Head of Finance

Communicate Recruitment; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 1 200 000 - 1 800 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading finance recruitment agency is seeking a Finance Leader in Cape Town to oversee financial planning, manage statutory audits, and drive operational efficiency. The candidate must have a minimum of 10 years in the field, with at least 5 in a leadership role, preferably within fintech or financial services. This role demands strong analytical skills and a deep understanding of African regulatory environments. Competitive compensation and growth opportunities await candidates who are ready to lead in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of experience with a minimum of 5 years in a leadership role.
• Experience in Fintech, startup, financial services, or banking industry.
• Understanding of IFRS and digital asset accounting.

Responsibilities

• Take full ownership of financial planning and drive margin analysis.
• Develop management dashboards and financial reporting.
• Manage statutory audits and collaborate with various stakeholders.

Skills

Financial Planning

Leadership

Analytical Skills

Financial Reporting

Treasury Management

Collaboration

Education

CA(SA)

Job description

Responsibilities

• Take full ownership of financial planning across revenue streams, cost bases, liquidity needs, funding requirements, and unit-level profitability within digital asset and settlement flows
• Drive margin analysis and long-term financial strategy to support sustainable growth
• Develop management dashboards and compliant financial reporting that translate complex data into clear commercial insights
• Evaluate and model new initiatives, pricing approaches, and revenue optimisation opportunities
• Lead the full finance lifecycle, including reconciliations, balance sheet oversight, revenue integrity, and period-end close processes
• Deliver accurate, timely financial statements in line with international accounting standards
• Coordinate group-level reporting, supporting consolidation, performance reviews, forecasts, and governance requirements
• Continuously enhance financial policies, controls, and core finance processes to support scale and risk management
• Manage statutory audits across all entities, acting as the key liaison with auditors, regulators, and group finance stakeholders
• Design and manage working capital and liquidity strategies to support high-volume, multi-currency settlement activity
• Oversee day-to-day treasury activity, including cash positioning, digital asset balances, reconciliations, and fund safeguarding
• Maintain and strengthen banking, payment partner, and exchange relationships across multiple African jurisdictions
• Implement robust foreign exchange, conversion economics, hedging (where relevant), and counterparty risk frameworks
• Ensure adherence to local tax requirements across operating countries, while supporting broader group tax structuring and planning
• Collaborate closely with legal, compliance, and risk teams to meet evolving regulatory and financial compliance obligations
• Provide oversight of all financial operations, including settlements, payouts, reconciliations, and exception resolution
• Drive operational efficiency through automation, improved tooling, and smarter financial workflows
• Partner with technology teams to embed finance into product design, internal systems, automated reporting, and ledger infrastructure
• Act as a trusted finance partner to product, engineering, operations, legal, and commercial teams on expansion initiatives and new market entry
• Support financial evaluation of new corridors, partnerships, and operating models
• Deliver forward‑looking analysis, scenario modelling, and risk assessments to senior leadership and group stakeholders
• Build, lead, and scale a high‑performing finance function spanning accounting, treasury, and financial operations
• Foster a culture of ownership, precision, and continuous improvement within a fast‑moving, multi‑country environment
• Coach and develop team members to operate confidently in a complex and evolving financial landscape

Skills & Experience

• Minimum 10 years of experience with a minimum of 5 years in a Leadership role
• Experience in Fintech, startup, Financial Services or Banking industry
• Deep understanding within African regulatory environments, FX Markets, multi‑entity financial operations
• Understanding of IFRS, Digital Asset Accounting
• Strong Analytical and Forecasting skills
• Proven track record managing the full function from audits, financial reporting, treasury, tax, compliance
• Experience building financial Models, dashboards, and controls
• Collaborate across teams in legal, compliance and IT

Qualification

CA(SA)