Group Chief Financial Officer

About the role

A top-tier dealer of heavy equipment and mining equipment for French-speaking African countries, employing more than 2,000 people and generating turnover close to EUR 1 billion, is looking for a Group CFO. Reporting to the Group CEO, the CFO owns the group's capital structure and liquidity, the integrity and timeliness of its financial information, the planning and performance management cycle, the finance organization and its systems, and gives financial advice to the CEO and the Board. The CFO has direct access to the Board and the Finance & Audit Committee.

Key responsibilities

• Balance sheet, treasury and lenders: own capital structure and liquidity, maintain a rolling cash forecast, manage relationships with lenders and the manufacturer's captive finance arm, prepare refinancing and optimize supplier and shareholder financing, and manage foreign-exchange exposure and hedging.
• Working capital: set equipment and parts inventory levels with commercial and operations leadership, own the credit policy and collections, and negotiate supplier credit aligned with the inventory and sales cycle.
• Planning, performance and cost: run the annual budget and rolling forecast, monitor performance against budget monthly and drive corrective actions, and control the cost base including headcount and payroll.
• Reporting, consolidation and control: own group consolidation and monthly, quarterly and annual reporting, deliver the monthly close and management accounts on time, set uniform accounting policies and internal controls, and ensure tax, regulatory and statutory compliance including transfer pricing.
• Systems: review finance systems, define the ERP, consolidation and reporting architecture and lead its implementation.
• Finance organization: lead the group finance team (controllers, country heads, treasury, FP&A, tax, shared services) and assess, structure and develop it.
• Board support: assess capital expenditure, acquisitions and disposals and advise the Board on return, risk and funding, acting as the CFO's financial counterpart.

Required profile

• Fifteen or more years in finance, including at least five as Group CFO, Finance Director or Group Financial Controller of a business with revenue above EUR 300 million and operations in several countries.
• Experience in a capital-intensive distribution or industrial business such as equipment dealerships, automotive or truck dealerships, industrial distribution or mining services.
• Direct experience of a leveraged balance sheet, including refinancing, bank covenants and lender reporting.
• Consolidation under IFRS of a group of ten or more entities, with a monthly close and group reporting pack.
• Leadership of a multi-country finance team, and experience in a company owned by private equity with reporting to an active Board.
• Time spent in francophone Africa.
• Professional fluency in French and English, written and spoken.

Required skills

• Professional accounting qualification (ACA, ACCA, CPA, DSCG or equivalent).
• Treasury and currency hedging, and knowledge of the regional banking market.
• ERP design, implementation or harmonization across several entities.
• Tax and regulatory compliance in the OHADA region.