CFO

The organisation

The mission of the company (group) is to provide affordable, hi-quality healthcare to patients in Africa. A new medical centre is the landmark project of the group, building an integrated health campus in Eastern Africa. The company (group) is based in the Netherlands (Rotterdam) and is an initiative of an investment firm focused on building sustainable (platform) companies in Africa.

The Medical Campus (MC) is under construction (as we speak). When complete, it will provide world-class, high-quality, affordable healthcare across multiple hospitals and facilities. The MC will include a medical school and facilities for research and innovation. It will be set in a lush, green setting, built to the highest sustainability standards, and with a beautiful urban park open to the public. The budget for the first phase of MC is USD 120 million and the total campus could exceed USD 300 million. Development of the campus has begun, and the first hospital is already under construction and expecting to open to patients in 2025.

The MC aims to be the starting point of a revolution in African healthcare, leading with an ambitious, large-scale, integrated 350-bed multispecialty hospital. The MC development will ultimately comprise multiple phases and will include a range of advanced specialties, progressive technologies, and comprehensive services – all delivered with the highest standard of patient-centred care. Many of the planned specialties are ground-breaking for this Eastern Africa country and MC will be amongst the first to offer in Africa.

About the investment firm
The company is owned by an investment firm that builds companies in Africa. The investment firm launches and funds new businesses with large scale potential by leading their development from origination to exit. The investment firm unique approach mitigates risk and delivers top tier returns while creating lasting, sustainable value for the continent. The investment portfolio companies have committed investments of over $500 million so far and are active in countries across Africa. The investment firm is an UNPRI signatory, with offices in Africa, the United States, and Europe.

The position

The CFO and CEO will be part of the leadership team and will report to the board and the Executive Director (currently holds the CEO position). The CFO will serve as a trusted and dependable business advisor to the Executive Director, with broad responsibilities and management role.

The CFO will have a track record of successful partnering with an Executive Director and effectively interacting with the Board, investors and other internal and external stakeholders. The CFO is an executive with well-honed management skills, is structured, is process oriented, is a true leader and team player. The CFO should have experience managing different investors and lending relationships, including overseeing fundraising efforts – this could come in a prior role at an investor-owned company, or a background in investing.
The successful candidate will be a strong all-round CFO, with solid hands-on Strategic Finance, FP&A, Accounting, Corporate Financing, Treasury and International Tax experience. They will provide timely and meaningful financial insights and analysis to drive sound business decisions. They will have good experience of project financial management, working with other colleagues to ensure cost-effective delivery of corporate ventures/initiatives/projects. They ensure timely, accurate and compliant delivery of accounting transactions and financial results. The CFO also plays a key role in the implementation of the Company’s ERP system and integration of all other project management, asset management, and CRM systems, with an emphasis on the implementation of a uniform, single ecosystem, management information system in a cost effective, industry standard fashion.

The CFO will play a critical role in steering the future course of the business, preparing to launch commercial healthcare operations, and contributing to the development and execution of the company’s strategy.

The Company (group) has decided to develop its group-level finance and management functions in The Netherlands. The CFO will be based in The Netherlands, and will be tasked with developing a high-performance finance and administration team and improve, where necessary re-design, processes and work flows, to support the growth of the company. This will include financial reporting and management of the group-level parent company, based in the United States (no employees or significant activity). The CFO will also serve as the general manager of the office in Rotterdam, responsible for legal, financial, governance, and HR framework.

The CFO will also be responsible for overseeing development of the finance function at the local MC in Eastern Africa. He/she will be a board member of this MC. In addition, the CFO will play an important part in managing the Company’s overall compliance and governance obligations.

The CFO has experience in leading and growing a high-performance finance function, with proven track record in attracting, developing, and retaining ‘A+’ players to meet the demands of a growing business. The candidate has shown to be able to lead key company initiatives requiring hands-on involvement. The CFO will demonstrate strong leadership and communication skills, is approachable, acts with integrity, is comfortable working across cultures and time-zones and has Emerging Markets experience (ideally in Africa). The candidate has shown an ability to work in a geographically spread team and coordinate information and collaboration in this setting.
Because of the Company’s core business, the CFO needs to have experience with complex, cutting edge and international construction projects and/or infrastructure, and ideally also has experience within the heathcare sector (no must).

Key Relationships

• Reports directly to the Executive Director and the Board of Directors;
• Interacts frequently with members of the MC leadership team (based in Eastern Africa);
• Provides direct leadership to the local finance team (currently 2 fte, in Eastern Africa);
• First contact for investors, lenders and other stakeholders.

Tasks & responsibilities

Major Responsibilities

• As a business partner to the CEO (Executive Director) and the (local) senior leadership team, the CFO will assess organizational performance against both the prior year results, the annual budget, and the company’s long-term strategy;
• Is a prominent voice in investor relations and communications to the Board;
• Develops presentations and effectively represents the company to analysts and investors;
• Works with the senior management to drive the successful growth of the organization, including capital raising plans and strategic growth opportunities;
• Collaborates with board and senior leadership team in raising additional capital and debt at appropriate terms to enable the company to meet sales, growth, and market share objectives;
• Develops tools, models and systems to provide critical financial and operational information to the CEO and the Board and makes actionable recommendations on both strategy and operations;
• Oversees long-term budgetary planning and cost management in alignment with the company’s strategic plans and ongoing projects;
• Advises the CEO on business development and strategic planning;
• Leads development of Board and Shareholder packages (monthly updates, quarterly and annual Shareholder reports);
• Ensures maintenance of appropriate internal controls and financial procedures for the company;
• Ensures timeliness, accuracy, and usefulness of financial and management reporting to the company’s CEO and leadership team;Ensures IFRS and Local GAAP, legal, regulatory and statutory compliance regarding all financial functions;
• Ensures appropriate financial and tax management across the subsidiary companies;
• Manages all short and long-term strategic financial objectives of the company, supporting the executive team with vital financial information and operational analytics, and driving a culture of accountability in managing the business;
• Overseas (initially) HR and Legal;
• This is a unique opportunity and a key position within this fast growing global company, central to the strategy, future growth and success of the business. The role will require an individual that has a strong sense of purpose, intellectual curiosity, strong leadership experience (presence) and an ability to manage a diverse slate of stakeholders.

Candidate profile

First and foremost, the CFO is a strong leader, capable of influencing the organization enterprise-wide. Successful candidates are both resilient and agile, swiftly learning their way in an entrepreneurial and fast-paced, quickly changing environment. They must bring excellent business and leadership capabilities, with tested and actionable insights in how to best grow a business, leverage opportunities, and control cost. In terms of the experience and competencies required for the position, we would highlight the following:

• A Master degree (or equivalent) in finance, accounting or business administration;
• Certified public accountant designation (CPA) or registered accountant (RA) is strongly preferred;
• At least 10 years in progressively responsible financial leadership roles;
• CFO experience within a medium sized, fast growing private equity owned company with international footprint;
• Experience with building of a (Finance team) organization preferred;
• Experience in general management roles preferred;
• Experience in investment setting preferred;
• Experience with overseeing practical and pragmatic ERP implementation and integration, preferably Dynamics (ERP, CRM, Microsoft Projects, BI);
• Hands-on mindset and working experience;
• Ability to instill & inspire cost awareness within the company;
• Ability to design, implement and communicate processes and controls in a way that is constructive and supportive to the business;
• Working experience within a global company (consolidation of entities, international tax, transfer pricing policies);
• Must have excellent knowledge of various accounting principles;
• Complex construction (projects) or similar industry experience (asset heavy / project finance) is required;
• Experience with complex project finance and debt arrangements with syndicates of lenders;
• Possesses the skills to communicate the company’s story to investors/lenders and instill confidence;
• Experience with mergers & acquisitions is a preference;
• Ability to adapt to significant change along with rapid growth.

The offer

Competitive salary package including excellent bonus plan and a long-term incentive plan (equity plan).

Interested?

You can apply for this position by using the link below.