Chief Financial Officer – Agri Commodities Location: Dubai, UAE Function: Finance & Strategy Industry: Agri-Commodities / Commodity Trading Reporting to: Group CEO / Board Role Overview We are looking for an experienced and commercially driven Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to lead the finance function of a growing agri-commodities and international trading business headquartered in Dubai. The ideal candidate will bring strong experience in agricultural commodities or commodity trading, along with meaningful exposure to African markets and cross-border operations. The CFO will be responsible for overall financial strategy, treasury, trade finance, working capital, risk management, financial controls, and business performance, while acting as a strategic partner to the CEO and leadership team. This is a highly commercial role requiring someone who understands the financial dynamics of physical commodity trading, procurement, inventory, international trade flows, foreign exchange, commodity exposure and working capital-intensive businesses. Key Responsibilities Financial Strategy & Leadership * Lead the overall finance strategy aligned with the company's growth and expansion plans. * Partner with the CEO and senior leadership on business strategy, investments, expansion and commercial decisions. * Drive budgeting, forecasting, financial planning and long-term business planning. * Provide management with clear insights into profitability, margins, cash flow and business performance. * Evaluate new markets, investments, business opportunities and commercial initiatives from a financial perspective. Commodity & Commercial Finance * Provide financial oversight across commodity procurement, trading, sales, logistics and distribution activities. * Analyse profitability by commodity, market, customer, supplier and trading transaction. * Monitor commodity exposure, pricing risks, inventory positions and trading margins. * Work closely with commercial and procurement teams to assess deal economics and profitability. * Ensure appropriate financial controls around purchase contracts, sales contracts, inventory and shipment-related costs. Treasury & Trade Finance * Lead treasury, liquidity and working capital management across the group. * Manage relationships with banks, financial institutions, trade finance providers and other funding partners. * Oversee trade finance instruments including LCs, bank guarantees, structured trade finance and other working-capital facilities. * Optimise funding requirements against inventory, receivables, payables and commodity trading cycles. * Manage foreign exchange exposure and develop appropriate hedging and risk mitigation strategies. * Ensure adequate liquidity to support the company's trading and expansion activities. Africa & International Operations * Provide financial leadership across businesses and entities operating in Africa and other international markets. * Oversee financial performance, controls, cash management and governance across multiple countries and entities. * Support the business in managing the financial complexities of cross-border commodity flows. * Work closely with regional teams and management across Africa, UAE and other international markets. * Support market expansion, new entity setup and investment decisions across geographies. Governance, Controls & Compliance * Establish robust financial controls, governance frameworks and approval processes. * Ensure compliance with applicable accounting, tax, regulatory and statutory requirements across relevant jurisdictions. * Lead annual audits and coordinate with external auditors, tax advisors, banks and other professional advisors. * Strengthen financial processes, systems, reporting and controls as the business scales. * Identify and mitigate financial, credit, liquidity, FX and operational risks. Leadership & Team Management * Build, lead and develop a high-performing finance organisation. * Provide leadership across accounting, financial control, treasury, FP&A and commercial finance. * Establish clear KPIs, reporting structures and performance management processes. * Drive automation, process improvement and enhanced financial visibility across the organisation. Candidate Profile * Qualified Chartered Accountant (CA) – mandatory. * 15+ years of overall finance experience, with significant experience in senior finance leadership roles. * Proven experience as a CFO, Finance Director, Group Finance Head or equivalent senior finance position. * Strong experience within agri-commodities, commodity trading, international trading, agribusiness or a closely related sector. * Experience with commodities pref agricultural commodities will be highly relevant. * Strong Africa exposure is mandatory, ideally through having worked in or managed finance operations across African countries. * Experience managing multi-country / multi-entity businesses and cross-border operations. * Strong understanding of trade finance, treasury, working capital and commodity-related financial risks. * Experience managing banking relationships and negotiating financing facilities. * Strong understanding of FX, hedging, credit risk, inventory financing and cash-flow management. * Strong commercial acumen with the ability to work closely with trading, procurement, sales and operations teams. * Experience working in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial or international trading environment. * Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills. * Strong leadership capability with experience managing geographically dispersed finance teams. * Based in Dubai or willing to relocate to Dubai.