Head of Finance

Uzenzele Holdings Proprietary Limited; South Africa; Sur place; ZAR 1 200 000 - 1 800 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

Uzenzele Holdings Proprietary Limited is seeking a commercially sharp, systems-oriented Head of Finance (Contract) to build and operationalise the company’s finance infrastructure during a critical scale phase.

This role goes beyond traditional bookkeeping, focusing on translating financial data into actionable insights, designing reporting systems, and enabling leadership to make faster, smarter decisions.

Qualifications

• Finance qualification preferred.
• 7+ years' experience in operational finance, FP&A, management reporting, or finance transformation.
• Strong experience building reporting and forecasting systems.
• Advanced Excel / Google Sheets capability.
• Experience with financial dashboards and BI tools.
• Strong commercial and business analysis skills.
• Experience operationalising finance processes in scaling businesses.
• Ability to work independently with minimal oversight.
• System thinking – designs processes and frameworks, not just reports.
• Commercial acumen – understands advisory revenue models and capital-raising deal structures.
• AI-forward orientation – actively seeks opportunities to automate routine financial work.
• Coaching and uplift – builds capability, multiplies team capacity.
• Structured communication – delivers MI that is clear, concise, and action‑oriented.
• Operates without ego – contractor in defined scope.
• Reliability under ambiguity – works through ambiguity.

Responsabilités

• Design and implement an MI system giving leadership real-time visibility into revenue, margin, profitability, and cash.
• Build executive dashboards and monthly packs to improve decision-making.
• Develop rolling cash flow forecasting to support liquidity.
• Translate finance activities into repeatable operating processes.
• Strengthen governance and accountability structures.
• Upskill the internal finance team and drive automation opportunities.
• Collaborate with the CFO and Integrator to set financial rhythms.

Connaissances

Operational finance

FP&A

Finance transformation

Excel/Sheets

BI dashboards

Business analysis

AI automation

Independent work

System thinking

Formation

Finance qualification

Outils

Excel/Google Sheets

BI tools (Power BI/Tableau)

Description du poste

Job Description

Uzenzele Holdings (UH) is looking for a commercially sharp, systems-oriented Head of Finance (Contract) to build and operationalise the company's finance infrastructure during a critical scale phase.

This is not a traditional finance management role. We are not looking for someone to simply maintain books, produce compliance packs, or manage transactional accounting. We are looking for someone who can design and operationalise the financial management infrastructure that enables executive decision‑making, accountability, forecasting accuracy, and scalable growth.

The successful candidate will own the operational finance layer – translating financial data into actionable business intelligence, building reporting systems, improving financial visibility, strengthening governance, and enabling leadership to make faster, smarter decisions.

You will work closely with the CFO and Integrator to create the financial operating rhythm of the business.

Role Overview

The Head of Finance (Contract) will be responsible for building UH's operational finance capability across:

• Financial management information (MI) systems
• Financial report design
• Cash flow forecasting
• Business performance analysis
• Compensation economics
• Financial process operationalisation
• Governance frameworks
• AI-enabled finance efficiency improvements
• Team capability uplift

Your success will be measured by your ability to create financial clarity, operational discipline, and scalable financial infrastructure that reduces dependency on reactive finance management.

Core Outcomes

Financial MI System

Design and implement a management information (MI) system that gives leadership real‑time visibility into:

• Revenue performance
• Gross margin
• Departmental profitability
• Cash position
• Forecast vs actual performance
• Workforce cost structures
• Operational KPIs

Financial Report Design

Build executive‑ready reporting frameworks that improve decision‑making quality and accountability across the business.

This includes:

• Weekly dashboards
• Monthly management packs
• Business unit reporting
• Cash reporting
• Variance analysis
• Forecast reporting
• Executive summaries

Cash Flow Forecasting

Develop reliable rolling cash flow forecasting systems that improve liquidity management and forward planning.

You will:

• Build forecasting models
• Improve forecasting discipline
• Identify cash flow risks early
• Improve cash visibility across operations

Process Operationalisation

Translate finance activities into repeatable operational systems.

This includes:

• Workflow design
• Reporting cadence implementation
• Financial controls
• SOP creation
• Accountability structures
• Finance process automation opportunities

Team Uplift

Strengthen the capability of the internal finance function by introducing:

• Better reporting discipline
• Stronger analytical thinking
• Clearer accountability
• Improved financial operating standards

AI‑Enabled Efficiency

Identify and implement practical AI and automation opportunities within the finance function to improve:

• Reporting speed
• Data analysis
• Forecasting workflows
• Operational efficiency
• Decision support

Financial Governance Frameworks

Build scalable governance structures that improve:

• Financial accountability
• Reporting integrity
• Decision‑making discipline
• Operational transparency
• Risk management

What Success Looks Like

By the end of the contract period:

• Leadership has reliable, decision‑ready financial visibility
• The Integrator can manage P&L accountability using live operational data
• The CFO is freed from operational finance dependency
• Reporting cycles are structured and repeatable
• Cash forecasting is proactive rather than reactive
• Financial governance standards are operationalised
• The finance function is more scalable, analytical, and systems‑driven

Requirements

• Finance qualification preferred
• 7+ years' experience in operational finance, FP&A, management reporting, or finance transformation
• Strong experience building reporting and forecasting systems
• Advanced Excel / Google Sheets capability
• Experience with financial dashboards and BI tools
• Strong commercial and business analysis skills
• Experience operationalising finance processes in scaling businesses
• Ability to work independently with minimal oversight
• System thinking – designs processes and frameworks, not just reports. Sees the 80% layer as infrastructure, not admin.
• Commercial acumen – understands advisory revenue models, milestone‑based fees, and capital‑raising deal structures. Not a pure compliance accountant.
• AI‑forward orientation – actively seeks opportunities to automate routine financial work using generative AI tools. This is a design requirement, not a nice‑to‑have.
• Coaching and uplift – builds capability, multiplies team capacity.
• Structured communication – delivers MI that is clear, concise, and action‑oriented.
• Operates without ego – comfortable as a contractor in a defined scope. Does not seek strategic authority or CFO‑level decision rights.
• Reliability under ambiguity – UH's systems are still maturing. This person works through ambiguity rather than waiting for perfect clarity (per UH Values Operationalisation Memo).

Advantageous Experience

• Experience in SME or high‑growth environments
• Experience working directly with founders, CEOs, or integrators
• Exposure to AI tools and finance automation
• Systems implementation experience
• Strong understanding of compensation economics and workforce planning