Director of Financial Management

Permanent employee, Full-time · Goma

About the Position

Nuru is a private utility delivering energy and connectivity services in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Our mission is to connect 10 million Congolese to world class energy solutions by 2030. Founded in 2015 and now entering a phase of rapid growth, Nuru requires a skilled Director of Financial Management (“DFM”) to help structure and streamline Nuru’s expansion in close coordination with Nuru’s CEO, Executive Team, and Board of Directors.

As the Director of Financial Management, you will report directly to the CEO and play a crucial role in overseeing and managing all financial operations within our organization. The ideal candidate will be a strategic thinker with a strong background in financial management, accounting principles, and operational efficiency. Specifically, the DFM leads the Group’s reporting, , treasury management, audit and compliance, accounting, and capital management activities. The DFM oversees and builds capacity within the company’s internal finance teams and routinely enhances core financial systems and processes. The DFM provides oversight and manages challenges and risks related to the company’s operational financial activities. Reporting into this role will be the accounting and IT teams with a key link to the procurement team.

The DFM will play a crucial role in ensuring the financial health and stability of the company by developing and implementing effective financial strategies, optimizing processes, and providing insightful analysis to support decision-making. At the highest level, Nuru’s DFM will help maximize Nuru’s bottom line, achieve operational excellence and financial sustainability, and help drive Nuru toward its mission of delivering world class energy and connectivity to millions of people in the DRC in the coming years. The DFM will partner closely with the Group’s Director of Strategic Finance and the Director of Financial Planning and Analysis to ensure operational alignment with financing and capital raising activities.

Key Responsibilities

Internal Structure and Reporting:

Streamline the preparation of all financial reporting for the company’s Board of Directors and Senior Management team to ensure that accurate and timely data is provided for key decision-making.
This includes managing the internal and board reporting on critical KPIs and metrics (P&L) relevant to all of the Group’s efficient operations and operating units including project development, construction, operations and Group activities.
Develop and strengthen the finance and IT teams through a strategic recruitment process, people leadership and mentoring/training, including appropriate succession planning for all key roles.
Review and optimize the company’s financial obligations to ensure cost optimization and operational efficiency within the respective processes.
Continually review and enhance all finance and internal control processes.
Perform risk management across the Group by analyzing the Group’s liabilities and investments and ensuring that appropriate mitigations are in place.
Lead the development, and oversee the implementation, of an enterprise risk management program for the Group, ensuring that all relevant risk factors are appropriately owned and managed by relevant departments or units within the Group.
Regularly report to the Board and senior management on critical risk factors faced by the Group, using a risk matrix that includes new or emerging risks, updated regularly.
Ensure compliance with local and international accounting standards.
Implement and oversee the integration of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system to enhance efficiency in financial processes.

Enterprise Risk Management (ERM)

Establish a risk-sensitive culture throughout the organization including clearly defined roles, responsibilities, and accountabilities for managing risks. Coordinate efforts among senior management and the Board of Directors to ensure effective risk governance.
Lead group risk identification efforts including continual and systematic identification of risks that could affect the execution of Nuru’s core objectives. Utilize various methods such as workshops, surveys, interviews, and risk registers to capture risks comprehensively.
As risks are identified, evaluate the likelihood and impact of identified risks on Nuru’s core activities. Lead qualitative and quantitative analysis activities to categorize threat level of risks, including scenario analyses and sensitivity analyses.
Define, with CEO and BoD, the organization's risk appetite and tolerance. This will include managing the definition of risk appetite, reflecting the level of risk the organization is willing to accept in pursuit of its objectives with a keen awareness of unique risks posed by the distinctive market of the DRC. Establishing clear risk tolerance thresholds to guide decision-making and activities that involve risk-taking.
Develop and implement risk mitigation strategies to reduce the likelihood or impact of identified risks. These include the thorough application of internal controls, policies, procedures, and other risk treatment measures to manage risks effectively.
Ongoing monitoring of risks and their associated controls – as defined above – to ensure effectiveness and responsiveness to changes. Regular reporting to senior management and the Board on the status of key risks, mitigation efforts, and emerging threats.
Ensure risk management posture is clear in creating strategic objectives and decision-making processes. Champion the clear consideration of risks and opportunities in strategic planning, resource allocation, and performance measurement.
Manage stakeholders and clearly communicate and raise awareness around risk matters and foster a shared ownership of risk mitigation and reporting activities. This should include semi-formal training and education programs to build risk management capabilities at all levels of the organization.
Regular review and evaluation of the effectiveness of the ERM framework and processes at Nuru. Identification of lessons learned, best practices, and opportunities for improvement to enhance the organization's risk management maturity over time.

Entity Design and Optimization

Continuously assess and streamline, with support from the General Counsel, the legal and financial interplay among the Group’s entities to ensure that the company’s organizational structure is optimal.
Monitor and analyze intercompany transactions and flows between all group entities, ensuring accuracy and alignment with group objectives.
Optimize the Group’s local and international tax agreements and obligations.
Structure the company’s on- and offshore entities to derive tax and funding optimization and efficiencies as the company scales and develops.
Build towards a robust internal audit function for deployment per alignment with CEO and Board timelines.
Spearhead corporate governance activities for all Group subsidiary entities, ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements for each affiliate including the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Serve as a liaison between the company and regulatory bodies, ensuring timely filings and adherence to corporate governance best practices.

Treasury & Cash Management

Provide inputs to the Director of Strategic Finance with regard to the group’s long-term business and financial planning with a focus on treasury and cash management to maintain operations and facilitate the company’s ability to scale.
The DFM will be the group's primary owner of all matters related to tracking and managing liquidity, cash flow, and working capital to optimize financial resources. Direct and regular engagement with the CEO, board, and DSF to ensure any cash risks are identified with enough time for the company to craft a strategy to efficiently manage capital.

Information Technology for Finance

Ensure the resilience and scalability of existing systems – financial (entity reporting & audit, management of all asset and liability accounts, purchase & inventory control) and business (billing, customer contact, etc.).
Work closely with the Chief Operating Officer to ensure that critical systems that house financial and customer data are resilient against both internal and external cyber risks.
Lead the process of obtaining a clean audit certification in relation to finance-related IT systems and risks, and ensure that any concerns raised by internal or external auditors are addressed.

All Candidates Must Have

≥ 10 years of experience in accounting, audit, internal controls or related domains
CPA, SAICA, ACCA or similar accounting designation
Strong technical accounting skills pertaining to IFRS and group consolidation. The ability to draft technical memorandum on IFRS topics as and when needed.
Ability to lead the groups annual audit in ensuring adherence to reporting timelines.
Demonstrated experience using and enhancing cloud-based accounting and ERP systems (e.g. Xero, Navision, NetSuite, Acumatica)
Demonstrated experience using (and preferably evangelizing) cloud-based productivity tools (i.e. G-Suite)
Demonstrated willingness to manage high level structural elements coupled with world class skills in mentorship and team-building
Excellent analytical, strategic thinking, and problem-solving skills.
Effective communication and interpersonal skills.
Ability to work in a dynamic, fast-paced environment and manage multiple priorities.
Native written and spoken fluency in English
Comfort working and living in emerging market contexts
Demonstrated experience leading and managing multi-cultural teams and stakeholder groups
Some capacity with French – reading comprehension, even novice, is most critical.

Ideal Candidates Will Have

MBA or CFA certification.
Proven experience as a DFM or in a senior financial leadership role, preferably within a multinational organization.
Experience with the implementation and optimization of ERP systems.
Familiarity with the regulatory and business environment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Prior experience working in DRC
Background in Big 4 public accounting or equivalent experience
Professional written and spoken fluency in French
Experience living and working in Francophone Africa
Demonstrated experience working with electric utilities with an interest in and intuition for distributed energy and mini-grids

Location

Goma, North Kivu, DRC

Compensation

$75-85,000 USD/year gross with room for negotiation based on experience
Relocation to DRC: initial two months of accommodations covered by company, flight, visas, one roundtrip flight home per year, and security at residence
International health insurance for themselves and family members if also located in DRC
Lunches Monday – Friday covered at work
Data and minutes every month
24 days paid vacation in addition to 1-2 weeks around Christmas and New Years

Contact

Apply at https://nuru.jobs.personio.com and contact Juliana Kerrest, j.kerrest@nuru.cd, with questions.

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About us

Nuru (Swahili for “light”) is a company dedicated to enhancing connectivity in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with a goal of providing 10 million delighted Congolese people with world-class power by December 2030. Nuru deployed Congo’s first solar-based mini-grid in 2017 and has a 1.3MW solar hybrid site in Goma, the largest off-grid mini-grid in sub-Saharan Africa. We have another solar hybrid site in Beni and two in the Oriental province (Tadu & Faradje).

Nuru was first established under the name Kivu Green Energy in August 2015. We changed our name in September 2019 to reflect our expansion beyond the Kivu regions into other parts of DRC.

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