Chief Finance & Administration Officer (CFAO)

JOB DESCRIPTION

Chief Finance & Administration Officer (CFAO)

Company: Ashewa Technology Solutions S.C. (ATS)

Department: Finance & Administration

Position Level: Executive Management

Reports To: Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Direct Reports: Finance, Accounting, Treasury, Procurement, Administration, Facilities and other assigned Finance & Administration personnel

Duty Station: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Employment Type: Full-Time

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1. POSITION PURPOSE

The Chief Finance & Administration Officer (CFAO) is an executive leadership position responsible for the overall financial stewardship, financial planning, administrative governance, resource management, procurement oversight, internal control, compliance, and operational administration of Ashewa Technology Solutions S.C.

The CFAO ensures that the Company maintains financial discipline, strong internal controls, effective cash management, accurate management information, efficient resource utilization, regulatory compliance, and high-quality administrative services.

The position serves as a strategic business partner to the CEO and Executive Management, providing reliable financial intelligence and commercial insight to support sustainable growth, profitability, investment decisions, risk management, and organizational performance.

The CFAO is accountable not only for recording and reporting financial results, but also for protecting company resources, improving financial performance, controlling costs, strengthening governance, and ensuring that every major resource allocation decision is commercially justified.

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1. KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

A. Financial Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and implement the Company’s financial management strategy in alignment with its strategic objectives.
• Lead annual budgeting, financial planning, forecasting, and periodic reforecasting.
• Establish financial targets, cost-control mechanisms, and performance-monitoring systems.
• Provide the CEO and Executive Management with timely financial analysis, insights, forecasts, and recommendations.
• Evaluate the financial implications of strategic initiatives, investments, projects, partnerships, financing arrangements, and major expenditures.
• Establish a strong culture of financial accountability across the organization.
• Continuously identify opportunities to improve profitability, efficiency, liquidity, and return on investment.

B. Accounting & Financial Reporting

• Ensure accurate, complete, timely, and compliant accounting records.
• Oversee monthly, quarterly, and annual financial closing and reporting.
• Ensure preparation of management accounts, financial statements, cash-flow reports, budget-performance reports, and other executive financial reports.
• Establish appropriate accounting policies, procedures, controls, and approval mechanisms.
• Monitor revenue recognition, expenses, receivables, payables, provisions, accruals, and reconciliations.
• Ensure financial information is supported by appropriate documentation and audit evidence.
• Ensure management receives reliable financial information for decision-making.

C. Treasury, Cash Flow & Working Capital

• Own the Company’s cash-flow management and liquidity planning.
• Prepare and maintain rolling cash-flow forecasts.
• Monitor cash balances, collections, payment obligations, and funding requirements.
• Establish appropriate payment prioritization and cash-control procedures.
• Oversee banking relationships and financial transactions.
• Monitor accounts receivable and collection performance.
• Monitor accounts payable and supplier obligations.
• Develop strategies to improve working capital and cash conversion.
• Escalate material liquidity risks to the CEO with clear mitigation recommendations.

D. Budgeting, Cost Control & Performance Management

• Lead the Company’s annual budgeting process.
• Translate strategic objectives into departmental and operational budgets.
• Establish budget ownership and accountability across departments.
• Monitor actual performance against approved budgets.
• Investigate significant budget variances and require corrective action.
• Prevent unauthorized expenditure and uncontrolled cost growth.
• Develop cost-efficiency and resource-optimization initiatives.
• Provide regular financial performance dashboards to Executive Management.

E. Procurement & Commercial Control

• Establish and enforce procurement policies, procedures, approval thresholds, and supplier-management standards.
• Oversee procurement planning and purchasing activities.
• Ensure procurement decisions are transparent, competitive, commercially justified, and properly documented.
• Monitor supplier quotations, contracts, purchase commitments, and payment obligations.
• Ensure appropriate segregation of procurement, approval, receiving, and payment responsibilities.
• Review major commercial commitments and contracts from financial and risk perspectives.
• Identify opportunities for supplier consolidation, cost savings, and improved commercial terms.

F. Administration & Corporate Services

• Lead the Company’s general administration function and ensure efficient administrative operations.
• Oversee office facilities, utilities, administrative services, insurance, company vehicles, equipment, and other corporate resources.
• Establish administrative policies, procedures, service standards, and controls.
• Ensure effective management of office facilities and operational support services.
• Monitor administrative expenditure and ensure it remains within approved budgets.
• Ensure proper documentation, filing, records management, and administrative compliance.
• Continuously improve administrative efficiency and service quality.

G. Asset & Resource Management

• Establish and maintain effective controls over Company assets.
• Ensure accurate fixed-asset and equipment registers.
• Monitor asset allocation, custody, utilization, maintenance, and disposal.
• Conduct or coordinate periodic physical asset verification and reconciliation.
• Investigate asset losses, misuse, damage, or unauthorized disposal.
• Ensure Company resources are used efficiently and strictly for authorized business purposes.

H. Internal Controls, Risk & Governance

• Design, implement, monitor, and continuously improve financial and administrative internal controls.
• Establish appropriate segregation of duties and authorization controls.
• Ensure compliance with delegated authority and approval matrices.
• Identify financial, operational, procurement, administrative, and commercial risks.
• Establish appropriate risk-mitigation and control measures.
• Investigate material control exceptions and ensure corrective actions are implemented.
• Maintain an audit-ready financial and administrative environment.
• Support management in strengthening corporate governance and accountability.

I. Tax, Statutory Compliance & Audit

• Ensure timely and accurate statutory, tax, and regulatory compliance.
• Coordinate preparation and submission of required financial and tax reports.
• Manage relationships with external auditors, internal auditors, regulators, banks, and other relevant financial institutions.
• Coordinate annual audits and ensure timely resolution of audit findings.
• Maintain complete supporting documentation for financial and statutory transactions.
• Ensure all financial operations comply with applicable Ethiopian laws, regulations, accounting standards, and Company policies.

J. Executive Advisory & Business Partnership

• Serve as the principal financial and administrative advisor to the CEO.
• Participate actively in Executive Management and strategic planning.
• Provide financial analysis for major business decisions.
• Review business cases, investment proposals, project economics, financing requirements, and major expenditures.
• Develop financial scenarios and forecasts to support strategic decisions.
• Communicate financial performance and risks clearly to non-financial executives.
• Challenge financially unsound proposals and recommend commercially viable alternatives.

K. Team Leadership & Capability Development

• Lead, manage, coach, and develop the Finance & Administration team.
• Establish clear roles, responsibilities, objectives, KPIs, and performance standards.
• Build a culture of accountability, integrity, accuracy, confidentiality, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure adequate segregation of duties within the Finance & Administration function.
• Identify capability gaps and implement appropriate training and development.
• Ensure succession and knowledge-transfer arrangements for critical finance and administration functions.

DECISION-MAKING AUTHORITY

The CFAO shall have appropriate authority, within the Company’s approved delegation framework, to:

• Approve or recommend financial and administrative expenditures.
• Enforce budgetary controls and reject unauthorized expenditure.
• Require financial justification for significant expenditures and commitments.
• Establish financial control procedures and approval requirements.
• Escalate material financial, compliance, procurement, or operational risks to the CEO.
• Recommend changes to budgets, resource allocation, procurement decisions, and financial policies.
• Recommend financing, investment, cost-reduction, and working-capital initiatives.
• Suspend or escalate transactions that present material financial, compliance, fraud, or control risks.
• Recommend disciplinary or corrective action where financial policies and controls are violated.

The CFAO shall not override the Company’s approved governance, authorization, procurement, or Board-level approval requirements.

KEY DELIVERABLES

The CFAO is accountable for ensuring the timely delivery of:

1. Annual corporate budget and financial plan.
2. Rolling cash-flow forecast.
3. Monthly management accounts.
4. Monthly budget-versus-actual analysis.
5. Revenue, receivables, and collections reports.
6. Payables and cash-obligation reports.
7. Executive financial dashboards.
8. Annual financial statements.
9. Audit-ready financial records.
10. Tax and statutory compliance reports.
11. Procurement and supplier-performance reports.
12. Asset register and periodic asset reconciliation.
13. Financial policies and internal-control framework.
14. Finance & Administration departmental performance reports.
15. Financial risk and mitigation reports.
16. Cost optimization and efficiency initiatives.
17. Annual Finance & Administration performance plan.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIs)

Performance shall be measured against agreed annual targets, including:

Financial Management

• Accuracy and timeliness of monthly financial reporting.
• Budget variance within approved thresholds.
• Improvement in profitability and cost efficiency.
• Quality and accuracy of financial forecasts.

Cash & Working Capital

• Cash-flow forecast accuracy.
• Collection performance.
• Accounts receivable aging and DSO.
• Timely management of supplier obligations.
• Working-capital efficiency.

Compliance & Controls

• Timely tax and statutory compliance.
• Audit findings and resolution rate.
• Internal-control exceptions and closure rate.
• Compliance with financial approval and procurement policies.

Procurement

• Procurement compliance rate.
• Cost savings/value improvement.
• Supplier performance.
• Procurement cycle time.

Administration

• Administrative expenditure against budget.
• Facility and corporate-service efficiency.
• Asset-register accuracy.
• Asset utilization and loss-control performance.

Leadership

• Finance & Administration team performance.
• Employee capability development.
• Timely completion of departmental objectives.
• Internal stakeholder satisfaction.

KEY INTERNAL & EXTERNAL RELATIONSHIPS

Internal

• Chief Executive Officer
• Executive Management Team
• Department Heads
• Project Managers
• HR/People Function
• Sales & Commercial Teams
• Operations
• Procurement
• Finance & Accounting Team
• Internal Audit / Compliance

External

• Banks and financial institutions
• External auditors
• Tax authorities and regulators
• Suppliers and strategic vendors
• Investors and shareholders
• Insurance providers
• Legal and professional advisors
• Government institutions and other relevant stakeholders

ETHICS, CONFIDENTIALITY & ACCOUNTABILITY

The CFAO shall maintain the highest standards of:

• Financial integrity.
• Confidentiality of Company and employee financial information.
• Proper use and protection of Company resources.
• Compliance with approved policies and delegated authority.
• Accurate and transparent financial reporting.
• Conflict-of-interest management.
• Anti-fraud and anti-corruption practices.

Any suspected material fraud, financial misconduct, unauthorized expenditure, conflict of interest, or significant control failure shall be escalated promptly to the CEO and/or appropriate governance authority.

ROLE SUCCESS PROFILE

Within the first 90 days, the CFAO is expected to:

• Establish a clear view of the Company’s financial position.
• Review and strengthen financial and administrative controls.
• Establish reliable cash-flow forecasting.
• Review receivables, payables, and working capital.
• Assess the current budget and expenditure structure.
• Identify major cost-control and efficiency opportunities.
• Review procurement and approval processes.
• Validate the asset register and key administrative controls.
• Establish a consistent monthly management-reporting cycle.
• Present the CEO with a prioritized Finance & Administration improvement roadmap.

Within 12 months, the CFAO should have established a Finance & Administration function that is:

Accurate • Controlled • Cash-conscious • Audit-ready • Data-driven • Commercially disciplined • Efficient • Scalable

OVERALL ACCOUNTABILITY

The Chief Finance & Administration Officer is ultimately accountable for the integrity, sustainability, control, and effectiveness of the Company’s Finance & Administration function, while serving as a strategic financial partner to the CEO and Executive Management.

The CFAO is expected to move the organization beyond transactional accounting and administration toward a strategic, technology-enabled, performance-driven Finance & Administration function that actively protects and creates enterprise value.