Group Chief Financial Officer

About the role

The Group CFO reports to the Group CEO and owns the financial stewardship of a heavy equipment and mining equipment dealer serving French-speaking African countries. The group sells and supports equipment for mining, construction, infrastructure and power generation, and runs an aftermarket of parts, service, rebuilds and rental. It has more than 2,000 employees, turnover close to EUR 1 billion, and prepares consolidated accounts under IFRS in euros. The CFO has direct access to the Board and the Finance & Audit Committee, and the country finance heads and group financial controllers report functionally to him.

Key responsibilities

• Capital structure and liquidity: own the balance sheet, maintain a rolling cash forecast, manage relationships with lenders and the manufacturer's captive finance, prepare refinancing and optimise supplier and shareholder financing.
• Working capital: set equipment and parts inventory levels, own the credit policy and collections, negotiate supplier credit aligned with the inventory and sales cycle.
• Planning and performance: run the annual budget and rolling forecast, monitor performance monthly and control the cost base including headcount and payroll.
• Reporting and consolidation: deliver monthly close and management accounts on time, own the consolidation and reporting to the Executive Committee, Board and lenders, and set uniform accounting policies and internal controls.
• Tax and compliance: ensure tax, regulatory and statutory compliance in each jurisdiction, including transfer pricing.
• Systems: review finance systems, define the ERP, consolidation and reporting architecture and lead its implementation.
• Finance organisation: lead the group finance team (controllers, country heads, treasury, FP&A, tax, shared services).
• Board support: assess capital expenditure, acquisitions and disposals, and act as the CFO's financial counterpart to the CEO.

Required profile

• 15+ years in finance, including at least 5 as Group CFO, 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, automotive or truck dealerships, industrial distribution or mining services.
• Direct experience of a leveraged balance sheet, including refinancing and lender negotiations.
• Consolidation of a group of 10+ entities under IFRS, with a monthly close and group reporting pack.
• Leadership of a multi-country finance team.
• Africa or comparable emerging markets, with time spent in francophone Africa.
• Professional fluency in French and English.
• Professional accounting qualification (ACA, ACCA, CPA, DSCG, expert-comptable or equivalent) with audit training in an international firm.

Required skills

• IFRS consolidation and group reporting.
• ERP and reporting system design and harmonisation.
• Treasury and currency hedging; knowledge of the regional banking market.
• Tax and regulatory compliance in the OHADA region.
• Experience in a private-equity-owned company reporting to an active Board.