Group Chief Financial Officer – CFO

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in South Africa.

📋 Description

• Take ownership of the Group budget, monthly Group forecasts, and a rolling 13-week cash forecast.

• Develop and sustain the Group financial model, incorporating scenario and sensitivity analyses.

• Create consistent definitions for Group revenue and establish cash-flow and profit-and-loss recognition practices.

• Implement cash controls and approval processes for new hires and ventures.

• Provide monthly management accounts and a consolidated financial overview of the Group across UK and international entities.

• Prepare and present the monthly Board finance pack and a weekly finance one-pager every Friday.

• Lead the year-end reporting process, statutory accounts preparation, and audits for Group entities.

• Ensure accurate, reconciled, and reporting-ready financial ledgers using Xero.

• Maintain daily cash visibility and manage Group banking arrangements.

• Supervise the segregation and reconciliation of client and insurer funds.

• Support the capital and solvency requirements of licensed entities.

• Prepare materials for investors and lenders, including financial data rooms and documents for capital raising.

• Conduct financial due diligence for acquisitions and strategic partnerships.

• Provide financial leadership for potential sales or partial disposals.

• Manage reporting obligations to investors and lenders, including financial covenants.

• Oversee the Group approvals matrix, payment controls, and segregation of duties.

• Handle VAT, Insurance Premium Tax, corporation tax, and cross-border tax matters in collaboration with external advisers.

• Report financial risks to the Board and maintain finance-related elements of the Group risk register.

• Lead, manage, and develop the Group finance team.

• Drive automation in reconciliations, reporting, and forecasting through system integrations and AI agents.

• Enhance finance processes and systems, including Xero, Salesforce, monday.com, and Microsoft 365.

• Achieve measurable operational efficiencies while maintaining a streamlined finance structure.

• Meet established performance targets for month-end close, cash forecasting, Board reporting, revenue reconciliation, audit compliance, capital readiness, and automation.

⛳️ Requirements

• Qualified Chartered Accountant or equivalent, holding CA(SA), ACA, ACCA or CIMA accreditation.

• A minimum of 10 years' post-qualification experience.

• At least 3 years in a CFO, Finance Director, or Head of Finance role.

• Prior experience in insurance, insurance intermediary businesses, or the broader financial services sector.

• Proven ability to manage multi-entity and multi-currency financial consolidations under IFRS or UK GAAP (FRS 102).

• Expertise in cash-flow management and treasury operations.

• Direct involvement in at least one capital raise, acquisition, refinancing, or business sale process.

• Advanced financial modeling skills.

• Strong proficiency in a cloud-based accounting platform such as Xero or a similar alternative.

• Capability to prepare and present financial reports to boards, investors, and lenders.

• Excellent written communication skills in English.

• Familiarity with the London insurance market, Lloyd's, or offshore insurance jurisdictions, including Guernsey, Cayman Islands, or Bermuda.

• Knowledge of client money handling requirements within insurance intermediary businesses and familiarity with IFRS 17.

• Previous experience working remotely from South Africa for a UK-headquartered organization.

• Proven track record in implementing finance automation, process enhancements, and AI-enabled financial tools.

• Experience in surety, construction insurance, or real estate finance.

🏝️ Benefits

• Remote work arrangement.

• UK business hours.

• Executive leadership opportunity.

• Direct access to the Board and Audit and Risk Committee.

• Professional development and leadership opportunities within a high-performing finance function.

• Chance to leverage automation, integrated systems, and AI agents.

• International exposure across UK and international entities.