Job Detail

Job Description

The Finance Controller provides technical leadership across Penda Health’s finance function, ensuring strong financial controls, accurate reporting, and compliance with IFRS and internal policies. The role manages core finance operations including budgeting, cash flow, working capital, and reporting. They ensure that the finance team is a proactive partner to the wider organization.

Reporting to the Head of Finance and Expansion, the Finance Manager will serve as the principal technical authority in the department, enabling informed strategic decisions and equipping the finance team with systems, tools, and insights to support sustainable growth.

Key Responsibilities: 

Culture & Management

• Directly manage and mentor the General Accountant and Treasury Accountant, building their technical depth and leadership skills.
• Leads and models Penda’s culture of accountability, integrity, and continuous improvement
• Foster a high-performance culture within the finance team: setting expectations, giving feedback, and nurturing team growth.
• Ensure cross-functional collaboration by translating financial implications into operational context for other teams.
• Represent the finance team in cross-departmental initiatives and embody Penda’s values in leadership and execution.
• Serve as a thought partner to the Head of Finance and contribute to big-picture discussions on company strategy, investments, and resource allocation.
• Ensure that team members understand how their roles contribute to the overall financial goals of the organization.
• Maintain open and effective communication channels within the finance team and with other departments, ensuring that important information is shared promptly.
• Be part of the Penda story and show that by actively helping other parts of Penda.

Financial Oversight & Control

• Serve as Penda’s internal IFRS expert, ensuring compliance with local and international accounting standards.
• Oversee the integrity of financial data and internal controls, ensuring accurate and audit-ready reporting across the company.
• Oversees general ledger integrity and ensures reconciliations are completed and reviews them on time.
• Coordinate external audits and statutory reporting with auditors and tax authorities.
• Provide technical guidance and quality control for journal entries, balance sheet management, and complex accounting matters.
• Translate financial data into clear, actionable insights that equip departments across the organization to make informed, strategic, and operational decisions.
• Flag financial risks, operational inefficiencies, or compliance gaps to the Head of Finance with recommended solutions.
• Enforce relevant policies and procedures to ensure sound financial management and control.
• Ensure efficient, timely, accurate, and cost-effective delivery of finance function activities.
• Contribute to continuous improvement in risk management and internal controls.
• Manage recording and reconciliation of intercompany transactions including loans, recharges, and cost allocations.
• Maintain audit-ready documentation of intercompany agreements and ensure transfer pricing compliance.
• Liaise with Mauritius entity on cross-border fund flows and reporting alignment.
• Coordinate intercompany loan interest calculations and ensure withholding tax compliance.

Financial Planning, Budgeting and Forecasting

• Support the Head of Finance in driving the annual budgeting process, ensuring timely consolidation of departmental budgets and alignment with strategic goals.
• Support the preparation and organization of key financial data, including departmental and individual Medical Center P&Ls, CAPEX projections, and other relevant inputs, to enable efficient cross-departmental planning and informed decision-making.
• Translate approved budgets into reporting templates, including the MA (Management Accounting) framework, and ensure ongoing alignment of actuals to budget.
• Monitor budget implementation and expenditure patterns; flag and escalate material variances to the Head of Finance and relevant departmental heads.
• Coordinate mid-year and quarterly budget reviews with departmental leads.
• Support operational budget holders in planning, monitoring, and forecasting activities.

Financial Reporting & Performance Analysis

• Oversee the timely and accurate preparation of monthly management accounts, financial statements, and support with investor and board reports when required.
• Ensure timely month-end and year-end close activities with clear deliverables, schedules, and responsibilities.
• Assist in the preparation of monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements.
• Lead financial analysis on revenue, margins, unit economics, and cost structures to guide growth and operational decisions.
• Prepare and present financial reports including variance analysis, trend analysis, and performance metrics. 
• Analyse non-financial KPIs and operational performance indicators to identify trends and drivers impacting financial outcomes.
• Support cross-departmentally with external financial reporting requirements, including donor/grant reporting, investor updates, and lender compliance packages.

Cash Flow and Working Capital Management

• Maintain a forward-looking cash flow forecasting framework that includes a high-level 6-month and 3-month outlook, as well as a detailed 2–4 week rolling forecast. This should incorporate all major inflows and outflows, including revenues, payables, payroll, grant receipts, and capital expenditures, and be regularly updated and shared with the Head of Finance.
• Monitor working capital components holistically, including trade and non-trade receivables, grant inflows, payables, inventory and stock holding, and analyze their impact on liquidity and operations.
• Conduct monthly working capital analysis, highlighting variances, inefficiencies, and missed targets across departments (e.g., delayed billing, poor collections, excess inventory).
• Collaborate with the Warehouse and Procurement teams to optimize inventory levels, minimize holding costs, and reduce stock-outs or expiries.
• Optimize cash usage and working capital, negotiating payment terms, prioritizing pay runs, and flagging funding gaps early.
• Work closely with the Credit Control and Treasury functions to synchronize inflows and outflows with operational needs.
• Monitor and advise on FX exposures, bank relationships, and payment risk mitigation measures.

Key Qualifications, Skills & Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or a related field. Proven experience combining strategic insight with strong operational and technical finance execution, ideally in roles that require leadership across core accounting, financial controls, and cross-departmental collaboration.
• CPA(K), ACCA or equivalent professional qualification required.
• Minimum 5-7 years’ progressive experience in finance, with at least 2 years being in financial management or controllership roles.
• Strong grasp of IFRS, financial planning, and internal controls.
• Experience in leading & managing teams, budgeting, and external audits.
• Prior experience in healthcare, FMCG, or multisite operations is an added advantage.
• Deep technical accounting expertise with strategic thinking capability.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.