Finance Manager (Dakar, Senegal)
About Solar Panda
Solar Panda is a Canadian high-growth, clean-tech company providing home solar systems and appliances to customers in Africa without access to electricity. In Kenya, our first market, we have served over 350,000 customers, and we are profitable. Our loan-to-own model allows families to afford reliable electricity and life-changing appliances that can drastically improve their lives. Over 1 billion people in the world lack access to electricity, and we believe that access to electricity should be a right for everyone, everywhere.
Solar Panda is a Canadian company, with a small team focusing on hardware development, software development, financing, and general strategy. In Kenya, we have 56 shops across the country, 300 full-time employees and over 2000 commission-based sales agents. Find us at www.solarpanda.com. Solar Panda is now looking to replicate the Kenyan growth in Senegal.
About the Role
We are seeking an experienced Finance Manager to support financial operations and oversee financial planning, budgeting, and reporting for Solar Panda Senegal while ensuring compliance with local tax regulations and company policies. They will play a crucial role in supporting business growth, maintaining financial health, and collaborating with other Finance Team members across the Solar Panda Group of companies. Reporting to the CFO in Canada with a dotted line to the Managing Director of Senegal, the ideal candidate will have a strong sense of ownership and accountability with extensive finance experience in partnering with the senior leadership team.
Key Responsibilities:
Financial Reporting & Compliance:
- Ensure timely preparation and review of financial reports and management accounts, proactively, communicating issues arising from monthly and quarterly reporting.
- Engage continuously with the Corporate Controller to ensure an in-depth understanding of internal control requirements and external reporting standards.
- Ensure compliance with relevant legal and regulatory requirements, including tax laws, and lender / shareholder obligations. Support internal audit activities as part of the corporate risk management process.
- Lead local annual audits, and support lender and investor requests.
Staff Supervision & Capacity Building:
- Supervise finance staff and support continuous capacity-building initiatives.
- Provide mentorship and training to strengthen financial management capabilities within the team.
Cash Flow & Payment Oversight:
- Oversee cash flow management to support routine and annual financial commitments.
- Review payments to ensure proper documentation and adherence to internal controls.
- Review journal entries to confirm accuracy and appropriate supporting documentation.
Financial Planning & Budgeting:
- Support the financial planning and budgeting process, including both proposal and institutional budgets.
- Take the lead in looking for opportunities for efficiency and building up lean value-added process in a start-up environment.
Accounts Payable:
- Oversee the end-to-end A/P process including invoice approvals, vendor payments, and reconciliations.
- Maintain relationships with vendors and ensure timely payment cycles.
- Review and process employee expense claims in line with company policies and build out expense tracking procedures.
Payroll:
- Ensure accurate and timely salary disbursements, including bonuses, deductions, and statutory contributions.
- Perform monthly payroll reconciliations between HR records, payroll reports, and the general ledger to ensure accuracy and resolve discrepancies.
- Maintain confidentiality and integrity of employee compensation data.
Qualifications & Requirements:
- Minimum of 5 years of experience in financial management or accounting with strong experience in partnering with the management team.
- Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or related field (CPA or ACCA preferred).
- Strong knowledge of local tax laws and compliance regulations.
- Proficiency in financial software and accounting tools. Experience in implementing new accounting information systems.
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Experience working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
- Fluent in French and professional competency in English.
If this position sounds like a good fit for you, please submit your cover letter and CV to recruitmentSN@solarpanda.com. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Kindly reference the job title in your application.
Solar Panda is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages applications from qualified individuals regardless of race, religion, national origin, or disability.
Solar Panda does not charge any fees on recruitment.
