At Simple Education Foundation (SEF) we work with the government to build state-wide strengthening programs for teachers and principals to increase the standard of teaching in government schools across India. Our mission is to strengthen 1 million educators by 2028.

We are a highly driven team with over 50 years of cumulative experience in teaching in classrooms and working with government school systems. Our team is young, dynamic, bold and audacious enough to make this mission come true in our lifetime. To help us accelerate our impact, we are looking to onboard more members on our paper plane!

About the role:

At SEF, we believe that robust financial systems are critical to sustaining and scaling meaningful change in education. In this role, you will play a vital role in leading the design and execution of our financial strategy, ensuring compliance, managing audits and reporting, supporting fundraising and grant management, and stewarding SEF’s resources with integrity and foresight.This is a strategic, cross-functional role that requires you to work with internal and external stakeholders—team members, auditors, donors, board members, and vendors—to strengthen SEF’s financial health and governance.

This role provides:

An opportunity to work closely with leadership and the board, bringing clarity, control, and strategic insight to financial decision-making across SEF.
A platform to design and institutionalize finance systems and processes that support scale, transparency, and donor confidence.
A space to grow as a social sector leader through hands-on exposure to budgeting, compliance, grant management, and organization-wide financial planning.

What will you do?

Lead budgeting and financial planning
Develop and manage SEF’s annual and quarterly budgets in alignment with strategic goals. Build team capacity to align activities and plans to budgets, and respond to queries from program teams regarding budget allocation and expense utilization.
Support fundraising and grant reporting
Collaborate with the Fundraising team to prepare proposal budgets, track fund utilization, and submit accurate, timely, and audit-ready donor fund utilization reports. Work closely with auditors and donors to ensure seamless financial communication and reporting.
Oversee team and board reporting
Design and maintain robust reporting systems, including budget vs actuals, cash flow forecasts, and customized financial dashboards for internal teams and board members. Develop and implement a Management Information System (MIS) for regular financial performance analysis and present key insights and improvements to senior management.
Manage vendor relationships and payments
Streamline expense management processes, strengthen vendor coordination, and ensure timely, accurate disbursals and documentation aligned with internal controls.
Strengthen systems and processes
Build and institutionalise scalable financial processes, SOPs, and tools for expense tracking, documentation, and reporting. Lead the adoption of tech-enabled financial systems to support efficiency and scale.
Build team capacity and policies
Train and support teams in budgeting, expense tracking, and compliance. Work cross-functionally to evolve SEF’s finance policies, ensuring they are robust, future-ready, and aligned with organizational growth.

Collaborate across departments and stakeholders:
Work closely with program managers, department heads, and fundraising teams to co-develop program budgets, monitor ongoing financial performance, and drive informed decision-making across functions. Collaborate with external legal counsel, advisors, partners, vendors, and donors as needed to ensure alignment and compliance across financial operations.

Requirements

Core Competencies for all SEF Employees:

Collaborates
Builds partnerships and works cooperatively with others to meet shared objectives, effectively navigating and managing ambiguity to achieve common goals.
Communicates Effectively
Delivers clear and direct multi-mode (written+oral) communications that conveys an understanding of the unique needs of different audiences, progress, learnings, and challenges.
Enables Learning & Development
Actively seeks new ways to grow and be challenged using both formal and informal development channels for self and others
Strategically uses inputs (Data + Design)
Is able to use data to make sense of the work we do and engage in data-driven design. Utilizes insights from data outcomes to design user experiences and interventions

Competencies for this role

Financial Strategy & Budgeting
Ability to design, implement, and monitor organizational budgets aligned to strategic priorities.
Reporting & Analysis
Strong skills in financial modelling, data interpretation, and dashboard/report preparation for varied audiences.
Systems & Process Design
Comfort in building and improving tools and systems for managing organizational finance.

Mindset Required

Proactive problem-solver with a builder’s mindset
Detail-oriented with high ownership
Ethical, reliable, and transparent in approach
Comfortable navigating ambiguity

Knowledge

Working knowledge of FCRA, Income Tax, and CSR laws relevant to nonprofits
Familiarity with grant budgeting, funder reporting, and donor communication
Proficiency in accounting software (e.g., Tally) and spreadsheets
Understanding of nonprofit finance, compliance and donor fund utilization & allocation in India

Experience

Semi-Qualified CA or MBA (Finance) with a minimum 2 years of relevant experience in a finance role.
Prior experience with budgeting, audits, and grant reporting required
Experience working with senior leadership, funders, and cross-functional teams
Experience with digitizing financial processes and setting up financial systems preferred

We are looking for a team member who is open to committing to the role for a minimum of 2 years.

Benefits

Salary and benefits

Compensation will be between INR 6,50,000 to 7,00,000 for Sr. Associate and between INR 7,00,000-8,00,000 for Manager, depending on experience.

Monthly reimbursements for phone and internet bills
Inclusive and diverse teams
Great Place To Work Certified
Dedicate sum to avail health insurance and pro-bono therapist on board
Paid Period and Well-being leaves

Location: Delhi

Note: Preference will be given to those from minority communities, including women, trans and non-binary people from Muslim and other religious minority communities.

Simple Education Foundation

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Senior Associate/Manager, Finance