Finance Manager (Private Credit)

Climate Fund Managers; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 800 000 - 1 200 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in climate finance is seeking a Finance Manager to oversee accounting and financial reporting for their private credit business. The ideal candidate will have strong accounting skills and experience in fund management, ensuring accurate reporting and compliance. This role involves collaboration with cross-functional teams and managing relationships with external partners.

Qualifications

• 5+ years post articles experience and 3+ years in a similar role.
• Previous fund management experience required; private debt fund experience beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Manage accounting and financial reporting functions for private credit business.
• Oversee fund activities, fee calculations, and financial reporting accuracy.
• Ensure compliance with legal agreements and regulatory requirements.

Skills

Problem Solving

Analytical Skills

Communication

Education

CA(SA) qualification

Tools

MS Office

Job description

Are you ready for your next play? We are bold, respectful, and we deliver, with Impact. Our long-term vision is to raise, deploy and manage funds for climate change mitigation and adaptation that will play a transformative role in our target sectors.

Tomorrow's Investing, Today.

Climate Fund Managers (CFM)is a climate-focused blended finance investment manager operating across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. CFM raises and deploys blended climate finance funds, working in partnership to deliver climate-resilient solutions at scale and pace. With over USD 2 billion in assets under management and targeting an additional USD 6 billion, CFM’s private equity and private credit facilities address key areas of climate change mitigation and adaptation, including renewable energy, green hydrogen, energy transmission, water and sanitation, and biodiversity and oceans infrastructure. CFM’s funds are supported by public and private sector organisations, with public capital deployed strategically to balance risk and mobilise private sector capital, enabling investment across the project lifecycle - from development to construction and operation.

Established in 2015, CFM is a joint venture between Dutch development bank FMO and Sanlam InfraWorks of the Sanlam Group of South Africa, with offices in The Hague, Cape Town, Singapore, and Bogotá.

Job Purpose

CFM is seeking to appoint a Finance Manager to join our team and manage the accounting and financial reporting functions for our private credit business.

This role will include managing the relationship with the outsourced fund administrator; end to end co-ordination of fund activities (closings, capital calls, investments and distributions), fee calculations, creditors management and bank/payments processes, calculation of net asset values, ensuring the accuracy and integrity of financial reporting (including investor specific reports, financial statements and regulatory reporting) and forecasting.

The ideal candidate will have strong technical accounting skills, a deep understanding of private debt or credit fund structures, and the ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment. This individual will work closely with cross-functional teams, including Investments and Investor Relations to deliver high-quality and timely outputs.

The primary purpose of this position is the overall financial responsibility of the private debt business’ financial function. This includes but is not limited to:

Fund Accounting and Administration Operations:

• Management and oversight of the outsourced fund administrators and/or internal accounting team to ensure delivery in terms of the services agreement thereby ensuring accurate and timely reporting to management, investors and regulatory bodies.
• Oversight of all aspects of financial reporting, control, legal and tax compliance, and financial performance of the funds under management.
• Ensures accurate and consistent reporting of fund accounts, supporting key decision-making processes.
• Review of financial statements in multiple jurisdictions as well as monthly / quarterly management accounts.
• Preparation and/or review of various deliverables required for quarterly/annual/ad hoc reporting to investors, the depositary and responding to queries.
• Manage the audit process of the various entities within the deadlines.
• Ensure compliance from a finance perspective with the various legal agreements which include the Fund Agreements, Investor side letters etc. Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, internal policies, and best practices for fund accounting and reporting.
• Cash management which aligns with issuing of drawdown notices to investors, disbursements to investments, budgeting, accounts payable, tax etc.
• Manage tax and regulatory compliance from a fund administration perspective.
• Audit Support: collaborate with auditors, provide support and answer queries.
• Review, document and identify improvements in processes within fund administration.
• Provide assistance to portfolio company investments as required.
• Assist with ad hoc projects and tasks.

Communication and Stakeholder Engagement:

• Reporting: prepare/review financial reports, forecasts for senior management, investment committees, and external stakeholders.
• Collaboration: act as a point of contact for finance-related inquiries from investors, auditors, and regulatory bodies.
• Investor Relations: collaborate with the investor relations team to support fundraising efforts with fund performance insights.
• Professional providers: Work closely with and manage various professional service providers which include outsourced administrators, auditors, depositary and other ad-hoc professional providers such as tax and legal.

Compliance Standards and Continuous Improvement:

• Ensures that all financial reporting adhere to relevant financial and regulatory standards.
• Accounting standards: ensures application of IFRS, GAAP, or other accounting frameworks.
• Regulatory compliance: ensures compliance with local and international financial regulations.
• Governance: maintains documentation and processes to meet audit and regulatory scrutiny.
• Continuous improvement of financial processes and automation to enhance efficiency and accuracy.

Technical Skills:

• Advanced knowledge of accounting principles and financial reporting standard (IFRS, GAAP etc.)
• Excellent problem-solving, critical-thinking, strong attention to detail, ability to manage multiple deadlines and analytical skills.
• Strong communication abilities (verbal and written), with the capacity to articulate complex concepts to non-technical audiences.
• Results-orientated individual who works with a strong sense of urgency and thrives in a fast-paced setting.
• Strong knowledge of tax, regulatory and compliance frameworks.

Qualifications, Experience

• CA(SA) qualification
• 5+ years post articles experience and 3+ years in a similar role
• Previous fund management experience required; private debt fund experience beneficial
• Proficient in MS Office suite (Word, Advanced Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook)
  
• Multiple currency experience
• People management experience

Behavioral Competencies / Role & Culture Fit

• Devotion to Quality
• Results Oriented
• Structuring
• Adaptability
• Client focused
• Flexibility
• Stress resistance
• Situational Awareness
• Analyzing and forming Opinion