Financial Director

The Financial Director is a strategic business partner and Executive Committee member, responsible for overall financial leadership and strategic decision support. The role goes beyond accounting and compliance to drive business performance through financial planning, capital allocation, risk management, and M&A execution.

The role leads financial strategy for aggressive growth, manages banking relationships and bonding capacity requirements, provides Board-level financial intelligence, and builds the financial infrastructure and team capability required for multi-provincial operations.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Outputs (Board/ExCo Level)

• Drive financial strategy aligned with business objectives (R60M R125M FY2027 R250M FY2028).

• Lead M&A strategy execution: valuations, deal structuring, due diligence, integration (including current MMI acquisition negotiations).

• Develop and execute capital allocation framework.

• Own banking relationships and bonding capacity strategy; negotiate facilities to support R125M+ operations (target R40–50M+ bonding).

• Provide strategic advisory to Board/ExCo on major decisions (large contracts R50M+, capital investments, market entry/expansion).

• Design and implement financial infrastructure for scale (systems, processes, controls for R250M operations).

• Build a high-performance finance team (including recruiting an FP&A Manager and upgrading Finance Manager capability).

• Lead scenario planning/sensitivity analysis and champion a risk management framework (project financial risk, currency exposure, credit risk, enterprise risk).

Tactical Outputs (Financial Planning & Performance Management)

• Develop 3-year financial plans with annual budgets and quarterly rolling forecasts.

• Implement 13-week cash flow forecasting across 5–10 concurrent projects.

• Lead monthly ExCo financial reviews with variance analysis, KPI dashboards, and forward-looking insights.

• Drive profitability analysis by project type/region/client segment/service line; oversee working capital optimisation.

• Develop and monitor financial KPIs and operational metrics; provide financial modelling/business cases for tenders, pricing, and new initiatives.

• Lead annual financial statements with external auditors; implement transfer pricing/cost allocation/overhead recovery across provinces/divisions.

• Manage funding strategy for growth (trade finance, invoice discounting, equipment finance as needed).

Operational Outputs (Financial Operations Oversight)

• Oversee the Finance Manager and ensure excellence in management accounts, statutory compliance (VAT, PAYE, tax returns), payroll processing, and accounts management.

• Review/approve project financial performance reporting; ensure internal controls, segregation of duties, and financial governance.

• Oversee treasury: cash management, banking arrangements, payment approvals, forex management; monitor debtor/creditor cycles.

• Collaborate with Operations/Commercial on project financial reviews, contract variations, claims management; approve significant commitments and procurement decisions.

• Maintain key external relationships (banks, auditors, tax advisors, SARS, CIDB); ensure financial systems (Sage/project management software) are optimised and integrated.

• Stay current on regulatory changes impacting the construction industry (tax, B-BBEE, CIDB, procurement).

Minimum Education and/or Experience (Essential Requirements)

• CA(SA) or equivalent internationally recognised accounting qualification (essential).

• MBA, MCom, or advanced business qualification strongly preferred.

• Minimum 10 years progressive finance experience, with at least 3 years in strategic finance/FD roles.

• Proven experience in high-growth environments (preferably 2x–4x revenue scale-up).

• Construction or project-based industry experience highly advantageous.

• Demonstrated experience in: M&A, banking relationships and bonding/surety facility negotiations, capital raising/structured finance, multi-entity/multi-location financial management, Board-level reporting/advisory, and building finance teams & implementing systems/infrastructure.

• Track record of driving profitability improvement and working capital optimisation.

Skills & Competencies

• Strategic thinking with ability to operate at both high-level and detailed operational levels.

• Advanced financial modelling and analysis (Excel/financial software proficiency essential).

• M&A and corporate finance expertise (valuation, deal structuring, due diligence).

• Strong business acumen/commercial awareness in a construction/project-based environment.

• Ability to communicate complex financial concepts to non-financial executives; leadership and team-building capability.

• Negotiation skills; systems thinking; entrepreneurial mindset; high integrity and professional gravitas for Board-level engagement.