Financial Consultant

Background:

Agova is an impact-driven consultancy that finds business value in addressing social
challenges. Since 2014, Agova has been delivering management and technical advice to
actors in the business sector in Zambia to develop business models and norms that
increase economic, social and environmental prosperity. We aim to leverage capital, data
and innovative ideas to develop a sustainable form of poverty reduction; one that focuses
on creating win-win, or ‘shared value’, business models within our client organisations
such that commercial imperatives can be whilst improving the livelihoods of their
low-income customer and supplier segments. Agova has been registered in Zambia since
August 2014 and has been a venture supported by Engineers without Borders since
2011.

Job Description:
The main role of the Finance Consultant is to provide consultancy services to clients
(SMEs, Corporates or NGOs) to address financial challenges they are facing and to
support Agova with its internal financial functions. This will involve: developing financial
models (including projecting profitability, break-even, and cash flow), developing
budgets, providing financial analysis on business models and business operations,
developing business plans, and providing clients’ with guidance on their cost, revenue
and pricing structure. This could also involve monitoring and reporting on financial
metrics and identifying growth opportunities for businesses, especially during these
difficult COVID19 times with our portfolio of existing and new clients. This may involve
the line management of Junior Consultants during relevant project work, and support in ad hoc business development activities, as and when is required.

Tasks include but are not limited to;

• Consulting with corporate or NGO clients, specifically aimed at providing financial
  expertise and guidance as and when is required. This could be tasks such as:
  • Developing budgets and doing financial planning
  • Developing financial projections, including expected profitability and cash
    flow movements
  • Providing guidance on cost structure, revenue structure, and pricing.
  • Financial analysis on business operations and accounts
  • Monitoring and reporting on financial metrics.
• Management of the relationship with variety of clients – Corporates and NGOs – to ensure client satisfaction and clear lines of communication;
• Oversight of client project work which can also include the management of
  sub-contracted Consultants’ and Technical Experts’ work;
• Reviewing all key deliverables and Junior consultants’ work before it is submitted
  to clients to ensure high-quality of work and adherence to Agova standards;
• Development and management of project work plans, budgets and management
  of project timelines and deliverables;
• Reporting to Agova on progress of all consulting work;
• Conduct skill development trainings for our entry-level consultants implementing
  our client work on a variety of projects for both NGO and corporate clients’;
• Ad hoc and periodic support in drafting business development proposals aimed
  at our portfolio of different clients (Corporates, NGOs, etc.); and

Required Skills and Experience:

• A relevant four-year Bachelor’s degree (ideally a Master’s Degree);
• Five years of relevant work experience, ideally in the private sector;
• Experience in management consulting is essential;
• Experience in financial modelling, financial management, financial planning
  and/or accounting are essential;
• Experience in strategic planning and business planning is desirable;
• Experience in agricultural sector is desirable;
• Experience mentoring, training and coaching to businesses is desirable;
• Experience managing multiple staff and multiple projects at once, within strict
  timelines and under ‘high-pressure’ environments;
• Experience in client-facing roles, interacting with senior and executive levels of
  staff;
• Interest in “Shared Value” (businesses solving social/environmental challenges
  by reshaping their business strategy);
• High-level of computer literacy with a solid command of Microsoft Office suite;
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills;
• Has leadership experience and demonstrated ability to take initiative;
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team;
• Ability to design and implement work plans, within set timelines;
• Ability to travel around Lusaka/Zambia (when required).

Agova Offers:

• A manager to support the person in their day to day work;
• A competitive gross salary which includes housing, lunch and transportation
  allowances;
• Monthly communication budget;
• Health insurance package;
• Possibility of contract extension if the person is the right fit for Agova.

Application Process:

If you are interested in a challenging but rewarding experience, please follow the following steps:

1. Fill in the following survey: https://forms.gle/YhiADxXe4jzJTvjf7
2. Send in only the following documents to [email protected] with the subject line
‘Agova Finance Consultant”’. Please address email and cover letter to Ms. Muyangana
by 18th October,2020.
a. Your professional CV (maximum 2 pages with 2 references including their email
addresses),
b. A cover letter, and
c. A copy of your degree.

Please note: Due to the expected high volume of responses, applications that do not follow the above instructions or come after the application cut off date will not be considered.