Principal Specialist, Finance Business Partnering (Commercial) at IHS Towers

The Opportunity

• IHS Towers is expanding our global footprint and we are seeking an individual to join our team as Principal Specialist, Finance Business Partnering (Commercial) in Nigeria.
• The individual will serve as strategic partner to cross-functional stakeholders across Group, Shared Services Centre (SSC) and in-market functions in delivering financial insights to support customer engagement, performance management and decision making.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee end-to-end activities related to customer invoice reconciliation and dispute resolution.
• Manage and coordinate Accounts Receivable (AR)-related liaisons, externally with customers and internally with Commercial, Technical and other Finance functions.
• Build collaborative partnerships and maintain strong relationships with in-country senior management, Group Finance, and other teams across the business, including Operations and Supply Chain.
• Support and provide inputs to Group-level reporting, forecasting and budgeting processes to meet shareholder objectives. Challenge assumptions and optimize processes to drive improved and effective performance.
• Support and provide inputs to business planning and decision-making by providing financial insights – particularly in relation to revenue.
• Analyze revenue performance against budget, forecast, and prior year by highlighting trends, investigating variances, and recommending corrective actions.
• Provide the “story behind the numbers” and work with non-Finance functions to drive business performance.
• Continuously drive improvements to simplify, standardize and streamline processes related to Revenue Management
• Support month-end and annual reporting of revenue by providing relevant operational information to the Finance SSC team.
• Contribute to ad-hoc financial projects as required as part of the overall Finance function.
• Review Master Lease Agreements (MLAs)/ drafts with a view to ease billings and enhance prompt invoicing and PFIs.
• Follow up on and ensure timely closure of Redcube issues raised by the team to ensure all billable tenancies are updated on Redcube.
• Add value to and review input reports from the SSC and Credit Control teams for completeness and to inform decision making among key stakeholders. Reports include revenue analyses, deferred revenue, withholding tax, cash receipts, trade accruals, ageing reports, etc, while key stakeholders include Financial Planning & Analysis, Commercial, and C-suite.
• Work with diverse teams including SSC, Commercial, Legal and Billing to monitor, quantify and report on operational issues, opportunities and development plans as they relate to Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and metrics.
• Interface with the wider Revenue Assurance team to ensure completeness and accuracy of optimal billing performance across all applications, e.g. Phixflow, Redcube, etc.
• Perform other tasks and duties as assigned by the Director, Revenue Management & Assurance.

Key Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent in Accounting or related discipline.
• ICAN/ ACCA qualification will be an asset.
• +10 years cognate experience, including working within highly matrixed, multinational organization structures.
• Demonstrable Proficiency in use of Power BI.
• Must have an entrepreneurial mindset - challenging the status quo and seeking ways to improve processes/ workflows and influence change.
• Must have a strong drive for results and be willing to partner with others to achieve the best.

Behavioural Competencies:

• Collaboration & Teamwork.

Functional Competencies:

• Accounting
• Financial Acumen
• Invoicing
• Complaints Management
• Contract Management
• Analytical Thinking
• Use of MS Office Tools
• Data Analysis & Reporting
• Business Communication
• Attention to Detail
• Stakeholder Management
• Workload Management.

Organizational Competencies:

• Customer Focus - People demonstrating this competency understand & exceed our customers’ needs. They develop trusted, reliable & collaborative relationships. They are consistently operating to the highest standards of service & delivery.
• Innovation - People demonstrating this competency constantly seek new & improved ways to deliver our products & services. They champion engineering & skills development, and work to create a collaborative and supportive operating environment.
• Integrity - People demonstrating this competency are open & honest in everything they do. They support financially & environmentally sustainable growth. They make socially responsible decisions and treat their stakeholders with respect.
• Be Bold - People demonstrating this competency are thorough in analyses & decision-making. They are courageous in expanding existing markets & developing new ones. They confidently pursue appropriate financial returns and are forward-thinking and ambitious.