamil Nadu's 37,000 government schools.

Enjoy English: Enjoy English is a tech-based product-service offering aimed at improving foundational English among children from low exposure to English contexts. It is a one-of-a-kind idea that adopts an oracy-first approach to language learning which is different from most programmes that adopt a subject-teaching approach to English learning.

Communities Enabling Foundational Learning (CEFL): CEFL aims to equip parents with the knowledge, skills and tools to understand the quality of foundational education their children receive in public schools and in turn, start advocating for improving the quality of education with stakeholders such as teachers, administrators and local political leaders. We support parents to establish peer groups and networks of parents and community members to support each other towards educating their child and collectively demand for the same.

What is the work culture at Madhi like?

The work culture at Madhi is built both organically and inorganically. We articulate our core values and reinforce them through actions consistently. Team members imbibe Madhi's values and help grow the culture. Our core values (Mission obsession, Empathy, Resilience, Integrity, Inquiry) form the basis of our actions, policies and interactions. Madhi nurtures a collaborative work culture where individual growth and team success go hand in hand.

Given the nature of our work (our close partnership with the government), we often realise that we work with partners who espouse a work culture that is vastly different from ours which can sometimes create a sense of cultural dissonance. This is not something we can change and we expect team members to join us knowing full well that when working with critical partners and stakeholders there would certainly arise a need to adapt and accept the differences and the challenges that come from working in such an environment. We have been fortunate to find team members over the years who have joined us and helped build a strong and purposeful culture and despite our rapid growth, we have been able to sustain our culture over time.

Your team (People, Culture and Operations)

The People, Culture and Operations (PCO) team consists of heroes who work hard in the shadows and believe that the show must go on rain or sunshine. The People and Culture team is in charge of managing human capital and talent at Madhi and strives to find passionate and committed individuals to join the team. The Operations team bridges the worlds of administration and accounting, ensuring seamless processes and financial precision for the organisation to sustain itself by being agile yet resilient.

Opportunities for you

- We are a people-first organization which means we do whatever it takes to make Madhi a safe, comfortable and enjoyable place for the team to work at. As a representative of the PCO team, you can be expected to operate without inhibitions, doing whatever it takes to make Madhi a great place to work. On some days this may look like ensuring the walls of the office are not leaking and on others this may look like you organising the Annual Team Retreat.

- Over the past 7 years, we have grown from a team of 5 to a team of 225 with our presence extending across all the districts of Tamil Nadu. Your role presents an incredible opportunity to fortify essential processes and ensure all administrative policies and compliance procedures are streamlined to ensure transparency and accountability towards upholding the reputation of the organisation

- You will be expected to help balance the requirements of donors, internal requirements and steering Project Finance to walk the tightrope.

About the role:

The Senior Manager, Finance and Compliance will work closely with their team and support the COO in ensuring a smooth functioning of the day-to-day affairs of the organisation. The Senior Manager is responsible for not only providing administrative support but also critical financial and compliance-related support for the continued sustenance of the organisation.

The Job Description

Below is an indicative set of responsibilities you will be required to lead as part of your role. We believe that a job description is best created collaboratively where the individual joining the team and the senior leadership team together define the role in greater detail so it reflects your aspirations and ambitions as much as it does the organisation's needs. A detailed description will be jointly created once the selection process has been completed and you have accepted our offer of employment.

In this role, some of your responsibilities will include

- Budget management

- Assist the COO in drafting the annual budget for the organisation

- Support the Partnerships team in drafting budgets for proposals submitted to donors

- Administrative Support

- Act as the POC for external stakeholders onboarded for providing administrative support to the team

- Monitor the day-to-day functioning of the office the Operations team to effectively execute key administrative responsibilities to provide a conducive physical workplace for the team

HR Operations

- Collaborate with the People and Culture team to ensure effective execution of HR Operations systems such as payroll, HRIS, goal setting process etc. to ensure optimal organisational efficiency and employee satisfaction

Accounting

- Support the Manager in fulfilling all activities related to accounting and financial management which may include but not be limited to the updation of ledgers, preparation of journal entries, cashflow management, fixed asset, inventory accounting, etc.,

Inventory Management

- Monitor the overall inventory management systems in place by conducting regular inspections in the office or in the field, as required.

Statutory and Donor Compliance

- Design robust systems of checks and balances towards ensuring that all donor and statutory compliance-related activities are carried out on time with nil room for errors

People Management

- Responsible to ensure sustained motivation of a team of 2-3 people who are passionate, resilient and relentless in their pursuit of excellence at work

Documentation and Reporting

- Ensure all the administrative tasks including document processing, record maintenance, and compilation of financial reports as necessary for donors, are carried out on time

- Keep a comprehensive record of processed documents, including bills, vouchers, invoices, etc.

You will thrive in this role if you:

- Have impeccable planning and task-tracking skills

- Have a keen eye for detail

- Possess a growth mindset and is comfortable seeking solutions for problems that you may not immediately have an understanding of

- Enjoy number crunching

- Have prior experience in handling non-profit accounts

Prerequisites include:

- At least 7 years of relevant experience

- A postgraduate degree in commerce, accounts or a relevant field of study from a reputed institution

- Excellent knowledge of Excel and all Google Suite applications

- Working knowledge of Tally

- Good communication skills and management skills

- Problem-solving and reporting skills

This role will report to: Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer

Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Please note: You will be expected to bring your own laptop with updated software (MS Office 2016)

Remuneration: INR 13 LPA to 15 LPA