Head of Finance at Zola Electric

Position
The Head of Finance is end responsible for all financial activities in country and for ensuring financial targets of the company are met. The Head of Finance has a dual reporting line into the Managing Director (MD) of the Nigeria entity, and to the Group CFO in San Francisco. Main responsibilities include, but are not limited to strategic collaboration, budget and cash flow management, country financial statement accuracy, inventory and fixed assets management, credit and risk management and stakeholder management:

• Participate in strategic meetings to contribute to the development of the annual Financial Strategy and Business Plan in collaboration with Country and Group Finance staff.
• Source and generate new ideas to input into the Strategy and provide for strategic adjustments.
• Develop implementation plan of Financial Strategy in collaboration with the team and monitor implementation therein.
• Provide the Managing Director and operating management with timely and accurate information with which to jointly determine strategy and proactively identify issues.
• Develop annual, quarterly and monthly cash flow projections.
• Manage bank payment approval processes, ensuring segregation of duties in this process.
• Manage proper budget control and compliance by the business as per the approved budget.
• Monitor country expenditure and review monthly, providing actionable improvement plans for country business units.
• Provide guidance to management to reduce expenditure.
• Implement and oversee financial remedial plans and measures as required.
• Monitor the execution of proper reporting on budget and cash flow matters.
• In close cooperation with the Group Central accounting team looking after Nigeria, ensure that all postings to the country financial ledgers are accurate and correct. Approve entries where needed. Monitor the timeous payment of creditors and attend to those outstanding payments that have been escalated and review and approve annual financial statements.
• Verify physical stock counts periodically to ensure that line organization is properly reconciling stock.
• Ensure that any stock losses are promptly written off.
• Monitor the maintenance of the asset register.
• Review asset register to check depreciation calculated and validate additions against support documentation.
• Coordinate a physical count to test what has been recorded in the asset register to confirm the existence of the assets, ensuring that any missing assets are promptly written off.
• Review the insurance policy to ensure it is up to date and that assets are appropriately secured.
• In cooperation with the Group Director of Credit and the local Head of Credit, ensure that the customer-facing credit strategy that addresses both upfront, point-of-sale credit operations as well as after-sales education and payment follow-up is implemented and appropriately followed up.
• Carry out internal audits as necessary to assure MD and ZOLA Executive / Board that financial risks are properly managed.
• Participate in weekly Core Team Meetings and monthly Performance Review Meetings.
• Communicate regularly with the Country MD to provide the necessary updates on departmental operations.
• Liaise with the central accounting team on accounting and financial reporting matters.
• Provide financial advice and counsel to the Country MD and Heads of Departments.
• Maintain sound working relationships with financial institutions and relevant authorities.
• Support the collaboration across functions to understand and resolve problems on the ground.

Requirements

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Finance, Management Control, Accounting or equivalent experience.
• Ten to fifteen years of financial management experience.
• Experience in Banking and in the financial department of a subsidiary of a multinational group are considered advantages.
• Expertise in accounting and in financial analysis/reporting.
• Leadership experience.
• Experience with living and working in Africa is an advantage.
• Flexible, assertive, client-oriented and result-focused.
• Proper mastery of computer systems and tools (ERP software, Excel).
• Good communicator with a relational ease.
• Excellent communications skills, and fluent in English.
• Knowledge of the relevant financial legislation pertaining to the country.
• Analytical and planning & organizing skills.
• Detail-oriented and deadline driven.
• Ethical team player who can work under pressure.
• Understanding of the local business environment.