Finance Manager (FMCG Manufacturing)

About the role

An established manufacturing company in Nairobi is looking for an experienced, detail-oriented Finance Manager to lead its day-to-day accounting functions and ensure strong financial control within its fast-paced FMCG operations. The role takes full ownership of the general ledger, inventory costing, statutory compliance and financial reporting, and leads a finance team of three direct reports covering Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Payroll processing and Inventory/General Accounting.

Key responsibilities

• Manage, mentor and review the daily work of three direct reports, balancing workloads across AP, AR, Payroll, Inventory and bookkeeping.
• Oversee general ledger functions, fixed assets and monthly bank reconciliations.
• Lead the month-end and year-end close in SAP Business One, delivering financial statements in line with local GAAP/IFRS standards.
• Monitor raw material, WIP and finished goods movements, manage product costing, run physical stock-takes and reconcile warehouse inventory with the SAP B1 GL; calculate material, labour and overhead variances and optimise working capital.
• Act as the finance champion for SAP B1, keeping data integrity and extracting raw accounting data for reporting.
• Prepare, file and reconcile monthly statutory obligations such as VAT, withholding tax, corporate tax and payroll liabilities.
• Coordinate external and internal audits, prepare audit files and enforce internal controls.
• Manage daily operational cash flow, oversee collections from distributors and retailers and approve vendor disbursements.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance or a related discipline.
• Mandatory professional designation (CPA, ACCA, CA or equivalent).
• Minimum 5-7 years of progressive accounting experience, including at least 3 years managing a small team, preferably in FMCG manufacturing.
• Solid grasp of supply chain finance, high-volume inventory control and cash flow management.
• Strong leadership, precision, stress management under tight closing deadlines and analytical problem solving.

Required skills

• Advanced, hands-on proficiency in SAP Business One (strictly required)
• Exceptional advanced Microsoft Excel (VLOOKUP, Pivot Tables, financial formulas)