Finance Manager at CDL Human Resource

Main purpose -

• The main purpose of the role is to oversee the organisation’s financial function, ensuring effective financial planning, reporting, controls, and resource management. The role provides strategic financial insights to the General Manager to support informed decision-making, financial sustainability, and business growth while supervising the departmental team members and ensuring compliance with relevant financial and statutory requirements.

Job scope and context

• Operating within a growing, technology-enabled organisation, the Finance Manager works closely with management and cross-functional teams to align financial resources with business priorities, assess commercial performance, identify financial risks and opportunities, and strengthen financial processes and systems. The role combines financial oversight with hands-on execution, ensuring accountability, operational efficiency, and sustainable business growth.

Key Objectives 

Financial Planning,

• Lead the annual budgeting process in collaboration with the General Manager and departmental leads.
• Budgeting and Forecasting
• Consolidate departmental budgets and ensure that proposed expenditure is aligned with organisational priorities and available resources.
• Develop and maintain financial forecasts, including revenue projections, operating expenditures, cash flow, and working capital requirements.
• Monitor actual performance against approved budgets and forecasts, identifying material variances and recommending corrective action.
• Conduct scenario analysis to assess the financial implications of business decisions, growth plans, and changes in operating conditions.
• Support financial planning for new products, service lines, partnerships, and geographical expansion.
• Ensure that financial assumptions are realistic, evidence-based, and regularly reviewed against actual business performance.

Financial Reporting and Business Performance

• Lead the preparation of accurate and timely monthly management accounts and financial reports.
• Present financial performance, key variances, emerging risks, and recommendations to the General Manager and Finance Committee.
• Monitor revenue, gross margins, operating costs, profitability and other relevant financial indicators.
• Analyse revenue and cost performance across products, services, customer segments, and business activities to identify growth opportunities and areas requiring intervention.
• In collaboration with the technology department, Develop and maintain relevant financial dashboards and performance reports to support timely decision-making.
• Ensure that management reporting provides a clear view of financial performance, liquidity, cost efficiency, and progress against business
• objectives.
• Translate financial data into actionable insights for non-finance stakeholders.

Cash flow and working capital management

• Oversee cash-flow planning and maintain visibility of the organisation's short- and medium-term liquidity position.
• Monitor cash inflows, expected collections, committed expenditures, and upcoming financial obligations.
• Develop and maintain cash-flow forecasts, identify potential funding gaps, and recommend appropriate interventions.
• Oversee the management of accounts receivable and payable, ensuring appropriate controls over client credit, collections, and supplier payments.
• Monitor receivables ageing, client payment patterns, and outstanding balances, working with relevant teams to improve collections.
• Assess the impact of client payment terms, supplier arrangements, and expenditure commitments on working capital.
• Provide timely updates to the General Manager on liquidity risks, cash requirements and financial commitments.

Financial Controls, Risk and Compliance

• Establish, implement and monitor appropriate financial controls, approval processes, and segregation of duties.
• Oversee compliance with applicable Kenyan tax, statutory reporting and other relevant financial obligations.
• Ensure that financial policies, procedures, and delegated approval limits are documented, communicated, and consistently applied.
• Identify financial risks, control weaknesses and potential exposures, recommending mitigation measures.
• Oversee the maintenance of complete, accurate, and audit-ready financial records.
• Coordinate external audits and ensure that audit findings are addressed within agreed timelines.
• Work with the Accountant to ensure that accounting treatments, reconciliation, and financial records comply with applicable standards and requirements.
• Escalate material financial, compliance, and control issues to the General Manager promptly.

Accounting Oversight and Financial Operations

• Supervise the Accountant and provide direction on priorities, deliverables, and performance expectations.
• Review the Accountant's work and provide coaching, feedback, and professional development support.
• Establish an effective finance reporting calendar covering monthly close, management accounts, budgeting, statutory obligations, and audits.
• Promote financial discipline, integrity, transparency, and accountability across the organisation.
• Identify capacity gaps and recommend improvements to the structure, systems and capabilities of the finance function as the organisation grows.
• Review key accounting outputs, financial reconciliation, and supporting schedules to ensure accuracy, completeness, and timeliness.
• Ensure that accounts payable, accounts receivable, bank reconciliation, payroll accounting, and month-end close processes operate effectively.
• Oversee the preparation of statutory returns, payroll-related financial schedules, and supporting documentation, ensuring appropriate review and submission arrangements.
• Monitor the quality and timeliness of accounting processes and address recurring errors, delays, or control gaps.
• Ensure that financial transactions are supported by appropriate documentation and processed in accordance with approved procedures.
• Provide guidance on accounting queries and escalate complex technical matters for advice where necessary.

Commercial Finance andBusiness Partnering

• Evaluate the financial viability of new products, services, partnerships and commercial arrangements.
• Support pricing and cost analysis, including assessment of direct costs,gross margins, and contribution to overall business performance.
• Monitor key commercial indicators, including client revenue, recurring income, client concentration, and collection performance.
• Assess the financial implications of contractual commitments, supplier arrangements, and changes to the operating model.
• Provide financial input into business cases, proposals and resource-allocation decisions.
• Challenge assumptions constructively and promote evidence-based financial decision-making across the organisation.

Financial Systems,Automation and Process Improvement

• Oversee the effective use of the accounting system as an accounting system for reporting.
• Identify opportunities to automate recurring financial processes, reduce manual work, and improve the accuracy and accessibility of financial information.
• Develop standardised reporting templates, financial trackers, and dashboards (in collaboration with the technology department) that improve visibility and accountability.
• Review existing finance workflows and implement practical improvements suited to the organisation's scale and growth trajectory.
• Ensure that financial data is appropriately protected and that access to sensitive financial information is controlled.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement and efficient use of technology within the finance function.

Requirements

• Min educational requirements and work experience
• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business, or a related discipline.
• A recognised professional accounting qualification, such as CPA(K), ACCA or equivalent.
• Approximately 5–8 years of relevant finance or accounting experience, with demonstrated responsibility for financial reporting, budgeting, controls, or financial management.
• Experience supervising or reviewing the work of accounting personnel.
• Strong financial analysis, budgeting, forecasting, and management reporting skills.
• Practical knowledge of Kenyan tax, statutory compliance and financial reporting requirements.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel or Google Sheets and experience with accounting or enterprise systems.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain financial matters to non-finance stakeholders.

Desirable:

• Experience in a technology-enabled company, health-tech business, start-up or growing SME.
• Experience working in a lean finance function with direct engagement with senior management.
• Familiarity with cloud-based accounting systems, financial dashboards, and workflow automation.
• Experience analysing service-line profitability, pricing, unit economics, and working capital.
• Exposure to multi-entity or cross-border financial operations, where relevant to the organisation's structure.

Core Competencies

• Financial acumen: Demonstrates strong understanding of financial performance, cash flow, profitability, and business sustainability.
• Analytical thinking: Interprets complex financial information and develops practical, evidence-based recommendations.
• Commercial awareness: Understands how operational decisions, pricing, customer behaviour, and cost structures affect financial performance.
• Leadership and accountability: Provides clear direction, reviews work effectively, and takes ownership of finance deliverables.
• Risk management: Identifies financial and compliance risks and establishes appropriate controls.
• Strategic thinking: Connects financial planning with organisational priorities and long-term sustainability.
• Communication and influence: Presents financial information clearly and constructively challenges assumptions where necessary.
• Integrity and stewardship: Promotes responsible resource management, confidentiality, and ethical financial conduct.
• Digital adaptability: Uses technology and automation to improve efficiency, accuracy, and financial visibility.
• Collaboration: Builds productive working relationships across functions and promotes shared financial accountability.

General Behaviours

• Collaborative attitude, reliability, customer focus, high level of attention to detail,proactive approach to work, empathy, professionalism, team spirit, uphold the highest ethical standards, maintaining integrity, honesty, and compliance with accounting principles and regulations, time management, and consistency.