Chief Financial Officer

Role Overview

This is a Chief Financial Officer position for an organization entering a phase of significant growth and operational transformation. You will lead the finance function through a period of rapid change, ensuring that the financial foundation remains strong while building new strategic capabilities in planning, analysis, commercial negotiation, and systems modernization. This role is central to shaping the organization's long-term financial sustainability, supporting carbon and impact initiatives, and enabling the organization to meet its next stage of development.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and communicate a forward-looking finance strategy that anticipates the organization's evolving needs, building new capabilities and improving systems before they become bottlenecks.
• Oversee and improve core financial operations including treasury, controllership, accounting, budgeting, financial reporting, procurement, and internal audit, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and strong internal controls.
• Identify and act on key financial risks, including risks to revenue quality, net asset stability, and the integrity of internal controls, developing mitigation strategies as needed.
• Build, mentor, and manage a high-performing finance team, fostering a culture of ownership, accountability, and continuous improvement across all finance-related functions.
• Lead the development and evaluation of innovative financing mechanisms, commercial partnerships, and enterprise opportunities that strengthen the organization's financial sustainability and support the growth of its carbon and impact initiatives.
• Drive the annual budgeting process and ensure the organization is fully prepared for successful annual audits, delivering clear and responsive financial statements.
• Strengthen governance and compliance across all bank accounts and jurisdictions, ensuring full adherence to local laws and the effective application of contractual requirements, including segregation of funds and timely reporting on control failures.
• Represent the organization in high-stakes negotiations with funders, vendors, and partners, achieving favorable terms and strong outcomes for the organization and its mission.
• Contribute as an active member of the Senior Leadership Team, providing independent judgment, constructive challenge, and strategic insight that improve organizational decision-making beyond the finance function.

Requirements & Qualifications

• MBA or equivalent advanced degree; CPA or comparable accounting certification is strongly preferred.
• At least 15 years of progressively responsible finance leadership experience, with a minimum of three years at a similarly sized or larger organization or company.
• Demonstrated experience working with carbon markets, investment markets, or venture capital is highly desirable.
• Deep experience operating with large, on-the-ground teams in East Africa or other similarly challenging environments.
• Proven ability to identify, integrate, and maximize online financial and mobile technologies for effective global operations and connectivity.
• Strong proficiency with one or more ERP systems, especially Sage or Intacct.
• Comfort and confidence in projecting strong leadership while operating in a largely remote work environment.