Head of Strategic Finance, Africa

About Zipline

Through robotics autonomy and advanced logistics we are decarbonizing delivery decreasing road congestion and expanding equitable access to essential goods for billions of people worldwide.

About the Role

Reporting to the Global Head of Strategic Finance this role sits at the intersection of enterprise-wide decision-making and regional execution. Strategic Finance at Zipline owns the companys consolidated business model long-range planning capital allocation and global financial strategy this role is a key leader within that function. You will ensure Africa strategy investments and performance are tightly integrated into Ziplines overall business plan.

This role also carries responsibility for building a small high-impact team. Your team will provide direct embedded partnership to leaders across Africas Go-to-Market Engineering Operations and G&A functions. Driving financial literacy across the organization so teams understand unit economics tradeoffs and long-term implications of their decisions is critical to Zipline Africas success.

What Youll Do

• Own financial strategy planning and performance management for Ziplines Africa business as part of the companys global consolidated business reporting into the Global Head of Strategic Finance.
• Act as a strategic advisor to Ziplines Africa leadership on investment decisions growth strategy unit economics and long-term sustainability.
• Contribute directly to Ziplines enterprise-level strategy long-range planning and capital allocation decisions.
• Develop and maintain long-term financial models to evaluate market strategies expansion plans and new business initiatives.

Planning Forecasting & Performance

• Lead budgeting forecasting and performance analysis for Africa operations within Ziplines global planning framework.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency profitability and capital effectiveness while maintaining operational excellence.
• Translate complex operational and commercial dynamics into clear actionable financial insights for executive and regional leadership.

Operational Finance & Business Partnering

• Serve as a financial thought partner to Africa operations leadership helping teams navigate financial complexity while driving sustainable growth.
• Partner closely with Go-to-Market Engineering Operations Supply Chain Deployment and G&A teams to support cost-effective execution and strong unit economics.
• Work with government donor and commercial partners to structure financially viable contracts and long-term partnerships.

Team Leadership & Strategic Enablement

• Build a small high-caliber team to manage Ziplines Africa business model.
• Provide direct embedded partnership to GTM Engineering Ops and G&A teams to guide strategic choices and investment decisions.
• Drive financial literacy across the organization ensuring leaders and teams understand unit economics tradeoffs and long-term financial implications.
• Establish finance as an enabling function that helps teams move faster and make better decisions while balancing growth and sustainability.
• Set a high bar for analytical rigor clarity of communication and business judgment across the Strategic Finance team.

Accounting Compliance & Controls

• Partner with regional finance and accounting teams to ensure accurate financial reporting efficient close processes and strong internal controls.
• Work with US-based finance leadership to standardize financial practices across global operations.
• Support audits and regulatory engagements; coordinate with local and US-based tax advisors to ensure compliance across African entities.

Scaling Ziplines Platforms

• Lead financial analysis to support the scalability and profitability of Ziplines Platform 1 operations in Africa.
• Evaluate pricing strategies market expansion opportunities and operational tradeoffs to drive sustainable growth.
• Partner cross-functionally to assess the financial feasibility of launching new products and services including Platform 2 in Africa.

What Youll Bring

• 10 years of experience in finance including 5 years in a senior or leadership role.
• Experience supporting or leading finance for a high-growth operations-intensive business (e.g. logistics supply chain manufacturing infrastructure).
• Strong financial modeling forecasting and strategic analysis skills with the ability to operate at both detailed and enterprise levels.
• Experience partnering with international or regional finance teams; exposure to African markets is strongly preferred.
• Experience working with governments as clients or partners including structuring pricing or supporting complex public-sector engagements.
• Experience working with the U.S. government (e.g. federal agencies state or local governments or U.S.-based public-sector programs) is a strong plus.
• Working knowledge of IFRS and familiarity with multi-entity multi-currency environments.
• Proven experience building and leading small high-performing teams.
• Ability to translate complex financial concepts into clear actionable guidance for non-finance partners.
• Strong executive presence communication skills and comfort operating in fast-paced ambiguous environments.
• Experience operating in a matrixed leadership environment balancing enterprise ownership with regional leadership responsibilities.

What Else You Need to Know

The starting cash range for this role is $220000-$250000 plus equity. Please note that this is a target starting cash range for a candidate who meets the minimum qualifications for this role. The final cash pay for this role will depend on a variety of factors including a specific candidates experience qualifications skills working location and projected impact. The total compensation package for this role may also include: discretionary annual or performance bonuses; sales incentives; benefits such as medical dental and vision insurance; paid time off; and more.

Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race color ancestry national origin religion or religious creed mental or physical disability medical condition genetic information sex (including pregnancy childbirth and related medical conditions) sexual orientation gender identity gender expression age marital status military or veteran status citizenship or other characteristics protected by state federal or local law or our other policies.