The Pharo Foundation (“the Foundation”) is a privately funded entrepreneurial organisation that runs philanthropic programmes as well as for-profit social enterprises. The Vision of the Foundation is an economically vibrant and inclusive Africa. The Mission is to achieve the Vision by investing in the human and physical capital of Africa, with an emphasis on job creation. Established in 2011 as a UK based non-profit, the Foundation has already carried out more than 30 projects, primarily in Ethiopia and Somaliland. The key themes for the philanthropic side of the Foundation are education, health, water and agriculture. Social enterprises cover all sectors where the Foundation can make an impact financially, create jobs and add value in a sustainable manner.

Headquartered in London, the Foundation also has an operational HQ in Nairobi and offices in, Addis Ababa, Assosa and Hargeisa.

As part of its development of social enterprises, the Foundation has acquired 484 Ha of land in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region (“the BGRS Region”) of Ethiopia. The first phase of the development of the commercial Farm on this land is development of 100 Ha, with a view to develop the remainder over the next 2-3 years.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Finance Manager (FM) of Pharo Farms (“the Farm”) in Assosa is a senior leadership role and based at the Farm approximately 60km from Assosa in the BGRS Region of Ethiopia.

Tasked with overseeing the financial health of the Farm, the FM will lead financial management and financial reporting aspects. The FM will support the General Manager in making sound business decisions in the short and long term. In addition, the FM will oversee the work of the finance team. The role holder will direct and manage financial management, budgeting and forecasting, cost management, coordination of audits and financial reporting aspects. S/he will be a seasoned and experienced private sector finance professional, having demonstrated expertise managing finance operations at a large commercial farm or in a similar environment. 

REPORTING TO: General Manager – Pharo Farms, Assosa

FUNCTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS:

• CEO of Social Enterprises in Nairobi, Kenya.
• The Pharo Foundation Country Representative in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
• Pharo Foundation Finance and Admin Manager in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• Procurement Manager in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
• Farm Agronomist, Production Supervisor and HR / Admin Officer at the Farm.

EXTERNAL RELATIONSHIPS:

• Local authorities in the BRGS Region.
• Community leaders around the Farm.
• Suppliers and service providers, including external audit firms.
• Government stakeholders service providers.

DIRECT REPORTS:

• Farm Accountant and Farm Cashier

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

General

• Organize, direct, coordinate and control all the financial functions of the Farm. Monitor the day-to-day financial operations within the business, such as cost management, budget, payroll, invoicing, and other transactions.
• Develop short, medium and long-term strategic and financial policies and procedures, financial operational plans, including capital investment and overall cash flow management.
• Follow up the overall financial performance of the company and present periodic reports to senior management.
• Provide overall leadership to the finance team and be a solid member of the senior leadership team of the business.
• Ensure the achievement of financial, impact and sustainability targets and objectives. Seek out methods for minimising financial risk to the company.
• Contract outside services for tax preparation, auditing, banking and other financial needs as necessary.

Specific

• Provide insightful financial information to General Manager and other senior team members to facilitate both short and long-term decision-making.
• Review financial data and prepare periodic monthly and annual reports, and any other financial reports and analysis that may be required from time to time.
• Stay up to date with technological advances and accounting software used for financial purposes.
• Establish and maintain financial policies and procedures for the business.
• Understand and adhere to financial regulations and legislation. Strong understanding of IFRS reporting regulations and guidelines required.
• Track the company's financial status and performance to identify areas for potential improvement.
• Research and analyse financial reports and market trends.
• Perform financial risk assessment of the operations of the Farm and mitigate the financial risks to the operations.
• Provide overall leadership to the finance team and ensure alignment of overall objectives.
• Meet planned financial targets and performance standards; report on overall performance at periodic intervals or as and when required.
• Ensure that the Farm operates on an approved budget, monitor its implementation, and update the leadership.
• Ensure that the closure and audit of the book of accounts is timely. Review internal and external audit reports, inspection reports and act appropriately.
• Ensure the payment of commitments and collection of money due to the Farm is timely.
• Ensure the protection of company assets; manage and approve insurance and other appropriate measures.
• Assess the current and future business development and its impact on the overall financial performance of the company.
• Any other duties as and when required by immediate supervisor.

Job Requirements

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business Administration, Economics or related field with more than 8 years’ experience of which at least 4 years at senior managerial.
• Master’s degree strongly preferred.
• Fully qualified Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or equivalent is required.
• Knowledge of and experience in the agribusiness industry is strongly preferred.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to manage a multiplicity of stakeholders.
• Very good computer skills with ability to work using MS Office suite and Financial Management systems. Experience with MS Dynamics strongly preferred.
• Excellent spoken and written English.
• A self-starter, capable of working independently and with the ability to produce high quality results under pressure.
• Commitment to the capacity building of staff based on mutual respect and a collaborative approach.
• Ability and willingness to travel as required within Ethiopia.

BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES

• Great attention to detail and a flexible approach to work. High professional and ethical standards.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, planning, coordinating and project management skills. Fluency in English and Amharic are required.
• Positive outlook and outgoing personality with solid interpersonal and diplomatic skills.
• Structured and process oriented. Excellent time-manager who can balance multiple priorities.
• Motivated to learn and perform and not afraid to ask questions.
• Willing to challenge status quo and add value by introducing positive change.
• Good communicator and comfortable to work in a team environment.

How to Apply

The application deadline is 6^th November 2020.

Review of complete applications will be on a rolling basis. In the event that we identify an outstanding early in the search process, we reserve the right to appoint before the deadline. For this reason, we encourage interested candidates to apply at the earliest possible time. Due to the high volume of applications, we regret that we will only be able to contact short-listed candidates.

Please send the information listed below, as a single PDF file, to the following email address:

addisoffice@pharofoundation.org. Please indicate ‘’FARM Finance Manager’’ in the email subject line.

•  A detailed CV and Covering Letter,
• A 1,000-word essay on both of these:
• What experience have you gained that makes you think that you are the most qualified candidate for the role?
• What major Finance related challenges do you envisage on a typical Farm and how will you resolve these using your experience?
• A one-page list of five references with current addresses, phone numbers, and email contacts.