Chief Financial Officer
Summary
The Chief Financial Officer will be a member of the Senior Management Team and will provide strategic, commercial, financial, tax, treasury and governance support to the forestry business.
The CFO will have direct oversight of the Finance Manager and the finance team. The Finance Manager will remain responsible for the day-to-day running of the accounts and administration department, while the CFO will support, supervise and develop the Finance Manager and take responsibility for middle- and senior-level finance matters, including reporting, budgeting, audit, banking, tax, board support, shareholder liaison and special projects.
The role requires a commercially minded finance leader who understands the operational realities of forestry, sawmilling, agriculture, infrastructure development, logistics, asset management and long-cycle investment projects.
Responsibilities
1. Core Responsibilities
Financial Leadership and Strategy
- Providing strategic financial input to the CEO, Senior Management Team, Board and shareholders.
- Supporting the development and implementation of the Company’s financial strategy.
- Advising on capital allocation, funding requirements, investment priorities and major project economics.
- Ensuring that financial planning reflects the long-term nature of forestry assets, crop cycles, sawmill operations, infrastructure requirements and market risks.
- Identifying financial risks and opportunities across the business.
- Supporting the development of financial controls, reporting systems and management information.
Financial Reporting, Management Accounts and Audit
- Overseeing the preparation of monthly management accounts.
- Ensuring that the monthly management accounts are accurate, relevant and produced timeously.
- Reviewing financial performance against budget, forecast and prior periods.
- Ensuring that management accounts include meaningful commentary, variance analysis and operational insights.
- Overseeing year-end reporting, audit preparation and annual financial statements.
- Liaising with external auditors and ensuring the timely completion of the annual audit.
- Reviewing annual financial statements before submission to the Board and shareholders.
- Ensuring appropriate accounting treatment for assets, biological assets, inventory, fixed assets, capital projects, loans and foreign exchange.
- Supporting the Finance Manager in improving the quality, accuracy and timeliness of reporting.
Budgeting, Forecasting and Business Planning
- Preparing and coordinating the annual budget.
- Developing budget assumptions with operational teams.
- Preparing cash flow forecasts, funding forecasts and sensitivity analysis.
- Reviewing sawmill, forestry, nursery, harvesting, logistics, payroll, capex and overhead budgets.
- Monitoring actual performance against budget.
- Updating forecasts as required during the year.
- Supporting long-term financial planning for forestry cycles, sawmill refurbishment and capital investment.
Treasury, Banking, Funding and Foreign Exchange
- Managing relationships with banks and financial institutions.
- Supporting and negotiating banking facilities, loan structures and funding arrangements.
- Overseeing interbank, foreign exchange and treasury transactions.
- Reviewing foreign exchange exposures and recommending appropriate mitigation strategies.
- Monitoring cash flow, liquidity and funding requirements.
- Ensuring proper documentation and approval of banking transactions.
- Liaising with lenders, shareholders and advisers on financing matters.
Tax, Regulatory and Compliance
- Reviewing tax computations, workings and supporting schedules.
- Liaising with the Tanzania Revenue Authority and tax advisers.
- Supporting responses to TRA queries, audits and assessments.
- Reviewing VAT, corporate tax, withholding tax, payroll tax and other tax compliance matters.
- Overseeing GOT returns and other statutory filings.
- Ensuring that finance records support tax and regulatory compliance.
- Advising the CEO and Board on tax risks and exposures.
- Supporting the Finance Manager in strengthening compliance processes.
Governance, Board and Shareholder Support
- Asting as Company Secretary
- Preparing financial reports and papers for Board meetings.
- Supporting Technical Committee reporting where financial or commercial input is required.
- Preparing financial analysis for strategic decisions.
- Supporting shareholder reporting and communication.
- Responding to shareholder financial queries.
- Preparing presentations, briefing notes and financial summaries.
- Ensuring that Board and shareholder reporting is clear, accurate and timely.
- Ensuring that all statutory compliance issues regarding BRELA are met.
Operational and Commercial Support
- Providing financial support for the forestry, sawmill, agricultural and related operations.
- Supporting the sawmill refurbishment project, including budgeting, tracking, reporting and financial control.
- Reviewing project costs, procurement, capex, working capital and operational performance.
- Supporting management decisions on production, sales, pricing, margins and cost control.
- Providing financial analysis for special projects.
- Supporting CEO decision-making with financial models, business cases and scenario analysis.
Systems, Controls and Process Improvement
- Supporting the Finance Manager in maintaining strong internal controls.
- Reviewing the effectiveness of accounting and administration processes.
- Providing senior-level Pastel support and oversight.
- Identifying improvements to reporting, reconciliations, documentation and workflow.
- Ensuring appropriate segregation of duties and approval processes.
- Supporting the development of the finance team’s skills and procedures.
- Improving the quality and reliability of financial data.
Insurance and Risk Management
- Coordinating the annual insurance review.
- Reviewing insurance cover for forestry assets, sawmill assets, vehicles, buildings, equipment, liability and business interruption.
- Liaising with brokers, insurers and operational managers.
- Ensuring that insured values and risk disclosures are appropriate.
- Supporting claims management where required.
- Advising management on uninsured or under-insured risks.
Payroll and International Administration
- Overseeing overseas payroll arrangements.
- Reviewing payroll-related compliance, tax and reporting matters.
- Maintaining the expatriate staff payroll.
- Ensuring that payroll processes are properly authorised and documented.
2. Specific Duties
The CFO’s specific duties will include, but will not be limited to:
- Year-end preparation, external audit and annual financial statements.
- Monthly management accounts and financial reporting.
- Annual budget and rolling cash forecasts.
- Financial oversight of the sawmill refurbishment project.
- Board and Technical Committee financial reporting.
- Interbank transactions, foreign exchange deals and banking matters.
- Senior-level emails, correspondence and sundry financial matters.
- Special projects and financial analysis.
- Tax computations, tax workings and TRA matters.
- SMM-related finance and reporting matters.
- Overseas payroll.
- CEO support.
- Bank liaison, reporting and funding support.
- Support, supervision and development of the Finance Manager.
- Insurance review and renewal.
- Pastel accounting system support.
- Shareholder relations and shareholder reporting.
- Travel planning where connected to senior management, finance or project requirements.
- GOT returns and statutory submissions.
3. Relationship with the Finance Manager
The Finance Manager will continue to manage the routine day-to-day operation of the accounts department. This includes normal accounting processing, routine payments, contractor payments, bookkeeping, reconciliations, administrative supervision and team management.
The CFO will not replace the Finance Manager’s day-to-day role. Instead, the CFO will:
- Provide senior-level supervision and support.
- Review and improve the quality of financial reporting.
- Assist with complex issues and judgement areas.
- Support the Finance Manager in developing systems, controls and team capability.
- Take responsibility for higher-level finance, tax, treasury, governance, audit and strategic matters.
- Act as the link between the finance function, CEO, Board, shareholders, banks, auditors and advisers.
4. Expected Contribution
The CFO will be expected to strengthen the Company’s financial leadership, improve the quality of management information, support the CEO and Board, reduce financial and compliance risk, and help ensure that the finance function can support the Company’s operational and strategic objectives.
The role is intended to provide senior financial capacity above the day-to-day finance function, while allowing the Finance Manager to continue managing the accounts and administration team.
Education and Qualifications
- A recognised accounting or finance qualification.
- Senior finance experience, ideally as CFO, Finance Director, Financial Controller or equivalent.
- Strong budgeting, forecasting, reporting and financial modelling skills.
- Strong tax and regulatory awareness.
- Good understanding of foreign exchange, treasury and cash flow management.
- Strong systems and controls capability.
- Ability to support and develop an existing Finance Manager and finance team.
- Strong communication skills and the ability to explain financial matters clearly to non-finance managers.
- Practical, hands-on attitude, with the ability to operate in a developing-market environment.
Requirements
- Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in Finance, Accounting, Financial Management, or a related field, with at least 5 years in a senior finance leadership role.
- Experience in agribusiness, forestry, manufacturing, sawmilling, infrastructure, natural resources or another asset-intensive operating business.
- Experience with audit, annual financial statements and management accounts.
- Experience dealing with banks, lenders, auditors, tax authorities and shareholders.
Characteristics
- Commercially minded and strategically aware.
- Detail-focused without losing sight of the bigger picture.
- Practical, hands-on and solution-oriented.
- Able to work constructively with operational teams.
- Supportive of the Finance Manager while maintaining appropriate oversight.
- Confident in dealing with banks, auditors, advisers, tax authorities and shareholders.
- Able to work independently and take ownership of complex matters.
- Trustworthy, discreet and reliable.
- Comfortable working in a forestry / agribusiness environment with long-term assets, operational complexity and developing-market challenges.
Reporting To
- Chief Executive Officer
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Forestry & Forest Products: 5 Years
Manufacturing: 5 Years
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Finance: 10 Years
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