As Head of Finance, you play a critical role in ensuring the financial sustainability and operational excellence of ZIS. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, you provide both strategic insight and hands-on leadership, enabling informed decision-making across the school.
You lead the Finance (incl. Purchasing) team and act as a trusted partner to the Senior Leadership Team, the Board’s Finance Committee, and other stakeholders. With a forward-looking mindset, you continuously strengthen financial processes, governance, and digital maturity—always in service of the school’s mission and community.
Main responsibilities include the following:
* Take full accountability for accurate financial reporting and tax as well as AO, AP, AR and liquidity management.
* Responsible for finance and controlling and leading quarterly forecasts, annual budget and long-term financial planning.
* Lead the procurement team and develop the school’s purchasing process.
* Build confidence and shared understanding of financials within the Senior Leadership Team and Board Finance Committee and peers.
* Oversee finance and controlling functions with a pragmatic, solution-oriented approach.
* Ensure strong alignment between financial processes and broader operational functions.
* As a leader you develop and empower a diverse finance team with clarity, respect, and trust as well as foster strong working relationships across departments in a multicultural environment.
Qualification and Experience:
* A relevant degree and a minimum of 5 years experience in a similar management role.
* A proven combination of strategic thinking and pragmatic, hands-on doing.
* Demonstrated adaptability and growth mindset, with the ability to operate effectively in a dynamic school environment where priorities evolve, decisions balance educational and financial perspectives, and continuous improvement is expected.
* Strong emotional intelligence and stakeholder awareness, enabling constructive collaboration with educators, administrators, parents, and governance bodies, and the ability to translate financial rigor into accessible, trust-building dialogue.
* Resilience and flexibility under complexity, maintaining clarity, professionalism, and calm when navigating ambiguity, competing demands, and the relational nature of a mission-driven educational organization.
* Strong written and verbal communications and interpersonal skills, in both English and German.
* Experienced handling of ERP systems, database management and software implementation.
* Demonstrated success leading teams and building strong work relationships in culturally diverse organizations.
* A values-driven leader who acts with integrity, humility, and courage.
We offer:
* Varied and interesting tasks in a dynamic, multicultural environment
* A meaningful leadership role in a mission-driven, international school environment.
* Varied and engaging responsibilities with real impact on the organization.
* A strong, collaborative, and supportive international community.
* A team-oriented leadership culture aligned with our values.
* Attractive employment conditions, including:
* 40-hour work week
* Generous vacation policy (6 weeks per year)
* Competitive remuneration package in line with industry standards
We look forward to receiving your complete application directly via our website: Employment at ZIS
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