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

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.