Finance Lead Full-Time

Job description

Fenix is looking for experienced, highly motivated, and disciplined Finance Lead for to join our nascent Mozambique country team. The ideal candidate demonstrates a passion for entrepreneurship, renewable energy, and financial inclusion. This position is a unique leadership role in a rapidly growing company at the front lines of renewable energy and mobile payment technology. Candidates should expect a fast-paced startup culture, and will be expected to take ownership of a wide range of responsibilities, requiring both high and low skill levels until a full strength team has been established.

The Finance Lead will report directly to the Country Lead as well as collaborate with the CFO, Finance Directors, Global Controller and other country management to set up the finance systems and processes of new offices in Mozambique. The role will also include responsibility for recruiting an accounting team, as well as implementation of procedures and controls to ensure best practices and adherence to global accounting standards and tax laws.

Key Responsibilities

Finance Strategy & Leadership

• Create and continuously refine country market finance strategy to help Fenix achieve its financial objectives and targets, while embodying our commitment to providing an exceptional customer experience;
• Work closely with the Global Finance team to negotiate a pipeline of local currency debt to safeguard Fenix receivables against forex depreciation;
• Build and provide inspiring leadership to a high performing finance team, including;
• Recruiting and training mission-driven and highly qualified team members;
• Setting inspiring and ambitious targets and motivating the team to achieve them, including testing and setting compensation and incentive structures across the teams;
• Continually monitor and refine the effectiveness of Fenix country financial strategies, gathering evidence in the process to inform the commercial strategy as the new Fenix country scales;
• Develop relationships with relevant actors and maintain Fenix’s networks throughout the business environment;
• Track relevant trends and business intelligence in the country market and proactively make recommendations to continually improve Fenix’s finance strategy;
• Set up and manage relationship with local consultants and local authorities for corporate and statutory compliance in country;
• Own the country financial model, using it to forecast EBITDA targets and the impact of strategy decisions on business performance;
• Help create a culture across Fenix that recognizes and embraces Fenix’s vision and values, always encourages success, and supports all employees.

Finance Operations Management

Oversee the set up of financial reporting activities in new territories as Fenix scales, including:

• Leading the recruitment and training for accounting teams in new territories
• Implementing robust operational finance systems that utilize operational best practices, including the following activities:
• Set up revenue and expenses booking according to IFRS compliant practices;
• Set up banking and insurance relationships and monitor accounts;
• Compile monthly financials;
• Process PO’s, payments, billings, and payroll;
• Set up accounting best practices and reporting processes;
• Coordinate tax filings for and collaborate with Director of Finance/Global Controller to oversee external audits and tax audits;

Generate both regular and ad hoc insights for action so that Fenix can maintain excellent financial health:

• Work closely with department heads to understand monthly expenses (BvA), monitor spending and drive efficiencies in cost centers;
• Create and/or coordinate with Financial Analyst on ad hoc reporting as necessary to analyze revenue and cost trends;

Work closely with the following stakeholders to provide strategic finance and administrative support as needed:

• Business development team – to assist with financial considerations of expanding into new regions and grant applications;
• Operations Lead –  to conduct inventory audits, coordinating with external auditors for annual audits and maintain and tie out inventory accounting systems with FenixDB;
• Credit team – as needed to assess and continuously improve the ReadyPay portfolio health strategy to ensure repayment is healthy;
• Talent team – to adapt compensation strategies that position Fenix as a competitive employer while meeting financial goals;
• Manage and execute all financial audit processes and corporate/statutory compliance;
• Set up and manage relationship with external auditors for annual audits;
• Roll out Fenix ERP system for inventory management, budgeting, and forecasting, In coordination with global finance team.

Administrative Management

• Recruit and manage a high performing and motivated admin team and support them to work in seamless collaboration with finance and talent counterparts;
• Support implementation of robust admin processes to ensure that day-to-day administrative operations are nimble, rigorous, and team-friendly as the country scales;
• Aid as needed in building and implementing processes that support the business and team including;
• Processing work permits (in collaboration with Talent team);
• Maintaining office and grounds;
• Procuring and tracking work assets;
• Managing benefits.

Required Skills & Experience

• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills in English;
• Significant leadership and management experience in financial strategy & operations;
• Experience either living or working in Africa, Mozambique preferable;
• Experience managing a country level budget;
• Advanced quantitative analysis skills and proficiency in excel;
• Ability to manage a multicultural team;
• Working business proficiency in Portuguese (fluency highly desired);
• Entrepreneurial spirit and collaborative nature;
• Attention to detail, strategic thinker;
• A passion for Fenix and our customers.

Highly Desired Skills

• Experience with inventory management and logistics;
• Advanced proficiency in accounting software and/or enterprise resource planning tools;
• Grant financial management and reporting;
• Work experience in a multinational company or financial institution, preferably with operations in Africa in rural locations;
• Experience with risk assessment and loan portfolio health evaluation methodologies;
• Understanding of rural BOP markets, microfinance, mobile telecom and/or renewable energy industries in Africa.

To Apply

Please submit your resume and cover letter through the job posting at www.fenixintl.com/careers/. In your cover letter, please be sure to highlight the following:

1. Why you are interested in Fenix International, and
2. What excites you about this particular role.

Fenix offers a competitive salary and a fun, fast-paced and high-growth work environment. We recognize the value of diversity in our workforce, and encourage all qualified candidates to apply. We thank all candidates who choose to apply, however, only those selected for a further interview will be contacted.

About Fenix

Fenix International is a technology company in the ENGIE group whose mission is to improve our customers’ quality of life through energy and financial inclusion. Our flagship product, ReadyPay Solar, is an expandable, lease-to-own solar home system financed through affordable installments from just $0.15 per day. We use real-time transaction data to create a next-generation credit score to finance power upgrades and other life-changing loans.

To date, we have sold over 300,000 ReadyPay Power systems across Africa and we are growing our product portfolio and geographic coverage to bring power and a wider world of financing to over 5 million customers by 2021.