Director – Finance & Risk

teamchildfund; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

ChildFund Australia in Sydney is seeking a Director – Finance & Risk to lead financial governance, strategy and risk management at executive level. You will partner with the CEO and Board to shape sustainable growth and robust controls across the organisation.

You will oversee multi‑currency treasury, donor grants, financial reporting and external audits, while driving continuous improvement and data‑driven decision making to maximise impact for children.

Qualifications

• Tertiary qualification in Accounting, Commerce, Finance or related discipline.
• Membership of CA ANZ or CPA Australia with current accreditation.
• Experience in senior financial leadership in complex organisations.
• Experience with budgeting, forecasting, treasury and donor funding.
• Ability to provide strategic advice to CEO and Board.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic financial leadership to CEO and Board.
• Oversee budgeting, forecasts and long-term financial planning.
• Ensure financial governance, risk, and compliance across the NGO.
• Lead treasury, cash flow and foreign currency management.
• Build and develop finance team.

Skills

Financial leadership

Strategic planning

Governance & risk

Donor funding

Board advisory

People leadership

Financial reporting

Education

CA ANZ or CPA Australia

Tools

Sage Intacct

ERP systems

Job description

Position Title: Director – Finance & Risk
Reports to: Chief Executive Officer
Direct Reports: Head of Finance, Risk and Compliance
Location: Surry Hills, Sydney (Hybrid)
Employment Type: Full-time, Executive Leadership Team

About ChildFund Australia

ChildFund Australia (CFA) is an independent international development organisation working to create
a world where every child can reach their full potential. Partnering with children, families and
communities across Australia, Asia and the Pacific, ChildFund supports locally led solutions that
strengthen education, child protection, health, livelihoods and climate resilience.

CFA is a member of the ChildFund Alliance – a global network of 10 organisations which assists almost
23 million children and their families in 70 countries. ChildFund Australia is a registered charity, a
member of the Australian Council for International Development, and fully accredited by the
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade which manages the Australian Government’s overseas aid
program.

ChildFund Australia is entering a period of strategic repositioning that will shape its next five years —
sharpening where and how it delivers impact for children, growing and diversifying revenue, and
modernising its systems and operating model. This new executive role is central to that agenda,
ensuring financial strategy, sustainability and risk management enable greater impact for children.

Position Purpose

The Director of Finance & Risk is a critical member of the executive leadership team, providing strategic
leadership across financial stewardship, risk management, governance, and organisational
performance. Reporting to the CEO and working in close partnership with the Board, the Director will
shape and execute financial strategies that underpin sustainable growth, strengthen organisational resilience, and maximise ChildFund’s capacity to deliver lasting social impact.

The role has enterprise-wide responsibility for financial governance, multi-currency treasury and the
consolidation of country-office finances, compliance and donor grant acquittals, enterprise risk,
company secretarial and statutory compliance, and the organisation’s digital finance transformation.

The successful executive will ensure robust financial controls and governance while building
contemporary financial systems, processes, and reporting capabilities that provide real-time insights
to support strategic decision-making.

A key mandate is to enhance financial sustainability and operational effectiveness by improving
financial visibility, mitigating organisational risk, and identifying opportunities for innovation and
growth. The Director will also lead the evaluation of new revenue opportunities, drive continuous
improvement across finance and business systems, and provide trusted strategic counsel to the CEO
and Board to ensure the organisation remains financially strong, compliant, and well positioned to
achieve its strategic goals.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Financial Leadership

• Develop and execute the organisation's financial strategy to support the mission, strategic
  priorities and long-term sustainability.
• Serve as a trusted strategic adviser to the CEO, Executive Leadership Team and Board,
  providing high-quality financial insight to inform strategic and operational decision-making.
• Lead enterprise-wide financial planning, including annual budgets, rolling forecasts, long-term
  financial modelling and scenario analysis.
• Drive financial performance through robust business partnering, investment analysis, return
  on investment (ROI) assessments and performance reporting.
• Evaluate, appraise and structure new and alternative sources of funding — including impact
  bonds, impact investment, blended finance, social enterprise, commercial partnerships and
  commercial ventures — applying disciplined business-case and gate-review governance.
• Strengthen organisational financial resilience through effective treasury management,
  liquidity planning, cash flow optimisation and investment oversight, including management of
  foreign-currency exposure across our country operations.
• Oversee diversified funding streams, including government grants, institutional funding,
  corporate partnerships and philanthropic income, ensuring financial sustainability and
  compliance.
• Deliver timely, accurate and insightful financial reporting, including management accounts,
  statutory reporting, Board papers and external reporting requirements.
• Foster a culture of financial accountability, commercial thinking and continuous improvement
  across the organisation.

Financial Operations, Systems & Innovation

• Lead the delivery of efficient, effective and scalable finance operations that support
  organisational growth and operational excellence.
• Partner with the Director of Digital, Data and Transformation to modernise finance systems,
  including ERP platforms, forecasting tools and grant management solutions.
• Leverage data analytics, automation and digital technologies to improve financial insights,
  operational efficiency and organisational decision-making.
• Ensure financial systems, processes and controls deliver accuracy, transparency and timely
  reporting while reducing organisational risk.
• Champion continuous improvement initiatives that simplify processes and enhance
  organisational capability.

Governance, Risk & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with all statutory, regulatory and donor requirements, including Australian
  accounting standards, taxation obligations, DFAT requirements and other funding agreements.
• Lead fund accounting and grant management including donor acquittals, ACFID Code
  compliance and acting as the organisation’s finance lead for DFAT accreditation.
• Maintain a strong financial governance framework supported by effective internal controls,
  policies, delegated authorities and risk management practices.
• Lead the organisation's external audit process and oversee relationships with auditors,
  banking partners and other key financial stakeholders.
• Own the enterprise risk management framework — identifying and mitigating financial, fraud
  and operational risks, implementing mitigation strategies and embedding sound governance
  practices.
• Provide expert financial advice to the Board and relevant Board Committees, including Audit,
  Risk and Finance Committees, and contribute to broader organisational governance.
• Oversee fraud and anti-corruption controls (including the fraud and corruption register) and
  the organisation’s insurance program, consistent with DFAT and donor requirements.
• Serve as Company Secretary, maintaining ACNC and ASIC statutory compliance, corporate
  registers, delegations of authority and effective Board governance support.

People Leadership & Organisational Partnership

• Lead, mentor and develop a high-performing Finance team, fostering collaboration,
  accountability, innovation and continuous professional development.
• Build financial capability across the organisation through effective business partnering,
  coaching and support to leaders and country-office finance teams across our Asia–Pacific
  operations.
• Collaborate across functions to ensure financial management supports strategic priorities,
  operational delivery and organisational impact.
• Influence and enable organisational change by promoting data-driven decision-making and
  effective financial stewardship.
• Foster strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to strengthen
  organisational performance, accountability and sustainable growth.

Key Selection Criteria

The right person may come from a commercial, corporate or professional-services background as
readily as a not-for-profit one; what matters most is financial leadership, sound judgement and
genuine alignment with our mission for children.

Essential

• Tertiary qualification in Accounting, Commerce, Finance or a related discipline.
• Membership of a recognised professional accounting body (CA ANZ or CPA Australia) with
  current accreditation.
• Demonstrated experience in a senior financial leadership role, providing strategic financial
  direction within a complex organisation and contributing as a trusted adviser to the Chief
  Executive Officer, Executive Leadership Team and Board.
• Proven ability to develop and implement financial strategies that support organisational
  objectives, including leading budgeting, long-term financial planning, forecasting, treasury
  management, investment oversight and business case development to enable informed
  decision‑making.
• Extensive knowledge of financial management, accounting standards, statutory reporting,
  taxation, treasury, financial modelling, cash flow management and financial analysis, with a
  demonstrated ability to deliver accurate, timely and insightful financial reporting.
• Demonstrated experience establishing and maintaining strong governance frameworks,
  internal controls and enterprise risk management practices, ensuring compliance with
  relevant legislation, accounting standards, donor requirements and regulatory obligations.
• Experience leading finance transformation initiatives, including implementation or
  optimisation of enterprise financial systems, digital technologies and data analytics to improve
  organisational performance, efficiency and decision‑making.
• A proven track record of building, leading and developing high‑performing teams through
  coaching, mentoring and performance leadership, while fostering a culture of accountability,
  collaboration, innovation and continuous improvement.

Desirable

• Experience managing government grants and institutional donor funding (e.g. DFAT or similar
  international funding agencies), including restricted‑fund accounting, donor acquittals and
  DFAT/ANCP accreditation requirements.
• Experience leading organisational transformation and enterprise system implementations.
• Understanding of governance requirements across multi‑country or international operations.
• Experience of multi‑entity consolidation, foreign‑currency management and finance
  operations across international or country‑office structures.
• Exposure to alternative and innovative financing — such as impact bonds, impact investment,
  blended finance or social enterprise — and to developing new revenue models within a
  purpose‑driven organisation.
• Company Secretary experience, or strong familiarity with ACNC and ASIC statutory and
  corporate‑governance obligations.
• Sage Intacct experience.

Key Relationships

Internal: CEO; Executive Leadership Team; the Board and relevant Board committees; fundraising and
supporter relations; programs; finance and risk; people and culture; and country offices.

Remuneration & Conditions

This is an Executive Leadership Team role, remunerated within ChildFund Australia’s ELT band
together with the generous not‑for‑profit salary‑packaging benefits available to our staff, which
materially increase take‑home value. The role is full‑time and based in Surry Hills, Sydney, with
hybrid working.

Child Safeguarding & Pre‑Employment Checks

ChildFund Australia is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and has zero tolerance
for child abuse and exploitation. All employees must comply with our Child Safeguarding Policy and
Code of Conduct. Appointment to this role is subject to satisfactory background checks, including a
National Police Check and a Working with Children Check. Given this role’s executive oversight of
systems and data relating to children, the successful candidate must actively promote and uphold
ChildFund Australia’s commitment to child safeguarding.