Finance Director

Company Description

Role Description

Financial Operations & Control

• Lead end-to-end financial operations, including receivables, payables, banking, and cash management, ensuring optimal working capital utilization.
• Ensure timely and accurate financial close in compliance with corporate reporting standards.
• Maintain a strong internal control environment, ensuring adherence to statutory, tax, and regulatory requirements.
• Oversee treasury activities, including liquidity planning and cash flow optimization.
• Manage financial risks, including foreign exchange exposure, counterparty risk, and governance frameworks.

Performance Management & Reporting

• Lead the preparation of monthly and quarterly financial reports, including variance analysis against budget and forecast.
• Provide actionable insights on business performance, identifying key drivers and recommending corrective actions.
• Develop and maintain performance dashboards (TCE vs Breakeven, EBITDA bridge, cash flow indicators).
• Ensure data accuracy and integrity through reconciliation across operational systems and ERP (Oracle Fusion).

Commercial & Strategic Support

• Monitor and analyze P&L performance across business segments (In house, Third-party, Bareboat).
• Drive voyage-level financial analysis, including TCE and contribution margins.
• Support commercial and chartering decisions through financial modelling and scenario analysis.
• Track freight benchmarks against market indices and evaluate commercial performance.
• Lead budgeting, forecasting, and long-term business planning processes.
• Evaluate capital investment opportunities, including vessel acquisitions and disposals, using financial appraisal techniques (DCF, IRR, payback).

Risk Management and Hedging

• Oversee management of market and financial risks, including FFA, bunker, FX, and credit exposures.
• Ensure hedging strategies are aligned with underlying business activities and risk management policies.
• Monitor market developments and recommend risk mitigation strategies.

Board & Executive Support

• Lead the preparation of Board and shareholder reporting materials.
• Provide forward-looking financial analysis, scenario planning, and strategic insights.
• Act as a trusted finance business partner and advisor to senior leadership, including the CEO

Systems & Data Governance

• Oversee financial systems architecture, including ERP (Oracle Fusion) and operational integrations (e.g., Dataloy).
• Drive automation initiatives and promote data-driven decision-making.
• Ensure alignment and consistency between financial and operational data systems.

Systems & Data Governance

• Oversee financial systems architecture, including ERP (Oracle Fusion) and operational integrations (e.g., Dataloy).
• Drive automation initiatives and promote data-driven decision-making.
• Ensure alignment and consistency between financial and operational data systems.

People Management

• Lead and develop the finance team, ensuring high-quality, timely data for decision-making.
• Set clear KPIs, conduct performance reviews, and foster a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
• Drive succession planning and capability building aligned with evolving business needs.

Strategic & Long-Term Planning

• Partner with the CEO to shape and deliver commercial strategy aligned with stakeholder objectives.
• Translate strategic targets into actionable plans with measurable performance outcomes.
• Lead the 5-year business plan, annual budgeting, and periodic forecasting cycles.
• Ensure alignment of plans with strategic priorities, recommending adjustments where required.
• Provide data-driven financial insights to support executive decision making

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, or related field
• Professional certification such as CA(SA), CIMA, ACCA, or equivalent
• 12–15+ years of progressive finance experience, preferably in shipping, logistics, or asset-heavy industries.

Competencies

• Strong commercial acumen with a solid understanding of dry bulk freight markets.
• Proven track record in business planning, budgeting, forecasting, and long term (5-year) strategic planning.
• Demonstrated expertise in profitability analysis, cost optimization, and supporting commercial strategy.
• Experience engaging with Board members and external stakeholders.
• Hands-on experience in financial operations and modelling across AR, AP, banking, and cash management.
• Sound knowledge of statutory audits, tax compliance, and regulatory reporting requirements.