3 jobs in Chancen International

About CHANCEN International

Chancen International is a non-profit financial institution providing ethical, fair, and responsible financing to help young Africans access quality tertiary education. Using an innovative Income Share Agreement (ISA) model, we cover students' tuition fees, allowing them to study without financial barriers. Graduates repay a portion of their income once employed, creating a sustainable funding cycle that supports future generations. By empowering young people with education, we enable their transition to meaningful employment, fostering economic mobility and strengthening communities.

Headquartered in Kigali, Rwanda, and operating in Rwanda, Kenya, South Africa, and Ghana, Chancen International has helped over 5,000 young people access education leading to dignified work. Our focus on marginalized populations ensures these youth gain the skills needed to thrive and contribute to building strong economies and peaceful nations.

We are committed to creating an inclusive and positive working environment where each individual can flourish and achieve their full potential. Our actions are guided by our company values: Authenticity, Curiosity, Courage, Stewardship and Fairness.

Position Overview

The Finance Associate will be responsible for managing and overseeing all financial aspects of the LEAP Programme. This role focuses on financial planning, reporting, compliance, and portfolio management to ensure accuracy, transparency, and efficiency in financial operations. The role requires strong financial expertise, analytical ability, and experience in lending operations.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Management & Reporting

● Lead the preparation and maintenance of accurate financial records, ensuring compliance with accounting standards and internal policies.

● Supervise bookkeeping activities carried out by third-party service providers and ensure timely reconciliation of accounts.

● Prepare and present financial reports to the Board and investors, including:

o Quarterly financial statements

o Budget vs actual performance reports

o Cash flow projections

o Loan portfolio performance and risk reports

● Develop and update quarterly forecasts for disbursements and repayments.

● Monitor financial performance and recommend corrective actions to meet targets.

Budgeting & Forecasting

● Lead the annual budgeting process and provide periodic variance analysis.

● Manage cash flow and liquidity planning to ensure operational sustainability.

● Support long-term financial planning for programme growth.

Portfolio & Loan Management

● Oversee and report on loan portfolio performance, including repayment trends and arrears management.

● Collaborate with loan collection service providers to ensure accuracy in:

o Loan reconciliations

o Outstanding balances

o Repayment schedules

● Provide data-driven insights to improve collection efficiency and portfolio quality.

Compliance & Audit

● Ensure timely compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements (e.g., KRA filings, audits).

● Serve as the main point of contact for auditors and regulatory bodies.

● Maintain proper documentation and internal controls to meet legal and governance standards.

Systems & Process Improvement

● Enhance financial systems and processes to improve accuracy, efficiency, and transparency.

● Leverage tools like Xero Accounting Software and Excel for reporting automation and data analytics.

Board Engagement & Governance

● Prepare financial reports, briefing notes, and data packs for Board and Funders meetings.

● Coordinate with the management team to ensure all financial information required for Board decision-making is accurate and timely.

● Support the Board in reviewing financial performance, compliance matters, and portfolio health.

Requirements

Qualifications & Experience

● Minimum
5 years' experience
in finance, accounting, or lending operations (preferably in microfinance, consumer finance or SACCO).

● Professional accounting qualification (CPA, ACCA, or equivalent) strongly preferred.

● Proficient in
Xero Accounting Software
and
advanced Excel skills
.

● Proven experience in
financial reporting, budgeting, and portfolio management
.

● Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or related field.

Skills & Attributes

● Strong financial and analytical skills with attention to detail.

● Ability to interpret financial data and present it to stakeholders in a clear and actionable way.

● Process-driven mindset with a focus on internal controls and risk management.

● Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.

● Passion for impact-driven finance and education sector initiatives.

About CHANCEN International
Chancen International is a non-profit financial institution providing ethical, fair, and responsible financing to help young Africans access quality tertiary education. Using an innovative Income Share Agreement (ISA) model, we cover students' tuition fees, allowing them to study without financial barriers. Graduates repay a portion of their income once employed, creating a sustainable funding cycle that supports future generations. By empowering young people with education, we enable their transition to meaningful employment, fostering economic mobility and strengthening communities.

Headquartered in Kigali, Rwanda, and operating in Rwanda, Kenya, South Africa, and Ghana, Chancen International has helped over 5,000 young people access education leading to dignified work. Our focus on marginalized populations ensures these youth gain the skills needed to thrive and contribute to building strong economies and peaceful nations.

We are committed to creating an inclusive and positive working environment where each individual can flourish and achieve their full potential. Our actions are guided by our company values: Authenticity, Curiosity, Courage, Stewardship and Fairness.

**Job Summary

The Research & Data Specialist will play a key role in strengthening Chancen's ISA underwriting and portfolio analytics by ensuring high-quality data input, interpreting macroeconomic and market trends, and integrating external datasets. This role sits within the Financial Planning and Analysis team and supports pricing, risk analysis, and portfolio optimization efforts. The Specialist will work closely with the Tech, Finance, and Impact teams to improve how Chancen collects, organizes, and analyzes data across countries and portfolios.
Key Responsibilities**
1. Data Input & Quality Assurance

• Maintain standardized input templates (ISA, PEI, employment); enforce schema, validation, and audit trails.
• Run QA checks (completeness, outliers, duplicates, cohort consistency); reconcile discrepancies with data owners.

• Publish data quality reports and escalate recurring issues with corrective actions.

• Underwriting Support

• Ingest and harmonize PEI datasets (enrolment, completion, placement, salary distributions/percentiles).

• Compute placement rate, time-to-placement, salary progression curves by program/PEI/country.

• Produce quarterly PEI scorecards to inform pricing guardrails (share %, thresholds, caps) and affordability checks.

• Market & Macro Trend Analysis

• Track inflation, minimum wage, unemployment, sector demand, and youth income trends; maintain a macro indicator pack per country.

• Write concise insight briefs (one-pager) highlighting risk/opportunity and recommended parameter changes.

• Country Partnerships & Data Procurement

• Build strong working relationships with Country Managers, PEIs, ministries/labour bureaus, and relevant agencies across different countries.

• Map, source, and procure priority datasets (employment, wage, placement, census/sector data, PEI admin data); maintain a live source register with refresh cadences and owners.
• Lead data-sharing requests and negotiate MoUs/DSAs with support from Legal/Compliance; ensure licensing terms, usage rights, and privacy are respected.
• Set SLAs for delivery, quality, and format with country partners; monitor adherence and escalate risks early.

• Track procurement budget and cost per dataset; propose cost-effective alternatives when needed.

• Data Systems & Integration

• Align datasets to the data warehouse schema; define data contracts and SLAs with Tech.

• Co-build/maintain dashboards for portfolio health, outcomes, and underwriting inputs (BI tools).
• Version control for data artifacts, queries, and calculations; maintain data dictionary.

Requirements

Educational Qualifications
Minimum Bachelor's Degree in project management, analytics, Economics, Statistics, Applied Economics
Technical Skills, Competencies, and Experience

• Bachelor's in Economics, Data Science, Statistics, Finance, or related field.
• 3–5 years in research/data analysis/credit modelling or adjacent roles.
• Proven experience cleaning, joining, and analysing education/employment datasets and building BI dashboards.
• Familiarity with income-based repayment/loan portfolios/credit scoring is advantageous.
• Experience across African markets preferred; strong written and verbal communication.
• Experience collaborating with country teams and external data owners (government, PEIs, research firms).
• Working knowledge of data licensing, privacy, and DPAs (GDPR/local equivalents) is a plus.