Chief Financial Officer at MECS (Pty) Ltd

• An opportunity has arisen for a commercially driven CFO to join a high-growth property investment and development group operating across South Africa and key African markets including Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Zambia.
• This senior leadership role is responsible for driving financial strategy, governance, capital management and operational control across a complex, multi-currency portfolio. The CFO will also play a key role in acquisitions, financial systems development and executive decision-making.
• Based in Johannesburg with regional travel. Operating in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment, this is a hands-on role requiring strong commercial insight, technical expertise and board-level engagement.

Key Responsibilities:

Financial Accounting, Reporting & Control

• Own end-to-end finance operations including GL, AP, AR and payroll across all jurisdictions
• Deliver consolidated IFRS-compliant financial statements
• Lead month-end and year-end close processes with strict timelines
• Maintain internal controls, accounting policies and financial governance frameworks
• Oversee ERP system integrity (e.g. Sage X3 or equivalent)
• Manage multi-currency accounting, intercompany reconciliations and forex exposure
• Ensure tax compliance and statutory reporting across all regions
• Oversee fixed asset and investment property accounting

 Management Reporting & Financial Analysis

• Produce monthly management accounts with variance analysis and commentary
• Deliver asset and project-level profitability reporting
• Lead budgeting, forecasting and rolling forecasts
• Build financial models for acquisitions, developments and portfolio performance
• Provide board-level reporting packs and executive insights
• Support performance benchmarking and business optimisation
• Enhance reporting capability using BI tools (e.g. Power BI)

 Treasury, Cash & Capital Management

• Manage group liquidity and working capital across entities
• Lead cash flow forecasting and intercompany funding structures
• Maintain banking relationships and manage debt facilities and covenants
• Support fundraising, investor engagement and development finance processes
• Implement treasury controls to balance risk and efficiency

 Corporate Finance & Transactions

• Support acquisitions, disposals and due diligence processes
• Advise on entity structuring, joint ventures and cross-border transactions
• Lead financial modelling for development and investment decisions
• Support capital raising and structured finance initiatives

 Strategic Input & Board Reporting

• Present financial strategy, risk and performance insights to executive leadership
• Identify financial risks and growth opportunities
• Support long-term planning aligned to group strategy
• Conduct market and competitor financial analysis

 Leadership & Operational Oversight

• Lead, develop and mentor the finance function
• Drive process improvement and finance transformation initiatives
• Manage external advisors (audit, tax, legal, banking)
• Oversee finance-related compliance, systems and reporting enhancements
• Contribute to cross-functional operational projects and system implementations

Technical Requirements
Essential

• Chartered Accountant or equivalent (CA(SA), ACCA, CIMA or similar)
• 10+ years senior finance experience
• Strong IFRS reporting and consolidation experience
• Multi-jurisdiction and/or multi-currency exposure
• Advanced ERP system experience (Sage X3, SAP or similar)
• Strong Excel and financial modelling capability
• Proven team leadership experience

Advantageous

• Real estate / property development finance experience
• African or emerging market exposure (multi-country operations)
• Power BI or advanced reporting tools
• Development finance, debt structuring or project finance experience