Financial Controller at Premier Foods Limited

Premier Foods Limited (PFL) is a leading food processing company in East Africa, manufacturing over 50 different products under various brand names, including PEPTANG, PEP and ORCHID VALLEY. Our brands have been in use since 1935 and have become well-known household names in the region.

We are looking to hire a Financial Controller who will be based in Ruaraka, Nairobi County. The Financial Controller, reporting to the Head of Finance, will oversee financial management, including corporate accounting, regulatory compliance, budgeting, forecasting, treasury operations and internal controls. They will ensure accurate financial reporting, maintain the ERP General Ledger, and provide strategic insights to senior management to drive business performance while ensuring compliance with financial and tax regulations.

The main duties and responsibilities for this position entails: -

• Prepare timely and reliable financial statements in accordance with IFRS.
• Manage the month-end and year-end closing processes.
• Ensure the ERP General Ledger is maintained accurately and updated regularly.
• Ensure that reconciliations of all the GL accounts are prepared and checked as per the set schedule and presented for review by the Head of Finance.
• Develop financial dashboards and KPIs to track performance.
• Oversee the recording, reconciliation, analysis and reporting of all financial transactions.
• Quarterly board papers preparation and analytical reporting
• Develop and enforce robust internal control systems to safeguard company assets.
• Regularly review and enhance internal processes and procedures to improve efficiency and mitigate risks.
• Ensure continuous compliance with internal and external control requirements.
• Manage all corporate accounting functions, ensuring compliance with the laws.
• Develop, implement, and review accounting policies and procedures.
• Manage external audits and liaise with auditors to ensure compliance and accuracy.
• Oversee internal audits and control processes to safeguard the company's assets.
• Assess financial risks and develop strategies to mitigate them.
• Ensure all payments are properly supported by requisite documents and develop a budget tracking mechanism to weed out superfluous expenditure.
• Manage the insurable risks and liaise with insurance companies for Provide leadership to always ensure maximum productivity and accuracy.
• Preparation of tax computations of the company for review and timely payment of the same. This includes annual corporate tax, instalment tax, and withholding tax etc.
• Reconciliation of all the company tax accounts such as VAT, Excise duty et.al
• Attend to KRA queries and ensure we are up to date with tax compliance.
• Provide financial forecasts to guide business planning and decision-making.
• Oversee treasury functions, including cash management, funding, and banking relationships.
• Monitor liquidity and manage risk to ensure financial stability.
• Optimize the company's capital structure and financing strategies
• Support the development and execution of business strategies by delivering accurate financial analysis.
• Provide leadership to the accounts department team to always ensure maximum productivity & accuracy.
• Lead and mentor the finance team, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and professional development.
• Provide training and support to other departments on financial matters and budget management.
• Promote cross-functional collaboration to enhance overall financial performance.
• Carry out performance reviews to enhance productivity and succession planning.

The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications: -

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, commerce or a related discipline.
• Fully qualified CPA(K), ACCA or equivalent, with active membership in good standing of the relevant professional body.
• Seven to ten years of progressive finance experience, including at least three years in a supervisory or management role.
• Demonstrable experience in FMCG, food processing or manufacturing.
• Strong knowledge of IFRS, Kenyan taxation and applicable statutory requirements.
• Experience working effectively with commercial, operations and business-control teams in a manufacturing environment.
• Strong ERP capability, advanced Excel skills and preferably Power BI or equivalent analytics capability.
• Experience leading to external audits and delivering accurate month-end reporting under tight deadlines.
• Strong leadership, analytical, communication and business-partnering skills.