Head of finance (CFO Track)

Head of Finance (CFO Track) | Dry Bulk Shipping, Commodity Trading and Future Diversifications

Location: Dubai,UAE | Type: Full time | 

Build the finance platform for a group expanding into shipping assets, mining and manufacturing, with a clear path to CFO.

We are a dry bulk shipping and commodity trading group entering its next growth phase: Expanding our Traded Volumes , Expanding our voyages for freight , evaluation of acquiring vessels and mining assets and building a diversified industrial portfolio. We are looking for a commercially sharp finance leader to run the finance function today and become our CFO as the group scales.

What you will do

•          Lead group accounting, reporting, audit, FP&A and the finance team across entities and jurisdictions

•          Run treasury: liquidity, cash pooling, FX and interest-rate risk, covenant management

•          Own relationships with banks, lenders, trade-finance providers and DFIs, enlarging credit lines and building new relationships in the UAE, Hong Kong, Singapore, Switzerland, London and other hubs

•          Drive capital allocation and investment appraisal for project finance vessel, mining and manufacturing opportunities, including due diligence and valuation

•          Structure project, asset and trade finance (sale-and-leaseback, newbuilding finance, offtake and borrowing-base facilities)

•          Lead group restructuring: entity, funding and tax structures

•          Upgrade finance systems, processes and controls (ERP, consolidation, treasury and BI tools)

•          Present to the CEO, board and lenders with clarity and credibility

•          Lead tax planning and optimisation, and set up new entities in different jurisdictions as the group grows

•          Build cash flow dashboards and predictive forecasting that give the CEO and board a clear view of liquidity

•          Own the internal audit process and deliver regular MIS reporting to the board

Why join

•          A genuine growth mandate, not a maintenance role

•          A defined route to CFO with written milestones

•          Direct access to the CEO and board

•          Real influence over which assets we buy and how we fund them

Requirements

What you bring

•          15+ years in finance, including 5+ years in a senior leadership role (Head of Finance, Group FC, Finance Director, VP Finance or CFO)

•          Professional qualification: CA, CPA, ACCA, CIMA or MBA (Finance)

•          Proven project finance or structured debt experience

•          Direct experience with banks and lenders in multiple jurisdictions

•          Experience leading a group restructuring or reorganisation

•          Led finance teams of 15+, including treasury

•          Trade finance experience (LCs, guarantees, supply-chain finance)

•          Asset or business acquisition experience, including due diligence and valuation

•          Advanced Excel and financial modelling; working knowledge of Power BI or similar

•          Experience in shipping/Vessel operations , commodity trading, mining or asset-heavy manufacturing (adjacent backgrounds welcome)

•          Tax structuring, transfer pricing and entity set-up experience across multiple jurisdictions

•          Cash flow forecasting, dashboards and board-level MIS reporting experience

Nice-to-have

•          Ship finance lender relationships (Nordic, Greek, Singapore, Chinese leasing, DFIs)

•          Mining finance: offtake, streaming, royalty structures

•          Rating agency, bond or equity-market exposure

•          Audit committee and board reporting

•          Manufacturing working capital and capex discipline

•          Systems: SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Dynamics, Hyperion or OneStream, Kyriba or GTreasury

How to apply: Submit your CV and a short application. Shortlisted candidates complete a brief video interview. We treat all applications confidentially and are an equal opportunity employer.