Senior Finance Manager, Mandai Nature

Mandai Nature, a Singapore-based non-profit conservation organisation jointly set up by Temasek and Mandai Wildlife Group (MWG) which manages the city-state’s zoological parks including Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, River Wonders and Bird Paradise. Mandai Nature is the conservation arm of Mandai Wildlife Group and was established with the aim of advancing efforts on biodiversity protection in Singapore and Asia.

Job Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Development of Policies t & Standard Operating Procedures (“SOP”)

• SOP Architecture: Design, draft, and regularly update Comprehensive Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for key financial workflows (e.g., procurement-to-pay, travel claims, and monthly closing).
• Policy Governance: Formulate and refine corporate financial policies—such as the Delegation of Authority (DoA), reserve management policies, procurement procedures—ensuring alignment with best practices and the latest statutory regulations.
• Process Documentation: Translate technical accounting compliance requirements into clear, step-by-step user guides for non-finance staff to follow.

2. Financial System Development & Infrastructure Rollout

• System Optimization: Evaluate existing financial software and lead the design, development, and scaling of automated ERP or cloud accounting solutions (e.g., Xero, NetSuite) to match organization growth.
• Infrastructure Rollout: Standardize data structures and drive the deployment of newly introduced financial system modules, trackers, and workflow tools across all non-accounting departments.
• Process Automation: Streamline claims processing, invoice generation, procurement approvals, and payroll workflows to enhance team efficiency and reduce manual operational bottlenecks.

3. Budgeting, Planning & Donor Analytics

• Financial Planning: Lead the annual budgeting and forecasting process across the organization, tracking performance against institutional targets.
• Fundraising Support: Partner with the fundraising team to build accurate, strategic financial budgets tailored for donor pitches, corporate partnerships, and grant applications.
• Donor Reporting: Oversee the preparation of timely, transparent, and accurate financial reports required by grantors, and institutional donors.

4. Business Partnering & Insightful Analysis

• Strategic Partnering: Act as a financial co-pilot to department heads, translating complex financial data into practical operational strategies.
• Dashboard Management: Maintain, enhance, and manage financial dashboards to track key performance indicators (KPIs), fund utilization rates, and organizational health.
• Strategic Insights: Conduct variance and trend analyses, providing the COO and Board with data-driven recommendations to optimize cost efficiency and resource allocation.

5. Financial Control, Closing & Team Management

• Month-End Closing: Review and approve monthly and year-end financial closings, ensuring exact accuracy and adherence to accounting schedules.
• Audits : Ad hoc Internal audits and annual external audits.
• Team Supervision: Mentor, guide, and develop 1 to 2 finance team members, managing their day-to-day accounting, accounts payable, and accounts receivable outputs.

6. Taxation

• Ensuring compliance with all applicable tax laws and regulations, including corporate income tax, withholding tax, and GST.

7. Financial Due Diligence on potential grants

• Perform financial due diligence (i.e. financial statements review) on potential grantees and provide insights and recommendations regarding the financial health of potential grantees to the Grant Management Team.

Job Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Accountancy or Finance.
• Professional accounting qualifications in CA Singapore, CPA or ACCA are highly preferred.
• Minimum 7 to 10 years of progressive financial experience, with at least 2 to 3 years in a supervisory capacity.
• Proven experience in writing, structured drafting, and successfully implementing corporate financial policies and SOPs from scratch.
• Proven track record of spearheading or supporting a major financial software system implementation, migration, or corporate rollout.
• Familiarity with the Singapore non-profit landscape, Charity Accounting Standard (CAS), Fund Accounting principles, and IRAS tax rules (such as GST concession schemes and IPC governance, is advantageous.
• Strong stakeholder management with the exceptional capability to build strong relationships across diverse teams, including program staff, senior executives, and Board members.
• Highly adaptable and agile mindset with the ability to pivot priorities seamlessly within a dynamic, multi-funded non-profit environment.
• A team player who collaborates effectively with cross-functional departments to drive organization-wide initiatives and common financial goals.
• Confident in setting clear regulatory guardrails, upholding internal controls, and defending corporate compliance boundaries while remaining professional, approachable, and respectful
• Demonstrated ability to act as an educator, translating dry financial concepts into relatable operational guidelines