Chief Financial Officer, Caribou Digital

• International experience, handling international finance matters such as clearing funds into higher risk emerging markets, opening overseas entities (ideally in emerging markets) and handling FX treasury management
• Leadership experience in a commercial entity, working in a consulting firm or similar project-based revenue model
• Proven ability to thrive in a fast paced, growth-oriented startup environment
• Experience introducing new digital financial systems, tools and processes from scratch, to maximise efficiency, automate where possible, and meet current and projected future organizational needs
• CIMA or CA qualified or equivalent
• Agile and adaptable, proven financial leader with a strong track record in delivering and improving strategic financial stewardship, budgeting and forecasting, at significant scale and complexity
• Great internal and external stakeholder management skills, particularly in a change management context, ensuring that finance is approachable, understandable and supportive
• Excellent leadership skills, able to influence and communicate effectively within a fully remote and global working environment, willingness to work cross-functionally, ability to build capability and engagement across wider professional teams

Desirable

• This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced, hands-on finance leader. The role requires both strategic thinking and willingness to roll up sleeves to get things done
• This CFO role is critical to the overall success of the business, providing financial stewardship and functional leadership to the organization
• The person in this role will report to the CEO, be on the company’s board, and be a key member of the ELT. The CFO will have a small team made up of an experienced Management Accountant (in South Africa), a Finance Transformation Manager (to be hired by the CFO) and outsourced bookkeepers
• The Ops team will also report to the CFO, consisting of a senior Operations Director (in the UK) and IT Support Technician (hiring now, will be in Cape Town or Nairobi)
• As the head of a small team in a medium-sized startup organization, you will have to wear many hats in this role
• You’ll need to be as comfortable rolling up your sleeves to get things done, as you are presenting strategy to the Board and company as a whole
• As part of the ELT, develop and implement long-term financial strategies aligned with the company's commercial growth objectives
• Provide input into company strategy, including researching and identifying revenue opportunities and economic trends, and providing strategic input into aspects such as opening of entities in other markets (e.g. EU, US, Kenya) or of other types (e.g. 501c3)
• Analyze internal operations, and identify areas for cost reduction and process enhancement
• Contribute to organizational strategy through development and measurement of company-level financial targets, KPIs for project margins, resource utilization, and related metrics
• Play a key role in growing the company through input into innovative staff performance and retention strategies including bonus structures, share or options schemes and other strategies
• Optimize treasury approaches, improving banking relationships and workflows, and generating cost savings through optimization of FOREX handling
• Prepare accurate and timely financial forecasts and reports for the executive team, board, and shareholders
• Ensure compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements
• Ensure that annual financial details are prepared for audited financial reports
• Ensure that reporting to donors / clients is accurate and timely
• Serve on the remuneration committee, providing insights, reports and recommendations
• Lead the annual company budgeting process and regular forecasting
• Oversee a small finance team and operations function to support and approve the development of annual program and team budgets with Program Directors
• Work with the Management Accountant to monitor and analyze variances between actual results and budget/forecast
• Implement effective cash flow management practices
• Identify and mitigate financial risks through proactive analysis and strategic planning
• Implement robust internal controls to safeguard company assets
• Lead the finance function, devising a staffing plan that meets current and projected future demands of the team; promoting a culture of continuous improvement; and fostering a collegiate and collaborative environment
• Regularly update the Executive Leadership Team and Senior Leadership Team on our financial position
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, including banks, auditors, and regulatory bodies
• Communicate financial insights to non-financial stakeholders clearly and concisely
• Participate in Board meetings, providing financial reporting into the Chair and Board
• Coordinate closely with the Operations Function, which is staffed by an experienced senior Ops Director and an IT Support Technician, who are able to operate with little guidance. Ensure that the Ops and Finance functions are in sync and, together, provide top notch ops and finance support to program staff
• Work with a full time Finance Transformation Manager to transform the overall finance function to position the company for growth and scale. This is an immediate priority and will include introducing platforms and tools that enable more efficient, timely and structured financial workflows, including expense management, payroll, vendor and grantee management, invoicing, cash flow analysis, etc. Current processes are highly manual and onerous and require a significant overhaul

• Start date: ASAP
• Application Deadline: 31st January 2025