Finance Manager 13 views

ABOUT RAW AFRICA ECO-TOURS

RAW Africa Eco-Tours is responsible travel company specialising in immersive, small-group and tailor-made experiences across East Africa. Our mission is to empower local communities, protect wildlife and wild places, while offering guests authentic and transformative travel experiences.

We work closely with local partners to deliver meaningful, well-run journeys grounded in conservation impact, ethical wildlife encounters, and community partnership. Over 80% of all tour investment stays in Africa, directly benefiting the people, wildlife, and ecosystems our guests come to experience.

We are a small, passionate, and internationally distributed team based globally and operating across multiple African countries and currencies. Every team member plays a meaningful role — and this position is central to the financial health and sustainable growth of the organisation.

ROLE OVERVIEW

ROLE PURPOSE

The Finance Manager is a trusted and essential partner to RAW Africa Eco-Tours’ Founder and Director. This role combines bookkeeping discipline with broader financial management and tracking to ensure the organisation’s cashflow and financial position is accurate, transparent, and structured to support sustainable growth.

Based in Addis Ababa, this person will: oversee and report on RAW Africa’s revenue, expenditure; profit and cashflow positions; maintain financial records across multiple currencies; oversee payroll and supplier payments; and work closely with the Director on cashflow planning.

A core part of the role is treating each tour as a mini-business, ie. with its own budget, cost tracking, and P&L to give the Director clear visibility over where money flows at every stage.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Bank Account Management & Financial System

• Maintain accurate and up-to-date financial records across all business operations using Xero and Excel — proficiency in both is essential
• Record all income and expenditure, including multi-currency transactions across USD, AUD, ETB, KES, and other relevant currencies
• Because USD bank sub-accounts are not available, maintain a parallel Excel tracker recording the allocation of funds held in the USD account against their designated purpose (Operations, Tour Delivery, Pass-Through, Buffer) until transfer or draw-down occurs
• Ensure every dollar leaving company accounts is linked to an invoice — no exceptions
• Maintain organised financial records suitable for audit, tax, and reporting purposes

2. Accounts Payable & Receivable

• Manage all supplier invoices — review, code, and process payments in a timely manner
• Track and follow up on guest booking payments, deposits, and outstanding balances in collaboration with relevant staff members
• Liaise with the Operations Manager and guest services team to align payment schedules with tour booking deadlines
• Maintain a clear and current creditors and debtors ledger

3. Payroll & Staff Payments

• In consultation with the Director and Operations Manager, facilitate or oversee payments to local guides, ground operations staff, and in-country contractors
• Maintain clear records of all salary and contractor payments
• Track salary advances made to staff, recording the advance and the subsequent payroll deduction until fully repaid

4. Cashflow Management & Monthly Reporting

• In collaboration with the Director, prepare and maintain rolling cashflow forecasts tracking: forward revenue, forecast expenditure, deposit cashflow (which funds operational costs), profit margin per tour, profit margin after operational expenses, and the cash safety buffer
• Produce monthly financial reports covering all of the above components, plus overall business cashflow position
• Flag cashflow risks or anomalies proactively and propose solutions
• Contribute to annual budget preparation and financial planning processes
• Support the Director in maintaining consistent operational cashflow — the goal is that each tour’s income funds that tour’s costs, not another tour’s expenses

4b. Per-Tour Financial Management

• Create and manage a budget for each tour before it runs, covering all anticipated income and expenditure
• Track guest payments for each tour through WeTravel (deposits and balances), and ensure payment is correctly allocated to the Tour Delivery account
• Collate and code all supplier invoices and internal cost items (including guide salaries, tips, and in-field expenses) for each tour
• Collate guide expense claims from the field and reconcile against each tour budget
• Produce a final P&L report for each tour upon completion, comparing budget to actuals

4c. Strategic Business Reporting

• Maintain a booking curve tracker that visualises low-cashflow periods across the calendar year, to inform tour scheduling and marketing investment decisions
• Provide financial analysis to support decisions around tour scheduling, marketing resource allocation, and the development of high-value tours to offset lower-margin offerings
• Track the overall business cashflow cycle to help identify and fill revenue gaps with appropriately scheduled public tours

4d. Internal Loans & Asset Tracking

• Track internal loans made by RAW Africa (e.g. equipment or gear purchased for in-country operations such as Kenya camping gear) and ensure repayment is recorded via tour rental income or cost recovery until the loan is fully cleared
• Maintain a vehicle income, usage, and expense tracker across all RAW Africa vehicles, providing the Director with regular ROI reporting per vehicle

5. Multi-Currency & International Operations

• Manage transactions and reporting across multiple currencies (USD, AUD, ETB, KES) with accuracy

6. Supplier & Partner Financial Administration

• Manage financial relationships with in-country business partners and service providers, including Julius, Benja, Juma, Suleiman, Hassan, and Ali
• Ensure supplier payment terms are understood, documented, and adhered to

7. Compliance & Governance

• Ensure financial operations comply with Ethiopian statutory requirements, including tax filings and reporting
• Support annual financial close and any external accounting or audit requirements
• Maintain confidentiality and integrity in all financial matters

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

The right person for this role will bring more than technical finance skills. We are looking for someone who:

• Is deeply trustworthy and holds themselves to a high standard of integrity
• Can have open, direct, and constructive conversations about financial performance — bringing honesty and transparency to their work with the Director
• Is proactive and solutions-oriented — flags issues early and comes with suggestions, not just problems
• Is adaptable and comfortable working across different cultural contexts, including with an Australian-based Director and international guests
• Takes genuine pride in doing careful, accurate work
• Is interested in growing with the organisation and contributing to its long-term sustainability
• Shares or respects RAW Africa’s values around conservation, community, and ethical business practice

WORKING ARRANGEMENTS

This is a full time role based in Addis Ababa. It is designed to suit an experienced finance professional who has previous experience in similar roles and/or working with a variety of clients providing similar financial support.

Regular communication with the Founder (based across RAW Africa’s safari destinations and in Australia) will be conducted via video call, email, and shared platforms such as Google Meet and Google Docs.

• Office-based in Addis Ababa, at RAW Africa’s African headquarters
• Monthly financial reporting to the Director, covering all components listed in the Cashflow Management section. Cashflow review cadence to be agreed with the Director.
• Availability required during key financial periods (end of month, payroll runs, tour billing cycles, WeTravel draw-down windows)
• Role scope and contracted hours are likely to grow as RAW Africa expands its tour program and team

COMPENSATION

RAW Africa Eco-Tours offers an attractive and competitive remuneration package commensurate with experience. We are committed to fair, transparent, and timely payment — and to building a long-term working relationship with the right person.

OUR VALUES

We ask all team members to align with the values that guide everything RAW Africa does:

Essential

• Proven experience in bookkeeping, accounting, or financial management
• Proficiency in Xero (essential) and advanced Excel skills (essential) — both are core tools for this role
• Strong understanding of accounts payable, receivable, payroll, and general ledger management
• Experience working with multiple currencies and international transactions
• High level of accuracy, attention to detail, and organisational discipline
• Comfortable working independently, managing own workload, and maintaining rigorous financial discipline in a fast-moving, multi-destination business
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English
• Trustworthy, discreet, and professional in handling confidential financial information

Desirable

• Formal accounting qualification (e.g. ACCA, CPA, or equivalent)
• Experience working with international or cross-border organisations
• Familiarity with Ethiopian tax law and statutory financial reporting requirements
• Experience in the tourism, hospitality, or NGO/conservation sectors
• Cross-cultural communication experience — particularly with Australian or international counterparts