Financial Controller

About Giraffe Bioenergy 

Giraffe Bioenergy is building the largest cassava-to-ethanol ecosystem serving the rapidly growing clean cooking market in East Africa. Our vision is to build, own, and operate biorefineries in East Africa that produce ethanol cooking fuel that  affordable to communities currently reliant on charcoal and kerosene. By 2028 we plan to build 125 million liters/year of ethanol fuel capacity supplied by over 30,000 hectares of locally grown cassava. We are currently managing a 200-hectare farm which will employ 200 women from the community to grow cassava, beans, and chilies. 

Position Overview: 

We seek a highly skilled and dedicated Finance Controller to join our team. In this role, you will help set up and run the finance infrastructure for a rapidly scaling farm from t ground up. We envision that you will 

● Get hands-on experience of how the farm operates on a smaller scale. Then together with your supervisors, translate these into policies, processes and structures needed to implement the finance controller rol 

● Help set up the procedures for this information to flow up to accounting a payment systems in a way that ensures quality and timely accounting information; ● Identify and help track KPIs based on understanding of the farm operations. Put in place checks and balances that ensure effective execution of the finance controll role. 

This role reports directly to the Chief Financial Officer at Giraffe Bioenergy with a dotted li to the Chief Operating Officer and Partnership leads. The role will work with the Fa General Manager and administrators, providing crucial finance partnership and the far

The role will require 80% presence on site on the farm in the first 3 months of onboardi and finance set up, and slowly shifting to a 25% on site requirement once the fin infrastructure has been set up and tested. 

Key Responsibilities 

Budget Preparation and expense management: 

○ Develop and manage comprehensive budgets for the Baricho farm operations, taking into account all financial and operational aspects  the business. 

○ Create and maintain a streamlined system for tracking and controlling operational expenses to ensure expenses stay within budget; 

○ Monitor actual expenses against budgeted amounts and implement cost-cutting measures when necessary to ensure cost efficient 

without compromising quality. 

Financial Analysis: 

○ Monitor financial performance and key performance indicators (KPIs)  identify areas for improvement and cost-saving opportunities. 

○ Prepare financial and operational reports and provide insights  support tactical and strategic decision-making 

Procurement Management: 

○ Oversee the farm’s procurement process, including sourcing suppliers, negotiating contracts, and ensuring timely delivery of essential farm inputs. 

○ Manage supplier relationships, negotiate favorable supplier terms and ensure timely delivery of essential inputs. 

Financial Compliance: 

○ Ensure compliance with financial regulations and complian 

standards applicable to the agricultural sector. 

○ Ensure that all casuals and employees have registered to regulatory agencies and 

○ Collaborate with auditors to maintain financial records in complian with legal and industry requirements. 

Asset management 

○ Maintain assets at the Baricho farm by monitoring utilization and ensuring that service and insurance are up to date; 

○ Maintain proper asset register and conduct regular and surprise stock counts. 

Requirements 

Education:

○ A relevant Bachelor’s Degree (finance, operations, agriculture) and  accounting qualification ( CPA, ACCA  

Experience: 

○ 3-5 years of experience working in a finance set up or consulting role start up, busy consulting environment such as a CPA firm  

Skills: 

○ Strong organizational, multitasking, cross cultural aptitude and communication skills, and a risk mindset; 

○ Proficiency in Google Workspace and MS Office applications (W Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook). 

○ Proficiency in Quickbooks and an expense management system  desired. 

○ Ability to work independently, prioritize tasks effectively, get into the details and get things done.