Chief Financial Officer (Cfo)

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced, hands-on finance leader.
The role requires both strategic thinking and willingness to roll up sleeves to get things done.
Location: While we're a fully remote team, this role requires close collaboration with an Executive Leadership Team (ELT) and finance team based on GMT +/- 3 hours.
Therefore, candidates must be based within this timezone.
Periodic travel is required.
Start date:  ASAP Application Deadline:  31st January 2025 About Caribou Caribou is an impact consulting company on a mission to create more inclusive economies and societies in an increasingly digital world.
We support clients to use their funds and resources more effectively to maximize their social and environmental impact.
Our partners are leading corporations, government agencies, international financial institutions, and private foundations worldwide.
We provide end-to-end fund management, advisory, research, and measurement and impact services to enable organizations to tackle some of the world's most complex challenges.
Caribou has existed for a decade and is in the midst of a period of rapid change and growth, which is necessitating greater structure and efficiency in its central functions.
This CFO role is critical to the overall success of the business, providing financial stewardship and functional leadership to the organization.
The person in this role will report to the CEO, be on the company's board, and be a key member of the ELT.
The CFO will have a small team made up of an experienced Management Accountant (in South Africa), a Finance Transformation Manager (to be hired by the CFO) and outsourced bookkeepers.
The Ops team will also report to the CFO, consisting of a senior Operations Director (in the UK) and IT Support Technician (hiring now, will be in Cape Town or Nairobi).
As the head of a small team in a medium-sized startup organization, you will have to wear many hats in this role.
You'll need to be as comfortable rolling up your sleeves to get things done, as you are presenting strategy to the Board and company as a whole.  What it's like working with us We have always been a remote-first company.
We have no physical office and use digital tools for collaboration.
We have over 50 staff in 20 countries across 5 continents.
There are team and regional meetups several times per year, and an annual all company retreat (in 2024 we went to Kenya).
This time together is important, to get to know each other, and discuss broader company strategy, plans and priorities.  Core to our culture is supporting our staff to have autonomy over where, how, and (within reason) when they work.
We trust and empower everyone to work in a way that achieves successful outcomes, while providing flexibility to manage all aspects of their life.  We have a generous leave policy (33 days), leadership coaching allowance, and the opportunity to use some of your working time to explore professional interests that aren't part of your day-to-day role.
We are passionate about professional development and do our best to create opportunities for growth, as our company grows too.
We hire people because they are the best at what they do, so we're pretty sure that our team are some of the smartest and most interesting people you'll meet.
Come join us!
Key Responsibilities Financial strategy  As part of the ELT, develop and implement long-term financial strategies aligned with the company's commercial growth objectives.
Provide input into company strategy, including researching and identifying revenue opportunities and economic trends, and providing strategic input into aspects such as opening of entities in other markets (e.g.
EU, US, Kenya) or of other types (e.g.
501c3).
Analyze internal operations, and identify areas for cost reduction and process enhancement.
Contribute to organizational strategy through development and measurement of company-level financial targets, KPIs for project margins, resource utilization, and related metrics.
Play a key role in growing the company through input into innovative staff performance and retention strategies including bonus structures, share or options schemes and other strategies.
Optimize treasury approaches, improving banking relationships and workflows, and generating cost savings through optimization of FOREX handling.
Financial planning & analysis Prepare accurate and timely financial forecasts and reports for the executive team, board, and shareholders Ensure compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements Ensure that annual financial details are prepared for audited financial reports Ensure that reporting to donors / clients is accurate and timely Serve on the remuneration committee, providing insights, reports and recommendations Lead the annual company budgeting process and regular forecasting Oversee a small finance team and operations function to support and approve the development of annual program and team budgets with Program Directors Work with the Management Accountant to monitor and analyze variances between actual results and budget/forecast Implement effective cash flow management practices Risk Management Identify and mitigate financial risks through proactive analysis and strategic planning Implement robust internal controls to safeguard company assets Team leadership and stakeholder management Lead the finance function, devising a staffing plan that meets current and projected future demands of the team; promoting a culture of continuous improvement; and fostering a collegiate and collaborative environment Regularly update the Executive Leadership Team and Senior Leadership Team on our financial position Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, including banks, auditors, and regulatory bodies Communicate financial insights to non-financial stakeholders clearly and concisely  Participate in Board meetings, providing financial reporting into the Chair and Board Coordination with the Operations Function Coordinate closely with the Operations Function, which is staffed by an experienced senior Ops Director and an IT Support Technician, who are able to operate with little guidance.
Ensure that the Ops and Finance functions are in sync and, together, provide top notch ops and finance support to program staff.
Transformation of the Finance Function Work with a full time Finance Transformation Manager to transform the overall finance function to position the company for growth and scale.
This is an immediate priority and will include introducing platforms and tools that enable more efficient, timely and structured financial workflows, including expense management, payroll, vendor and grantee management, invoicing, cash flow analysis, etc.
Current processes are highly manual and onerous and require a significant overhaul.
Required qualifications and experience Your time is precious.
Please only apply if you have the appropriate qualifications and experience.
Candidates must have experience in at least two of the following:  International experience , handling international finance matters such as clearing funds into higher risk emerging markets, opening overseas entities and handling FX treasury management Experience handling donor funds ; large donor fund management, impact investment fund management, or exposure to grant management Commercial experience working in a consulting firm or similar project-based revenue model Proven ability to thrive in a fast paced, growth-oriented startup environment  Experience introducing new digital financial systems, tools and processes from scratch , to maximise efficiency, automate where possible, and meet current and projected future organizational needs The following are essential criteria: Agile and adaptable, proven financial leader with a strong track record in delivering and improving strategic financial stewardship, budgeting and forecasting, at significant scale and complexity Great internal and external stakeholder management skills, particularly in a change management context, ensuring that finance is approachable, understandable and supportive Excellent leadership skills, able to influence and communicate effectively within a fully remote and global working environment, willingness to work cross-functionally, ability to build capability and engagement across wider professional teams CIMA or CA qualified or equivalent Ideally, the candidate will also have the desirable but not essential experience: Experience with 501c3 accounting and tax, or experience with similar entities (charities / non profits) in other markets  Package Competitive salary Annual bonus Participation in the team equity scheme Generous vacation and sick leave Flexible working in a fully-remote company