Commercial Finance & Operations Executive

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Commercial Finance & Pricing

• Build and maintain price lists for each channel (distributors, wholesalers, key accounts/supermarkets, retail) with clear margin structures at every level of the value chain.
• Develop product costing models (raw materials, packaging, contract manufacturing, logistics, duties) and keep them updated as input costs change.
• Calculate and track ROI on trade promotions, marketing campaigns, new SKUs, listings and capital spend; recommend go or no-go decisions.
• Analyse gross margin by SKU, channel and customer; flag loss-making lines and propose fixes.
• Prepare budgets, forecasts and cash flow projections; track actual performance against budget monthly.

2. Trade Terms & Customer Management

• Manage trade terms working with sales team; Credit terms, Rebates etc
• Make sure trade terms are reflected correctly in the ERP.
• Run credit control: assess customer creditworthiness, set credit limits and monitor exposure.
• Track trade spend against agreed terms and make sure promotions deliver value.

3. Debt Collection & Cash Management

• Own accounts receivable end to end: invoicing, statements, follow-up and collection.
• Keep debtor days within target, follow-up overdue accounts and escalate where needed.
• Run accounts payable and payment schedules to protect cash flow and supplier relationships.
• Manage bank, M-Pesa and petty cash reconciliations; prepare weekly cash position reports.

4. Tax Compliance

• Prepare and file all statutory returns on time on KRA iTax: VAT, PAYE, Withholding Tax (VAT and Income Tax), Corporate Income Tax and instalment tax.
• Own eTIMS compliance: make sure every sale is invoiced through eTIMS, supplier invoices are eTIMS-compliant with our PIN, and Buyer Initiated Invoicing is used for small suppliers where needed.
• Reconcile eTIMS, withholding tax and customs data against the books before filing income tax returns.
• Maintain tax records, handle KRA queries and audits, and keep the business current on Finance Act changes.
• Keep company statutory obligations up to date, including permits, licences and KEBS-related renewals as applicable.

5. Inventory, Sales Cycle & Supply Chain Back-End

• Manage the order-to-cash cycle in the ERP: sales orders, delivery notes, invoices, credit notes and receipts.
• Manage the procure-to-pay cycle: purchase orders, goods received notes, supplier invoices and payments.
• Track stock levels for raw materials, packaging and finished goods; run regular stock counts and reconciliations.
• Plan production quantities with supply team based on sales forecasts and minimum stock levels.
• Control stock losses, expiries and returns; report stock ageing and slow-moving items.

6. Financial Reporting & Controls

• Keep accurate books of account in the ERP to month-end close.
• Prepare monthly management accounts and annual financial statements (Income Statement, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow Statement) in line with IFRS / IFRS for SMEs.
• Prepare for and coordinate the annual external audit.
• Design and enforce internal controls, approval limits and documented finance processes as the business grows.
• Deliver clear, decision-ready reports and dashboards for the founder and investors.

7. ERP Ownership

• Act as the business owner of our ERP (ERPNext): set up and maintain the chart of accounts, item masters, price lists, customers, suppliers and tax templates.
• Support implementation of ERPNext with Kenya localisation (eTIMS, PAYE, NSSF, SHIF, M-Pesa).
• Train other users and keep data clean and reliable.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

Must have

• Professional Qualification in Finance, Accounting, Commerce, Business or a related field.
• CPA (K) or ACCA, either fully qualified or in the final stage.
• At least 4 years of experience in a finance, commercial or operations role, with at least 2 years in FMCG, manufacturing or distribution.
• Practical, hands-on experience with an ERP: SAP, ERPNext, Odoo, Microsoft Dynamics or Sage X3.
• Proven experience filing Kenyan taxes on iTax and working with eTIMS.
• Experience building price lists, costing models and ROI analyses.
• Strong Excel skills (pivot tables, lookups, financial modelling).

Nice to have

• Experience with personal care, cosmetics or beauty products.
• Experience working with supermarkets and key accounts in Kenya (trade terms, listing, rebates).
• Experience in a startup or fast-growing SME environment.
• Experience implementing or migrating to an ERP.