Financial Controller

Buffalo Bicycles is a for-profit social enterprise addressing mobility challenges in low-income countries. It delivers these solutions through its purpose-built flagship product, the Buffalo Bicycle, which is specifically engineered for challenging rural environments with low quality infrastructure. The bicycle is designed to be highly durable, capable of carrying heavy loads, and easy to repair using locally available tools and parts. Through this approach, Buffalo Bicycles provides a high quality product at an accessible price point for rural communities.

Buffalo Bicycles is owned by World Bicycle Relief, a non-profit organisation whose donors and partners are focused on the reduction of mobility poverty and improving access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunity through better transportation. By enabling reliable and affordable mobility, the organisation helps students reach school, healthcare workers access remote communities, and farmers and small businesses connect with markets.

About the role 

The Controller is the senior finance operations leader for Buffalo Bicycle Limited – 23M budget for 2026, responsible for ensuring accurate financial reporting, consolidation, compliance, and controls across all markets where the social enterprise operates.

Reporting directly to the Executive Director of Finance and Administration, the Controller oversees multi-country accounting operations, multi-currency consolidations, and statutory and regulatory compliance.

This role ensures that Buffalo Bicycle Limited maintains strong financial processes and integrity while supporting operational growth and long-term sustainability.

Key dimensions of the role

1. Financial Management & Reporting

• Oversee accounting, treasury, and financial reporting for Buffalo Bicycle Limited and its subsidiaries.
• Ensure accurate, timely consolidation of financials across multiple countries and currencies.
• Lead the month-end and year-end close processes, ensuring consistency and adherence to standards.
• Coordinate and manage the annual budgeting process, ensuring timely, accurate submissions from all countries and alignment with organisational guidance.
• Manage inter-company transactions, transfer pricing, reconciliations, and complex entity structures.
• Prepare financial reports and analysis to support decision-making by the Executive Director of Finance and Administration and senior leadership.

2. Financial Controls & Compliance

• Maintain and strengthen internal control frameworks across all financial operations.
• Oversee internal and external audits and track remediation of findings.
• Ensure compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements across all jurisdictions.
• Develop and enforce accounting policies, procedures, and documentation standards.

3. Risk Management

• Identify and mitigate financial and operational risks across markets.
• Ensure transparency, documentation, and control around inter-company and cross-border transactions.
• Support enterprise-wide risk assessments, governance improvements, and policy implementation.

4. Team Leadership & Development

• Lead and mentor 7 Country-Level Financial Controllers in a matrix environment.
• Foster a culture of accountable empowerment, financial discipline, and continuous improvement.
• Strengthen financial capacity across countries through training, coaching, and standardized processes.

5. Collaboration & Business Support

• Partner with Retail, Supply Chain, and Operations teams to ensure finance supports commercial and operational goals.
• Provide timely financial insights to inform decisions and improve performance.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to country leadership on accounting, compliance, and financial operations.
• Translate the strategy and director of Buffalo Bicycles into the direction of finance.

Skills and experience

• Proven experience as a Controller, Finance Manager, or senior accounting leader in a multinational organisation or social enterprise.
• Proven expertise in multi-currency financial management, consolidations, transfer pricing, and inter-company accounting.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and mentor geographically dispersed finance teams.
• Exceptional ability in communication, financial analysis, technical accounting, and organisational leadership.
• Deep understanding of hybrid nonprofit and commercial enterprise financial models strongly preferred.
• Experience with impact investment, blended finance, or social enterprise models strongly preferred.
• Undergraduate degree in accounting strongly preferred.
• Advanced degree strongly preferred: CPA, ACA, ACCA, or MBA.

Personal Attributes

• Consistency: Own and deliver high professional standards monthly.
• Humility: have the attitude of consistent learning and coachability.
• Balance sheet oriented: wants to know how things work and ensure they are working.
• Culture driven: treats people and local cultures with respect.
• Integrity: Upholds the highest ethical standards in all financial activities.
• People-Driven: Invests in and develops finance teams across countries and cultures.
• Accountable Empowerment: Encourages autonomy with clear expectations.
• Dynamic Collaboration: Works effectively across functions and geographies.
• Relentless Learning: Continuously improves systems, processes, and skills.
• Detail-oriented, analytical, and comfortable in fast-paced, multicultural environments.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Research shows that individuals from underrepresented groups are less likely to apply for roles unless they meet every listed qualification. At Millar Cameron, we are committed to supporting our clients in building diverse and inclusive teams. If you’re enthusiastic about this role but don’t meet every requirement, we still encourage you to apply - you could be exactly what our client is looking for, either for this position or another.

Please note that due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are only able to respond to candidates who are shortlisted for the next stage of the process. We sincerely appreciate your interest and the time taken to apply.

Since 2007 Millar Cameron has specialised in sourcing leadership and keyperson talent across a number of industries, including agribusiness, international development, industrial, consumer, financial and professional services, private equity, and technology, media and telecommunications. Our mission and purpose is to positively contribute to the development of Africa, and other emerging markets, through the provision of people.