Finance and Business Operations Manager

ABOUT ESSENTIAL

Essential is a bioscience organisation developing breakthrough solutions to address malnutrition and transform food systems. We leverage advances in fermentation to convert agricultural byproducts into affordable, accessible, and climate-resilient proteins. Our goal is to catalyze a new model of protein production in Sub-Saharan Africa while building a leading bioscience R&D engine in East Africa. We are currently constructing a 10,000L demonstration-scale plant in Nairobi, Kenya.

Essential is a fast-paced, mission-driven organisation focused on delivering impactful solutions. We are bold in our vision, ambitious in our thinking, and rigorous yet humble in our approach.

 

ROLE OVERVIEW

Essential is seeking a Finance and Business Operations Manager based in Kenya to lead the day-to-day finance function of our Kenya entity. The role owns cost accounting, financial accounting and reporting, compliance, audit readiness, financial controls and Kenya<>US consolidation — and partners with the Chief Financial Officer on FP&A and cash flow forecasting. The role also oversees Kenya HR operations — employee lifecycle, payroll-linked HR data, employee relations, and statutory people compliance — partnering with the CFO and the Senior Leadership Team. As Essential scales, we plan to split this into dedicated finance and HR functions.

This is a hands-on role at a pivotal moment. The Finance and Business Operations Manager will work closely with the CFO, Managing Director, and Operations leadership to build the costing, working capital, and reporting capabilities required as Essential transitions from pilot R&D to commercial manufacturing. It is an exciting opportunity to apply financial leadership to one of the most ambitious bioscience companies in Sub-Saharan Africa.

 

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Accounting & Financial Reporting

• Lead the month-end and year-end close process for the Kenya entity, achieving a 7th-working-day target for internal Finance reporting and 10th-working-day target for executive reporting.
• Own the general ledger in Odoo, including chart of accounts integrity, journal review, accruals, and intercompany postings.
• Coordinate intercompany reconciliations and grant flows between Essential Impact Limited (Kenya) and our US 501(c)(3) parent.
• Ensure compliance with applicable accounting standards (IFRS / Kenyan GAAP for the KE entity, with awareness of US GAAP requirements at the parent level).
• Own the consolidated accounts including U.S., with support from our U.S. accountant and CFO

 

Manufacturing Finance & Cost Accounting

• As Essential scales, build and own the inventory accounting, bill-of-materials (BoM), and cost-of-goods-sold (COGS) processes that link operational data in Odoo and our proprietary systems to financial reporting.
• Establish and maintain a standard costing framework, including direct material, direct labour, and manufacturing overhead standards that inform pricing and margin analysis, in partnership with the CFO and Commercial team.

Planning, Reporting & Business Partnering

• Coordinate the annual budgeting process for the Kenya entity, in partnership with the CFO and partnering with each department to build credible, defensible plans aligned with organisational OKRs.
• Prepare monthly management accounts — P&L, balance sheet, cash-flow, and budget vs. actuals (BvA) with variance commentary — and present clearly to the CFO, Managing Director, and senior leadership.
• Serve as a trusted finance partner to non-finance department leads, providing insight, challenge, and support on budgets, business cases, and resource allocation.

Working Capital, Treasury, Cashflow & Capex

• Maintain short-term and long-term cash-flow forecasts and support the CFO on cash management.
• Build out and lead customer invoicing processes, AR follow-up, and the order-to-cash process for FMCG and institutional buyers.
• Partner with Operations on procurement and supplier compliance to drive cost savings without compromising quality.
• Support the capex governance and maintain the asset register, depreciation schedules, and capitalisation policy in line with internal policy and applicable accounting standards.

Tax, Payroll & Statutory Compliance

• Run end-to-end monthly Kenya payroll and the HR data that feeds it, including PAYE, NSSF, SHA, HELB, NITA, and pension contributions.
• Own corporate tax compliance for the Kenya entity, including VAT, corporate income tax, withholding tax, and KRA matters and audits.
• Maintain statutory registers and renewals across county business permits, NITA registration, work permits, director permits, and corporate insurance policies.
• Stay current with changes in Kenyan tax and statutory legislation, advising leadership on implications and required actions.

Audit, Controls & Risk Management

• Lead audit preparation for the Kenya entity and serve as the primary internal contact for external auditors.
• Maintain and continuously strengthen the internal control environment, including segregation of duties, approval thresholds, and review controls, as the organisation scales.

Systems, Policies & Process

• Be the power user and process owner of Odoo for finance, including continuous improvement of automation, reporting, and integration with operational systems.
• Partner with the CFO and Operations to roll out and continuously improve finance and HR policies.
• Identify and lead opportunities to apply AI, automation, and data analytics to improve the speed, accuracy, and insight of the finance function.

People Operations & Team Leadership

• Build, develop, and retain a high-performing finance and business operations support team, fostering a culture of accountability, accuracy, and continuous improvement.
• Partner with the CFO on the back-office people operations of the Kenya entity, including employee lifecycle administration, payroll-linked HR data, and statutory employee compliance.
• Manage employee lifecycle administration: contracts, onboarding, offboarding, leave administration, benefits enrollment, and statutory employee registrations (NSSF, SHA, NITA, pension scheme).
• Handle day-to-day employee relations matters in line with Kenyan labour law and Essential’s HR policies, escalating to the CFO and external advisors where appropriate.
• Maintain accurate, confidential employee records and HR data, and run regular audits to ensure data integrity.
• Support the rollout, maintenance, and execution of HR policies and SOPs in close coordination with the CFO and external advisors.
• In collaboration with the Senior Leadership Team, lead on company-wide back-office matters that intersect finance, HR, and administration.

 

SUCCESS IN YOUR FIRST 90 DAYS

We expect a successful Finance and Business Operations Manager will, within their first 90 days, have:

• Drafted the proposed standard costing framework (BoM, COGS, variance analysis) and finance readiness plan for 5K commercial launch — including inventory accounting and supply-chain processes — and aligned both with Operations and the CFO
• Owned at least one full month-end close cycle and produced the management accounts and BvA.
• Mapped current order-to-cash and AP processes, identified key gaps for commercial readiness, and agreed a remediation plan with the CFO.

 

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

Required

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics, Business, or related field, plus a professional accounting qualification (CPA-K, ACCA, or equivalent).
• Minimum 7 years of progressive finance and accounting experience, including 3 years in a manager or lead role.
• Hands-on manufacturing finance experience, including standard costing, BoM costing, COGS, inventory valuation, and variance analysis.
• Strong reporting and analytical capability, including budgeting, BvA analysis, and management reporting that translates numbers into clear leadership insights.
• Deep knowledge of Kenyan statutory compliance (PAYE, NSSF, SHA, HELB, NITA), KRA processes, VAT, corporate income tax, and corporate filing requirements.
• Experience in a multi-entity, multi-currency environment, including intercompany reconciliations.
• Strong audit experience, either through external audit training or as the primary contact for external auditors in a previous role.
• Strong people leadership and stakeholder management skills, with a track record of building finance teams and partnering effectively with non-finance leaders.
• Demonstrated commitment to confidentiality, ethics, and integrity in handling sensitive financial, donor, investor, and personnel information.
• Strong written and spoken English; precise, clear communication is essential for this role.

Preferred

• Experience in manufacturing, food and beverage, or a similarly regulated production environment.
• Direct experience with ERP and HRMS systems (e.g. Odoo, Workpay).
• Familiarity with transfer pricing and cross-border financial flows.
• Experience applying AI, automation, or data analytics tools to improve finance processes.
• Experience administering HR operations in Kenya — employee lifecycle, relations, statutory compliance, and HR records management.

 

To apply, please send the following to talent@essentialimpact.org. Include your name and the title of the job in the subject line.

• Your CV.
• Short written responses to the three prompts below (each under 250 words).

Application prompts

• Why Essential? Be specific.
• Tell us about a finance process or system you built or fixed without being asked. What was the problem, what did you do, and what was the outcome?
• What is one popular view in finance or accounting that you think is wrong, and why?