Interim Financial Controller (Fund-Level)

Role and Responsibilities

• Deliver quarterly financial reports, including coordination of inputs, validation of data, and production of decision‑ready outputs. 
• Lead delivery of year‑end financial reporting, including preparation of financial statements and coordination with auditors. 
• Ensure reporting outputs are accurate, timely, and aligned with fund leadership requirements. 

• Resolve outstanding statutory and tax registration issues and unblock delayed filings. 
• Ensure ongoing compliance with relevant statutory, tax, and regulatory requirements. 
• Coordinate statutory submissions and regulatory interactions as required.  

• Establish and maintain a clear reporting and compliance calendar covering quarterly reporting, statutory filings, and year-end activities. 
• Establish a repeatable quarterly and annual reporting cadence, templates, and timelines. 
• Design and document core finance processes, controls, and handover materials. 
• Clarify roles, responsibilities, and handoffs across reporting and compliance activities to reduce dependency risk and execution friction. 

• Act as the day‑to‑day integrator between fund leadership, the third‑party CFO service provider, and the fund administrator. 
• Manage timelines, inputs, and outputs across all finance service providers. 
• Provide hands‑on oversight of the general ledger, trial balance, and supporting schedules. 

Requirements

• 8+ years experience in financial control, fund finance, or a closely related role. 
• Prior exposure to private equity or investment fund environments strongly preferred. 
• Experience working in African markets, including familiarity with local regulatory, tax, and operating environments, is advantageous. 

• Professionally qualified accountant (e.g. CA(SA), ACCA, CPA, or equivalent) preferred. 
• Strong working knowledge of South African statutory, tax, and compliance requirements. 
• Hands-on experience with Xero (or similar accounting platforms). 
• Ability to diagnose finance and compliance issues quickly and drive resolution independently. 
• Prior audit-trained background or experience working closely with external auditors is an advantage. 

• Strong ownership mindset with accountability for end-to-end delivery. 
• Comfortable operating in ambiguous, fast-moving environments with multiple stakeholders. 
• Confident working with senior leadership and external service providers. 
• Highly organised, with the ability to manage parallel reporting, compliance, and coordination workstreams. 
• Clear, structured communicator able to translate complex finance topics into practical implications. 

About
Allied Talent Partners (ATP), a Three Cairns Group initiative, is a mission-driven, not-for-profit talent marketplace focused on solving the human capital bottlenecks slowing down sustainable development efforts in emerging economies, with an initial focus on Africa.  ATP connects vetted, experienced, context-relevant professionals to high-impact opportunities in energy access and sustainable development – strengthening local capacity and fuelling economic vitality. We specialize in fixed-term, deliverable-driven engagements – from interim leadership and generalist projects to niche technical expertise – handling project scoping, talent vetting and matching, contracting, payroll, and compliance so that our clients can focus on impact.