Chief Financial and Business Support Officer

Chief Financial and Business Support Officer ROLE OBJECTIVE The Chief Financial and Business Support Officer (CFBSO) is a senior leadership position reporting directly to the CEO, responsible for ensuring financial sustainability, operational excellence, and strategic alignment across key support functions. These include financial planning and operations, procurement, IT, legal, and talent management. The CFBSO is integral to driving organizational efficiency, compliance, and service excellence across all vertical units, such as data center, cloud, IoT, cybersecurity, and system integration services. This role combines strategic foresight with operational leadership to enable the organization s growth ambitions while fostering a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration, and accountability. This is a pivotal role for a visionary leader capable of blending strategic planning with operational excellence to drive sustainable growth and organizational efficiency. RESPONSIBILITIES Strategic Responsibilities Financial Planning and Governance Develop and oversee comprehensive business plans and budgets in collaboration with the strategy team. Align investments in platforms, talent, and capabilities with the organization s growth and profitability goals. Provide strategic insights into financial performance to support executive decision-making and operational improvements. Establish and maintain governance frameworks for financial decisions, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and hurdle rates. Business Support Strategy Design and implement integrated support strategies across finance, procurement, IT, legal, and HR functions. Drive long-term planning for resource allocation, talent development, and vendor partnerships to support organizational agility and innovation. Identify and mitigate risks related to compliance, vendor relationships, and financial operations. Organizational Development and Leadership Foster a high-performance culture across all support functions by driving collaboration, capability-building, and accountability. Act as a trusted advisor to the executive leadership team on matters related to financial strategy, risk management, and operational efficiency. Operational Responsibilities Finance Operations and Reporting Oversee all financial operations, including revenue accounting, billing, commission calculations, and compliance with accounting standards and audits. Manage credit risk, tax compliance (including VAT), shareholder reporting, and regulatory accounting matters. Ensure effective cash flow management, debt portfolio oversight, and counterparty risk mitigation strategies. Optimize governance of inventory, fixed assets, vendor payments, and collections to ensure financial discipline. Procurement and Vendor Management Lead RFI/RFP/RFQ processes and vendor negotiations in collaboration with product and bid teams. Manage vendor performance, ensure demand alignment, and oversee category-level spending to achieve cost efficiencies. Oversee logistics, warehousing, and stock management to ensure timely delivery and operational effectiveness. Legal and Contract Management Provide legal guidance to develop and execute contracts that are commercially advantageous and operationally feasible. Collaborate with bid management, partner management, and technology teams on legal matters to support project execution. Liaise with the parent company s legal team to align shared legal responsibilities and strategies. Talent Management and HR Operations Oversee recruitment processes to ensure timely hiring aligned with organizational needs. Lead initiatives for capability-building in core functions such as sales, technology, and operations. Develop and implement career paths, retention strategies, and upskilling programs to foster employee engagement and development. Oversee HR performance frameworks, including incentive schemes, in collaboration with the finance team. Business Support and Performance Optimization Streamline and optimize business support processes to enhance service delivery and operational efficiency. Oversee outsourcing and contractor management, ensuring alignment with organizational demand and performance standards. Manage shared service center operations to support the company s subsidiaries effectively. Pricing and Deal Support Maintain and update pricing calculators and business case templates in collaboration with bid teams. Establish pre-approved pricing frameworks for service components, ensuring alignment with profitability targets. Support strategic pricing for custom and large-scale projects, ensuring competitiveness and profitability. ROLE SPECIFICATIONS: Qualification Bachelor s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration or a related field Master s degree (e.g., MBA, MSc Finance) preferred Advanced professional qualifications or equivalent work experience will be considered Certification Professional accounting or finance certification (e.g., CPA, ACCA, CMA or CFA) required or strongly preferred IFRS certification (e.g., ACCA DipIFR) or equivalent regulatory accounting qualification preferred Procurement or supply chain certification (e.g., CIPS or CPSM) desirable HR or organizational development certification (e.g., CIPD, SHRM-SCP or SPHR) desirable PMP, PRINCE2 or equivalent project or process improvement certification (e.g., Lean Six Sigma) desirable Executive leadership or MBA-level programme completion considered an advantage Experience 12+ years of leadership experience in financial management and business support functions, with a proven ability to optimize processes and lead cross-functional teams. Strong expertise in financial planning, cash flow management, tax compliance, and regulatory accounting. Demonstrated experience in managing procurement processes, vendor negotiations, and legal contract development. Proven track record in talent management, organizational development, and performance frameworks including career pathing & capability development. Skills ROLE SPECIFICATIONS: Qualification Bachelor s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration or a related field Master s degree (e.g., MBA, MSc Finance) preferred Advanced professional qualifications or equivalent work experience will be considered Certification Professional accounting or finance certification (e.g., CPA, ACCA, CMA or CFA) required or strongly preferred IFRS certification (e.g., ACCA DipIFR) or equivalent regulatory accounting qualification preferred Procurement or supply chain certification (e.g., CIPS or CPSM) desirable HR or organizational development certification (e.g., CIPD, SHRM-SCP or SPHR) desirable PMP, PRINCE2 or equivalent project or process improvement certification (e.g., Lean Six Sigma) desirable Executive leadership or MBA-level programme completion considered an advantage