Chief Financial Officer

ROLE: CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER (CFO)

Location: Dakar, Senegal (on site) or East Coast, US (remote with travel as needed)

 

ABOUT MYAGRO

 

myAgro is an award-winning non-profit social enterprise based in West Africa. This pioneering organization has transformed support for smallholder farmers, revolutionizing agricultural practices in the region. Since its establishment in 2011 by Anushka Ratnayake, myAgro has been dedicated to empowering farmers, especially women by enabling them to invest their own resources in high-quality seeds, fertilizers and agricultural training. This unique approach has proven to increase their harvest and income by 50-100 per cent.

Driven by the mission to alleviate poverty among smallholder farmers, myAgro has evolved from a seedling idea into a robust support platform catering to farmers at every stage of their journey. Through its innovative mobile layaway model, myAgro ensures that farmers have access to essential resources. By providing the necessary tools and knowledge, the organization empowers farmers to achieve sustainable success and create a positive impact on their communities. Watch Anushka’s inspiring Ted Talk to learn more about how MyAgro delivers its mission.

With the remarkable success achieved in Mali and Senegal, myAgro is embarking on an ambitious growth trajectory through a large-scale expansion. Having witnessed the transformative impact of its initiatives, myAgro is determined to reach their “North Star” goal, to increase the incomes of 1 million smallholder farmers by $1.50 a day by 2026. This crucial moment in myAgro’s journey presents an exciting opportunity to shape the future and further amplify the organization’s profound impact on the lives of smallholder farmers. 

myAgro’s innovative efforts and impactful work have garnered early recognition from esteemed organizations such as the Skoll Foundation, One Acre Fund, and Mulago Foundation. Furthermore, the organization has been honored with prestigious awards, including the Echoing Green Fellowship, Rainer Arnhold Fellows, and Draper Richards Kaplan Social Entrepreneurship. Anushka Ratnayake, the visionary behind myAgro, was also recently recognized as a 2020 Social Innovator of the Year by the esteemed Schwab Foundation for her outstanding contributions to social innovation. These prizes are a testimony to myAgro’s dedication and success in creating positive change for farmers and communities.

ROLE PURPOSE

As a member of the Executive Team, the CFO will be responsible for overseeing all fiscal and fiduciary responsibilities for the organisation, in conjunction with myAgro’s Board of Directors and Finance Committee. You must be able to adapt to a continually evolving environment and thrive in an autonomous and deadline-oriented workplace while managing the finance team and supporting the organisation’s growth.

 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Finance Strategy

• You will implement rigorous processes to further professionalise and digitise operations.
• Develop and continue to evolve the finance function and its capability as the organisation grows and scale while understanding the infrastructure requirements at both the country and global levels.
• Construct and monitor reliable control systems ensuring that record keeping meets the requirements of auditors and government authorities. The CFO shall ensure compliance with all regulatory tax laws and company policies in each of myAgro’s countries of operation.
• Ensure timeliness, accuracy, and usefulness of financial and management reporting for government funders, foundations, and myAgro’s board of directors. The CFO shall oversee the preparation and communication of monthly and annual financial statements.
• The CFO is accountable for the oversight and management of operational, reputational, people and strategic risks as it relates to the Finance environment.

Leadership, Team Development and Collaboration

• You shall develop, evaluate and retain a highly-qualified team of finance professionals and shall contribute to further building the finance team and tweaking its structure to support scale.
• Establish a rhythm of frequent and proactive communication with stakeholders to facilitate seamless operations and effective thought leadership.
• You shall create, implement and maintain a continuous improvement and control plan for overall business operations, while supporting the finance team to meet business needs.
• Foster a culture of transparency and accountability in the finance department.
• As a member of the Executive Team, you shall represent myAgro’s mission and organisational purpose, owning the organisation’s goals in their broadest sense, contributing to overall performance and working in alignment with Executive peers.
• In conjunction with Executive and Leadership team peers, act as a steward for myAgro’s culture; responsible for creating, contributing to and role modeling it at all times.

 

CANDIDATE PROFILE

Results Orientation:

• The CFO will be energised by the challenge of setting stretching goals for themself and the team and the ability to exploit opportunities to exceed goals, overcome obstacles, as well as plan for contingencies to ensure delivery. The CFO shall have a record of consistently delivering year-on-year improvement in financial results and enable growth in environments characterised by a sense of urgency and continuous improvement.

Strategic Orientation:

• The successful candidate will be creative and capable of thinking broadly about the business. They will have an extremely high level of intellectual curiosity and employ this curiosity to better understand the business and provide insightful analysis. The candidate will demonstrate the ability to work with the CEO, business leadership, and the rest of the management team to help shape the Company’s business and financial strategy.

Team Leadership:

• The successful candidate will bring a collaborative, charismatic and humble personal style that has created commitment and enthusiasm throughout an organisation. This person shall actively engage the team to develop plan and resolve issues through collaborative problem-solving. They will be viewed as a natural leader across the organisation and shall mentor and develop a high performing team.

Collaboration and Influencing:

• The CFO shall partner closely with the CEO on the strategy and continued growth of MyAgro. The CFO shall work effectively with different stakeholders, be able to communicate clear, accurate, and timely financial and strategic information to both internal and external parties. Internally, they will need to demonstrate the ability to influence decision making as a result of his/her credibility and functional expertise and shall build strong partnerships.

Personal Attributes:

• Smart, energetic and highly results driven, the CFO shall bring gravitas and shall not be afraid to challenge, debate and push- back when required and shall be an effective sparring partner to the CEO and executive team, supporting strategy,innovation and enabling growth. The CFO shall demonstrate high ethical standards and integrity, and must be open, honest and approachable, flexible, culturally aware and sensitive and a highly collaborative contributor.

EXPERIENCE

• 15+ years of progressively responsible financial management experience in a fast-growing organisation with a budget of at lea $10 million and preferably within an emerging market, highly likely to be West Africa. Sector experience can be broad, though candidates from agribusiness, NGO’s, Financial Services or multinationals.
• Previous experience as CFO, VP of Finance, or equivalent preferred. The CFO will have led and managed Finance teams across multiple countries and operations.
• Demonstrable experience of managing board relationships and external stakeholders.
• Experience working with processing systems including accounting systems, inventory management systems, business planning systems and grant reporting systems.
• Knowledge of non-profit accounting, including fund and grant accounting, compliance, and reporting; fluency with complex bi-lateral funding agency reporting requirements preferred.
• Experience leading and developing a highly effective finance organisation and the people within, to support the organisation in achievement of its commercial goals.

Application Process and Deadline

To apply, submit an application on our website. Include a cover letter (motivation letter) and a resume or CV.  Please submit your application and documents in English. Only shortlisted candidates will contacted by our team.

We encourage you to apply early as we will begin interviews with interesting candidates on a rolling basis. The interview process includes the application form, short virtual interviews and typically a short written assignment or a visit to the field or one of our offices.

myAgro provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sexual orientation, marital/parental status, national origin, age, disability, political opinion, social status, veteran status, and genetics. myAgro complies with all applicable federal, provincial and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment.