Chief Finance Officer

About The Project: Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) is a global conservation organisation dedicated to protecting biodiversity and wilderness areas. FZS Zambia manages a large, geographically dispersed conservation portfolio with complex donor requirements, multiple legal entities and high operational demands. The Finance function ensures accountability, compliance, and sustainability across programmes and projects. About The Position: The Chief Finance Officer (CFO) provides strategic financial leadership to strengthen FZS Zambia’s sustainability, growth, governance, and resilience. The role transitions finance from a transactional function to a proactive strategic partner, delivering timely financial insight for decision-making. The incumbent will work closely with the Conservation Director, EXCO, Board, Finance staff, Grant team, Project and Programme Managers, and Head of Human Resources. Your Tasks: Strategic Financial Leadership Develop and implement financial strategy aligned with organisational priorities. Lead long-term sustainability and growth planning (reserves, unrestricted funding, cost recovery). Advise Conservation Director, EXCO, and Board on performance, risks, and opportunities. Strengthen donor financial management and institutional cost recovery. Provide strategic analysis to support planning, investment, and resource allocation; and limit risk, liability and non-compliance. Streamline financial controls and systems to reduce duplication of effort whilst strengthening accountability. Budgeting & Financial Planning Lead annual budgeting and forecasting, aligned with programme delivery. Establish structured reporting with KPIs and dashboards. Deliver monthly management reports and quarterly Board/EXCO updates. Donor Financial Reporting Develop and maintain donor reporting frameworks that integrate with internal financial systems and programme delivery. Provide proactive analysis of donor funding gaps, variances, and compliance risks to management, EXCO, and HQ. Support tracking and systems to strengthen co-financing in large bilateral grants in terms of budget structure at grant making and ongoing reporting. Risk Management Lead the organisation’s financial risk management framework, ensuring proactive identification, assessment, and mitigation of risks across funding, compliance, liquidity, FX, and operational exposures. Systems & ERP Roadmap Drive ERP readiness (process mapping, requirements, change management). Improve ABACUS configuration, reporting tools, and data architecture. Procurement Provide strategic oversight of procurement, ensuring transparency and value for money. Banking & FX Management Strengthen cash-flow forecasting, liquidity, and banking controls. Monitor FX exposure and implement mitigation strategies. Governance, Compliance & Organisational Resilience Ensure compliance with donor, statutory, tax, and HQ requirements. Lead financial risk management and support audits (internal/external).