CHIEF FUNDING OFFICER – MICROFINANCE recruitment

POSITION:
- Chief Funding Officer
- Reason for vacancy is Expansion

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS:

In this role it is possible that the successful candidate will be a member of the following South African professional institutes or international equivalent:
- Institute for Chartered Accountants
- Institute for Certified Financial Analysts

EXPERIENCE / BACKGROUND PREFERENCE

Post qualifying experience:
The company will expect candidates to have at least 10 years post qualifying working experience.

Relevant experience:
Extensive experience in the financial services sector would be an advantage, with specific consideration given to fund raising experience.

Candidate should have proven experience and ability in raising funds - ideally in a South African, African international context. This would also involve the experience ability to understand and undertake financial modeling, and the preparation of necessary information and documentation.

Experience in fund raising for the micro finance industry would be particularly helpful. Some experience of the African environment would be advantageous.

Languages:
A good command of English, written verbal.

Written communication skills:
It is imperative that a successful applicant to this position has good written communication abilities.

MAIN PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

- Overall responsibility for the management of the debt and equity fund raising function.
- Responsibilities will include the formation and maintenance of investor relationships.
- Responsibilities will include the building of a small team over time.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
The following will be included in the employment contract and will serve as the primary basis for performance reviews:

- Build relationships with new investors and maintain and grow current existing relationships
- Embark on regular 'road shows' and investor presentations with the objective of raising funding
- Manage the generation of all information required by prospective funders including the management of all due diligence requirements
- Keep accurate track of all funding requirements for the Group through constant interaction with executive management. This will involve the creation and maintenance of financial models.
- Ensure that all generic investor information, such as 'fact sheets', firm brochures, prospectuses and the like are up to date and accurately reflect the position of the group
- Keep suitable and adequate documentation of all work performed.

LOCATION:
- Johannesburg

TRAVEL:
- Staff will be expected to travel if it is required for them to achieve their key performance indicators will not be expected to travel when they can achieve these at their offices.

REPORTING LINE:
- CEO

REMUNERATION:
Basic + bonus + potential Equity after 3 years + benefits

IDEAL CANDIDATE PERSONALITY:
The competences required should include the ability to:

- Set tough objectives, monitor progress and, if necessary take corrective action. Generally control the performance of both self , if appropriate, others

- Take decisions in a timely and appropriate manner, whilst at the same time ensuring others follow similar principles

- Challenge the status quo in order to achieve a culture dedicated to continuous improvement and best practices

- Create a culture of strategic excellence. Encourages others to think in the longer-term, developing a strategic vision and seeking opportunities for future growth and development

- Meet new people with ease motivate them to seek opportunities and achieve high standards

- Develop trust be willing to build relationships and counsel and assist others

- Apply a systematic logical approach in order to achieve accurate results

- Seek ways of perfecting processes and systems. Raise standards, reduce errors and prevent omissions

- Be alert to changing situations, show flexibility in approach, adaptability in difficult circumstances and continuously strive to achieve meaningful results

The person should
- Have drive, assertion the ability to communicate with others in a logical manner
- Be prepared to meet opposition and resistance to ideas, and pressurize others when deadlines have to be met
- Have a friendly approach the ability to influence and persuade others
- Be a self-starter, competitive, imaginative, enthusiastic, self-confident, inspiring, logical, systematic and precise.

GROUP PROFILE:

- Focuses on financial services in Africa

- Currently operates in many African countries

- Housing micro financier, with collection mechanism of a salary deduction model, with added services such as insurance and savings products.

- Aggressively growing its scale of operations over the next four to five years. This involves both the growth of existing operations and the startup of operations in new African countries. Senior leadership is intensely focused on the creation of a meaningful financial services group within a relatively short time frame.

- The firms intention of the shareholders and executive management is to list the group on the London Stock Exchange in the medium term.

- The culture of the group is one of young professional pioneers, who aggressively seek out entrepreneurial opportunities and look to deliver profitable performances with no excuses for non-delivery of agreed important targets. This requires team players who are self-driven and motivated.

- The business is staffed by individuals that are extremely diligent in terms of detail, systems, collections, service, strategy execution. The operating standards are already those of a listed company.

- There are many challenges in doing business in Africa, but staff should see these as opportunities and seek ways of dealing with the many obstacles in the way. This requires a 'can do' attitude a problem solving outlook with a determined approach to achieving goals. All prospective staff should like Africa believe in its prospects.