Aquarech, a Kenyan AgTech venture, supports small-scale and medium sized cage and pond fish farmers with improved productivity and income, by taking a fish-farmer centric approach. At the core of Aquarech’s offering is farming knowledge and support, quality inputs and access to markets. In addition, Aquarech is progressively offering farmers climate-smart farming techniques. Aquarech has the potential to not only support farmers minimize climate impact, but also scale beyond Kenya to solve many of the inefficiencies within the entire African fish farming sector. Find out more at https://www.aquarech.com/.
The Role
Aquarech is looking for an experienced leader at the level of Finance Director to support Aquarech’s growth, streamline the processes and systems to produce accurate financial information, leverage this information to perform financial analyses that influence strategic decision-making, support in fundraising and cashflow management. The Finance Director will be part of the Senior Management Team reporting to both the CEO and to the Board of Directors. The role is both strategic (working on the long-term growth and fundraising strategy with the Senior Management Team) and operational (managing the accounting and financial control functions). The ideal candidate should have 7+ years of experience in accounting, and finance, including leadership and fundraising experience.
Strategy and Planning
- Identify and execute financial analyses to identify opportunities to optimize business performance, to create value, and to help shape the strategic direction of the company
- Develop financial models to evaluate specific business initiatives
- Work with various Aquarech teams to refine financial models and understand the drivers of key assumptions
- Establish procedures for budget and forecast preparation, and prepare the annual budget in consultation with the CEO/COO/CTO
- Manage the cash flow and prepare cash flow forecasts
- Advise the company on the optimal capital structure, balancing equity and debt and support the company in accessing the capital needed to grow
- Support future fundraising activities and manage existing shareholder and debt
provider reporting requirements, including the management of financial covenant monitoring and reporting
Accounting, Reporting, and Operations
- Develop and maintain timely and accurate financial statements and reports in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and implement monthly variance reporting against budget
- Develop and maintain systems for cash management, accounts payable, accounts receivable, credit control, and petty cash
- Manage and build a dynamic and sound Finance team
- Oversee the design and implementation of processes and reports that provide business managers with timely financial data to make decisions and monitor performance
- Oversee all payroll functions to ensure timely and accurate processing
- Ensure that all statutory requirements of the organization are met including income tax reporting and withholding payments
- Develop, implement, and ensure compliance with internal financial and accounting policies and procedures to ensure the accuracy, integrity, and security of all financial information
- Manage financial reporting to the Board of Directors
- Prepare all supporting information for the annual audit and liaise with the external auditors
- Lead the financial due diligence process with prospective investors
Risk Management
- Ensure that sound risk management models and measurement methodologies of risk reporting and controls are in place for the quantification and evaluation of risks
- Own the development of an Enterprise Risk Management framework and the Risk Appetite Statement
- Continuously monitor risk-taking activities and aggregate risk exposures to ensure they are in line with the organization’s financial position and plans
- University degree in Accounting, Commerce, or Business Management/Administration
- CPA, ACCA, CFA or MBA designation is strongly preferred
- 7+ years of experience of progressive responsibility in accounting and finance, with at least 2 years of management experience
- PE/VC or start-up fundraising experience a plus
- Strong strategic finance skill set evidenced by the ability to analyze business models, and forecast financing needs
- Strong financial modelling, budgeting, valuation, financial analysis experience
- Experience in closing Series A+ funding rounds and institutional debt management a plus
Personal Attributes
- A believer that small business growth in Africa will drive community development and wide-scale poverty reduction
- A self-driven, results-oriented high achiever ready to take on a lot of responsibility and ownership to drive Aquarech’s growth
- A professional with unwavering integrity, high ethical standards, and a strong sense of accountability
- A decisive leader and problem solver who efficiently gathers information and assesses situations with a systems approach to select or recommend the best course of action
- An organized planner who excels at priority setting, goal setting, devising, and executing action plans, and performing ex-post evaluations of both process and results
- A great communicator who speaks and writes in a clear, thorough, and timely manner using effective communication tools and techniques
- A team player who is not afraid to ask for help when needed and relies on feedback to rapidly improve
- Female candidates are encouraged to apply
This position is full-time in a dynamic, high-growth, fast-paced company with varied opportunities for personal growth. You will receive a competitive salary and benefits commensurate to your experience. Employee share options will be considered for this position providing you with ownership in Aquarech’s success.
