Head of Finance Guarda

Head of Finance
Guarda
Guarda, Guarda District, Portugal

Head of Finance - Leading Independent School in Lisbon

Are you a highly experienced finance leader looking for a challenging and autonomous role within a leading independent school group?

A prestigious, leading school based in Lisbon is seeking a dedicated and strategic Head of Finance to manage its financial and operational services. This is a
- autonomy role responsible for ensuring financial management and operations support the effective running of the school.

Key Responsibilities Include:

• Financial Leadership & Strategy: Lead all financial operations, ensuring accuracy, transparency, and compliance with Portuguese regulations and group policies. You will serve as a key advisor on financial matters to the Head of School and prepare, manage, and present annual budgets.
• Operations & Compliance: Oversee
  -
  - day financial operations, including accounts payable/receivable, tuition billing, bank movements, and cash flow. Ensure proper internal controls are in place and adhered to. You will also be responsible for all tax computations and submissions in compliance with Portuguese tax law.
• Budgeting and Forecasting: Lead the annual budgeting process in collaboration with academic and operational departments, and monitor actual performance against budget, providing variance analysis and corrective actions.
• Risk Management & Procurement: Develop and implement policies to minimize financial and operational risks, and lead procurement activities, overseeing supplier contracts to ensure value for money and compliance.
• Team Management: Direct reports include the Finance team, Procurement, and Maintenance. You will supervise the accounting team and ensure accurate and timely financial reporting.

What We're Looking For:

• Qualifications: A Degree in Accountancy, Finance, Business, or a related field is required. Certification as a Certified Accountant by "Ordem dos Contablistas Certificados" is essential. A professional accountancy qualification (e. g. , ACCA, CPA, CFA) is strongly preferred.
• Experience: Minimum 7–10 years of senior financial management experience , ideally in an educational or international setting. Strong knowledge of Portuguese financial regulations and compliance , as well as International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), is necessary.
• Skills: Proven expertise in financial leadership, strategic planning, budgeting, and risk management. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills in English and Portuguese are essential. We seek a flexible, adaptable, and
  - oriented team player with integrity and sound judgment.

This role reports to the Executive Director (Headteacher) and is a key member of the Extended Leadership Team.

If you are ready to take on this highly autonomous and strategic role, apply today!