Deputy Chief Financial Officer (Internal / External ) Full Time NEW

The Deputy DFO plays a vital role in driving the company’s financial success. They work closely with the CFO, offering analytical and operational finance expertise. This role ensures the company’s financial strategies are executed effectively, with a focus on budget management, cost analysis, forecasting, and financial reporting. The Deputy DFO also strengthens internal controls, automates processes, and enhances business planning and accounting efficiency. Additionally, they contribute to cross-functional decision-making by providing timely financial insights and supporting investor relations.

Role purpose: 

The Deputy DFO provides high‑quality operational and analytical finance support to ensure effective execution of the company’s financial strategies and plans. The role supports the CFO in driving robust budget management, cost analysis, forecasting, and financial reporting. It ensures smooth coordination of day‑to‑day financial operations, strengthens internal controls, drive automation and enhances the efficiency of business planning, accounting, and budgeting processes. The Deputy DFO also contributes to cross‑functional decision‑making by providing timely financial insights, supporting investor‑relations preparation, and enabling the CFO to focus on strategic and enterprise‑wide priorities.

The role holder will work closely with key finance stakeholders and undertake any additional responsibilities or tasks assigned by the CFO.

Key accountabilities and decision ownership: 

Strategic Planning 

Support the development and implementation of the company’s Finance strategic plans by providing analytical insights, financial modelling, and coordination across finance units.

 Business Planning and Execution 

• Assist in formulating and implementing strategic and operational plans, projects, programs, and systems by working closely with business units and ensuring alignment with finance policies and timelines.
• Support business growth through customer and revenue growth.
• Support margin expansion and optimal capex allocation.

Finance Business Partnering 

• Provide timely, accurate, and advanced analytical financial support to internal stakeholders.
• Partner collaboratively with divisions to facilitate faster analysis of product performance, investment decisions, and benchmarking of key business processes.
• Partner with Business on adhoc projects and deliver.

Investor Relations Management 

• Support the CFO and Investor Relations function by preparing financial data, briefing materials, and analysis for media, analysts, and investors
• Ensure smooth coordination between the Finance division and external stakeholders through consolidated reporting and communication support.

Supply Chain Management 

Assist the Supply Chain function by monitoring procurement activities, ensuring compliance with procurement standards, and supporting value‑driven sourcing and contract management processes.

Financial Operations

• Oversees day‑to‑day financial operations including accounting, budgeting, and forecasting to ensure accuracy and operational efficiency.
• Ensure strong internal controls with automation and detection mechanisms.
• Ensure compliance with accounting standards, IFRS and Group policies.
• Improve working capital management.
• Ensure accurate and timely cashflow forecasting.
• Strengthen financial policies and documentation.

Digital Transformation & Automation

• Ensure optimal automation of processes, controls, reporting, workflow and real-time dashboards.
• Ensure ERP implementation, fully catering for company requirements.

 Financial Integrity 

• Coordinate internal audit activities across the Finance division, ensuring identified risks and control gaps are addressed.
• Support audit follow‑up actions, and promotion of good business practices in collaboration with the Internal Audit function.
• Strengthen audit readiness and external audit coordination.

Talent & Capability Development

• Continuous upskill and development of staff
• Build succession and leadership pipeline
• Foster a continuous improvement in culture
• Improve cross-functional collaboration.

Key performance indicators:

• Initiatives put in place to support business growth/operations. Establish and maintain appropriate internal control safeguards.
• Business meets all its financial obligations.
• Create, coordinate, evaluate the financial programs and support information systems of the company to include budgeting, tax planning, real estate, and conservation of assets.
• Ensure compliance with local, state, and federal budgetary reporting requirements.
• Oversee the approval and processing of revenue, expenditure, and position control documents, department budgets, mass salary updates, ledger, and account maintenance and data entry.
• Develop and implement finance & accounting procedures.
• Establish and implement short- and long-range department goals, objectives, policies, and operating procedures.

Core competencies, knowledge and experience:

Business Competencies:

Working With Others

• Consciously takes steps to make the most of every conversation/interaction.
• Identifies people’s needs, interests and motives to be able to influence the decisions they make.
• Communicates simply to excite and engage people
• Pro-actively adapts own style and approach to build rapport, and work with others more effectively.
• Build and maintain strong relationships and networks.

Operational Excellence

• Results orientated and achieved results.
• Targets effort and resources on high-value, high impact activity.
• Focus on achieving maximum performance and driving continuous improvement.
• Thinks about processes and problems cross-functionally and end-to-end
• Uses knowledge of products, technology, process, systems and policy to solve problems.

Creativity and Innovation

• Find creative ways to exploit opportunities and solve problems.
• Take risks and push what is possible.
• Experiments with unorthodox approaches.

Business Know-how

• Uses data and research to make decisions that are competitively and financially robust.
• Balances current and future needs.
• Thinks and acts like an owner of the business.
• Acts in line with legal, regulatory, professional and ethical standards.

Working With Change

• Responds flexibly to changing situations
• Manages the business and people aspects of change to drive performance.

Project and Program Management

• Defines scope and deliverables in terms of time, cost, quality and business benefit
• Schedules activity and identifies resource needs, dependencies and synergies
• Evaluates progress, mitigates risks and addresses issues.

Functional Competencies:

Planning and Control

• Analyses performance trends to determine the health of the business
• Steers business performance by using strategy and external data to help set goals
• Translates strategies into actionable plans that add value via process and operational improvements
• Maintains controls within Financial Systems through setup control and master data management

Accounting

• Prepares, analyses and summarizes financial data to support business operations and delivery statutory information
• Ensures the integrity of processes and systems to record and authorize transactions in compliance with The Company accounting policies and regulation

Reporting

• Delivering timely and accurate reports to satisfy statutory and business requirements
• Identifies key performance and variances, and provides recommendations

Treasury

Develop and advice on funding strategies for the business

Apply appropriate treasury processes to maintain financial liquidity

Tax

Delivers filings/reports to satisfy statutory and business requirements. Combine expertise and commercial awareness to deliver value added solutions.

Financial Responsibility

Management of budget & expenses

Direct reports: 

• Head of Department – Finance Operations, Head of Department – Finance Planning & Analysis

Support to CFO

• Act as CFO when absent

Dotted reports:

• Involvement in all other areas of Finance & SCM

• MA in Accounting or A bachelor’s degree from a recognized university.
• A qualified and registered Certified Public Accountant (CPAK) and or Chartered Accounting qualification.
• Minimum of 10 years’ post qualification experience gained in financial or management accounting in a large multinational organization.
• Must have over 4 years’ experience in supervising and managing the performance of Accountants in a large organization.
      About Us

At Safaricom Ethiopia, we are a purpose-led technology company dedicated to transforming lives through digital connectivity and inclusive financial services. In under four years, we have grown to serve over 10 million customers, with our network now reaching 55% of Ethiopia’s population – a testament to our bold vision and trusted partnerships.

Guided by core values such as customer obsession, innovation, integrity, and getting it done together, we are building a workplace that is dynamic, inclusive, and empowering. We believe our greatest strength lies in our people. That’s why, for two consecutive years, we have proudly get earned the Top Employer Award – in recognition for our unwavering commitment to fostering a supportive, innovative, and inclusive environment to people.

Join Safaricom Ethiopia and be part of a team that is shaping the digital future of Ethiopia. Here, your work has meaning, your voice matters, and your growth is our priority. Together, we are transforming lives for a digital future

  How to Apply

If you feel that you are up to the challenge and possess the necessary qualification and experience, kindly proceed to create/ update your candidate profile on the recruitment portal and then

Click on the apply button.: https://egjd.fa.us6.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/STEP/job/1231

Remember to attach your resume