Job Description
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Group Financial Strategy & Leadership
- Develop and execute the Group's financial strategy in alignment with corporate objectives.
- Translate business strategy into financial plans, budgets, forecasts, KPIs, and capital requirements.
- Provide the CEO and Board with forward-looking analysis on profitability, liquidity, investment returns, funding requirements, and shareholder value.
- Establish Group-wide financial policies, controls, reporting standards, and performance management frameworks.
- Act as a strong commercial and financial partner to business-unit CEOs and management.
Financial Planning, Reporting & Performance
- Lead Group budgeting, forecasting, financial modelling, and long-term planning.
- Ensure accurate and timely monthly, quarterly, and annual consolidated financial reporting.
- Monitor business-unit performance against budgets, forecasts, strategic objectives, and agreed KPIs.
- Develop management dashboards providing clear visibility of revenue, EBITDA, cash flow, working capital, CAPEX, debt, and returns.
- Drive accountability for financial performance across all subsidiaries.
Treasury, Liquidity & Capital Structure
- Develop and implement the Group's treasury and liquidity strategy.
- Optimize cash management and working capital across businesses.
- Manage relationships with commercial banks, development finance institutions, investors, and other funding partners.
- Lead debt financing, refinancing, working-capital facilities, guarantees, and other funding arrangements.
- Optimise the Group's capital structure and cost of capital.
- Monitor debt maturity, covenants, interest-rate exposure, foreign-exchange exposure, and liquidity risks. 4. Capital Allocation & Investment
- Establish a disciplined Group-wide capital-allocation and investment-appraisal framework.
- Evaluate major CAPEX, acquisitions, developments, projects, partnerships, and strategic investments.
- Review financial models, assumptions, IRR, NPV, payback, cash flows, risk, and sensitivity scenarios.
- Ensure investments meet appropriate risk-adjusted return expectations.
- Monitor post-investment performance against approved business cases.
Corporate Finance & Strategic Transactions
- Conduct financial and commercial due diligence.
- Lead valuation, transaction modelling, deal structuring, financing, and negotiation support.
- Develop investment papers and recommendations for Board approval.
- Support equity raises, strategic partnerships, and investor engagements.
Risk Management, Controls & Governance
- Establish a robust Group-wide financial risk and internal-control framework.
- Ensure appropriate controls over revenue, procurement, payments, inventory, assets, contracts, CAPEX, and cash.
- Identify and mitigate financial, commercial, liquidity, project, tax, and investment risks.
- Oversee external audit, internal audit, tax compliance, and resolution of control deficiencies.
- Ensure compliance with applicable accounting standards, tax requirements, regulatory obligations, and corporate-governance standards.
- Provide independent financial challenge to major management decisions where appropriate.
Tax & Financial Compliance
- Provide strategic oversight of Group tax planning and compliance.
- Ensure appropriate management of corporate taxes, VAT, withholding taxes, transfer pricing, property-related taxes, and other applicable obligations.
- Assess tax implications of investments, financing, acquisitions, disposals, and restructuring.
- Manage relationships with tax authorities and external advisers.
Finance Transformation & Team Leadership
- Build and lead a high-performing Group finance organization.
- Develop finance talent, succession plans, and appropriate structures across subsidiaries.
- Drive standardisation, automation, and digitalisation of finance processes.
- Strengthen ERP, consolidation, reporting, budgeting, treasury, and business-intelligence capabilities.
- Promote a culture of accountability, integrity, commercial thinking, and continuous improvement.
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics, Business Administration, or a related discipline.
- Professional qualification such as ACA, ACCA, CPA, CIMA, or equivalent.
- 15+ years of progressive finance experience, including significant experience at Group CFO, Deputy CFO, Finance Director, or equivalent senior level.
- Proven experience managing complex, diversified, multi-subsidiary organisations.
- Strong experience in corporate finance, treasury, financial modelling, investment appraisal, financial reporting, and strategic planning.
- Demonstrable experience in sectors such as energy/renewables, infrastructure/metering, real estate, agriculture, or other capital-intensive businesses.
- Experience with debt financing, project finance, capital raising, M&A, joint ventures, or institutional/development finance is highly desirable.
- MBA or relevant Master's degree will be an advantage.