About ZOLA Electric

ZOLA Electric, through its consumer brand Zola, combines Silicon Valley technology with local expertise to offer African homes and businesses a long-term solar solution to an unreliable grid. Adaptable to both energy needs and income, Zola Electric’s solution can be bought over time through a leasing structure. The first few watts starts a chain reaction that enables people to achieve commonly held aspirations: security, education, access to information, and a longer and more efficient day.

Today, ZOLA Electric powers more than 100,000 homes and businesses across Tanzania, Rwanda and Côte d’Ivoire. Zola Electric’s investors include: SolarCity, Vulcan Capital, DBL Partners, The Packard Foundation, Helios Investment Partners, and responsibility. Zola Electric is the recipient of the 2016 UN Momentum for Change Award, Zayed Future Energy Prize, and the 2015 Global Cleantech 100. For more information, visit www.offgrid-electric.com.

Uncover hidden opportunities to make a global impact

Off Grid Electric is a growth-stage startup that’s on track to light a million homes in Africa over the next couple of years with clean, affordable solar energy. At the heart of our business is innovative solutions that delight our customers. We are looking for a Finance Manager to support our growth strategy in East Africa. 

This may be your dream job if you’re someone who dreams of combining your knowledge and skills enabling Off Grid Electric to change the renewable energy landscape. You’ll also need to be passionate about bringing solar energy to off-grid and other underserved markets (billions of people around the world, with the unique social, technical, and business challenges that come along with it. You are inspired by the opportunity to unleash whole continents of human potential, and motivated to help build a truly epic business.

Role

Off-Grid Electric is seeking a Finance Manager East Africa who will work in our office in Arusha, Tanzania. The Finance Manager will be responsible for managing the operational financial functions of our countries in East Africa, minimize financial risks and manage the sustainability of operations in the country. This includes driving strategic collaboration, financial management, inventory and fixed assets management and risk management. The role reports directly into the Managing Director, responsibilities related are:

• Participate in strategic meetings to contribute to the development of the annual Financial Strategy and Business Plan in collaboration with Country and Group Finance staff;
• Source and generate new ideas to input into the Strategy and provide for strategic adjustments;
• Develop implementation plan of Financial Strategy in collaboration with the team and monitor implementation therein;
• Budget Management and Cash Flow Management and develop annual, quarterly and monthly cash flow projections;
• Manage bank payment approval processes, ensuring segregation of duties in this process; 
• Manage proper budget control and compliance by the business as per the approved budget; 
• Monitor country expenditure and review monthly, providing actionable improvement plans for country business units; 
• Implement and oversee financial remedial plans and measures as required; 
• Monitor the execution of proper reporting on budget and cash flow matters; 
• Ownership of Country Financial Statements and accountable for all postings to the country financial ledgers;
• Sign-off on monthly reconciliations and review and approve monthly and quarterly expenditure reports; 
• Review and approve annual financial statements; 
• Ensure that an effective document management system is in place for country operations (in collaboration with Legal Counsel); 
• Ensure that a system exists to ensure that all business operating permits are in place; 
• Verify physical stock counts periodically to ensure that line organization is properly reconciling stock; 
• Ensure that any stock losses are promptly written off and monitor the maintenance of the asset register; 
• Coordinate a physical account to test what has been recorded in the asset register to confirm the existence of the assets, ensuring that any missing assets are promptly written off;
• Review the insurance policy to ensure it is up to date and that assets are appropriately secured
• Devise and implement periodic financial and operational risk assessments in collaboration with MD and Heads of Departments;
• Carry out internal audits as necessary to assure MD and OGE Executive / Board that financial risks are properly managed;
• Communicate regularly with the Country MDs to provide the necessary updates on departmental operations; 
• Liaise with the central accounting team on accounting and financial reporting matters; 
• Provide financial advice and counsel to the Country MDs and Heads of Departments; 
• Maintain sound working relationships with financial institutions and the relevant authorities, especially Revenue Authority; 
• Support the collaboration across functions to understand and resolve problems on the ground.
• Develop and maintain a Procurement Policy for use in-country
• Develop the monthly Procurement Plan in consultation with the Procurement Manager for submission and approval by the Country MD
• Monitor the implementation of the Procurement Plan ensuring that deviations are identified and interventions determined in consultation with the relevant Department Heads 
• Contribute to business improvement via strategic procurement.
• Monitor the provision of an efficient and safe fleet management service to the business, inclusive but not limited to:
• Vehicle allocations
• Vehicle maintenance
• Incident management
• Compliance to legislation (license renewals, etc.)
• Fleet disposals and replacements
• Operating costs (i.e. fuel consumptions, etc.)
• Lead negotiations of contract terms and conditions with service providers and monitor the performance of service providers
• Monitor property lease process from end-to-endManage and coordinate the team of call center credit and compliance representatives in the provision of day-to-day Call Centre services, encompassing the credit and compliance:

• Monitor the timeous and efficient provision of KYC to customers and follow up to ensure customers are compliant.
• Track the timeous resolution of escalated enquiries 
• Identify and coordinate the provision of training and coaching interventions to maximize compliance.
• Monitor KPI for credit and KYC and make recommendations on interventions to improve ratings
• Attend to matters of a technical nature and liaise with the IT Department to resolve system performance
• Identify and assess risks to the business to formulate risk mitigating strategies for credit and compliance management
• Keep abreast of best practice for Call Centre Management, credit and compliance.

Your profile

• Msc/Bsc degree in Finance, including a relevant post graduate qualification e.g. CA, CPA 
• 8 years’ financial management experience;
• Knowledge of financial management principles and systems;
• Understanding of the local business environment and knowledge of the relevant financial legislation pertaining to the country;
• Strategic planning, analytical and strong negotiating skills;
• People management and leadership skills;
• Risk management and negotiating skills;
• Attention to detail and deadline driven.

Perks

• The opportunity to directly improve millions of lives. By bringing sustainable electricity to a part of the world where 90% of people have no grid access - Few other activities can provide as fundamental an impact on human lives as this.
• Some of the smartest, most committed, and hardest working international colleagues in a distributed environment.