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Financial Manager

Shipping & Maritime Logistics Company

DepartmentFinance & AccountsReports ToManaging Director / General ManagerDirect ReportsAccountants, Accounts Payable/Receivable staff, Treasury & Payroll officersLocationHead office, with periodic travel to ports, terminals, and vessel/branch officesEmployment TypeFull-time, permanent

Job Summary

The Financial Manager is responsible for the financial health, integrity, and strategic financial direction of the shipping company. This role leads financial planning, accounting, budgeting, treasury, and risk management across the company's shipping, chartering, freight, and logistics operations. The Financial Manager ensures accurate cost accounting for vessel voyages, freight and charter revenue, bunker (fuel) and port expenses, and compliance with maritime, tax, and international financial regulations, while providing the executive team and board with reliable financial insight to support commercial and operational decision-making.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

1. Financial Planning, Budgeting & Analysis

• Prepare annual budgets, voyage/route profitability forecasts, and rolling cash-flow projections for the fleet and shore operations.
• Conduct variance analysis comparing actual results against budget, prior periods, and industry benchmarks; report findings to senior management.
• Develop financial models to evaluate new trade routes, vessel acquisitions or charters (time charter vs. voyage charter vs. bareboat), and fleet expansion or disposal decisions.
• Support pricing, tendering, and freight-rate decisions with cost and margin analysis.

2. Accounting, Financial Reporting & Compliance

• Oversee preparation of monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements in accordance with IFRS/GAAP, including consolidation of multi-entity and multi-currency accounts where applicable.
• Ensure accurate accounting for voyage revenue, freight income, demurrage/despatch, charter-hire, agency fees, and vessel operating costs.
• Manage fixed-asset and vessel depreciation accounting, dry-docking provisions, and lease accounting for chartered vessels and equipment (e.g., IFRS 16).
• Coordinate statutory audits, internal audits, and liaise with external auditors, tax authorities, and regulatory bodies.
• Ensure compliance with local tax law, customs and port authority requirements, VAT/duties, and international shipping tax conventions (e.g., tonnage tax where applicable).

3. Treasury, Cash & Working Capital Management

• Manage daily cash flow, banking relationships, letters of credit, and trade finance facilities used to fund bunkers, port disbursements, and vessel operating expenses.
• Monitor and manage foreign-exchange exposure arising from freight billed in multiple currencies, bunker purchases, and charter-hire payments; recommend hedging strategies.
• Oversee accounts receivable (freight billing and collections from shippers, charterers, and agents) and accounts payable (port disbursements, bunker suppliers, ship agents, P&I clubs).
• Manage loan covenants, vessel financing/mortgage facilities, and relationships with banks and financial institutions.

4. Cost Control & Voyage/Vessel Accounting

• Track and control voyage costs, including bunker fuel, port and canal dues, pilotage, towage, stevedoring, agency fees, and crewing costs.
• Analyze fleet operating costs (OPEX) per vessel and per voyage; identify cost-saving opportunities across the fleet.
• Monitor bunker fuel price trends and consumption to support procurement and hedging decisions.
• Review and validate charter-party terms, laytime/demurrage calculations, and freight settlements for financial accuracy.

5. Risk Management & Insurance

• Identify, assess, and mitigate financial risks including credit risk (charterer/shipper default), FX risk, fuel-price risk, and interest-rate risk.
• Coordinate marine insurance, hull & machinery, P&I (Protection & Indemnity) club cover, and cargo insurance renewals and claims from a financial standpoint.
• Maintain internal controls and financial policies to safeguard company assets and ensure compliance with anti-money-laundering, sanctions (OFAC/EU), and IMO/regulatory requirements.

6. Leadership & Stakeholder Management

• Lead, mentor, and develop the finance and accounting team; set performance objectives and oversee recruitment and training.
• Act as a key financial advisor to the CFO, Managing Director, and department heads (Operations, Chartering, Commercial) on financial implications of business decisions.
• Present financial performance, forecasts, and risk exposure to the board of directors, shareholders, and external stakeholders such as lenders, insurers, and classification societies.
• Liaise with shipping agents, port authorities, charterers, freight forwarders, and regulatory bodies on financial and commercial matters.

7. Systems & Process Improvement

• Drive the implementation and optimization of financial and ERP/maritime accounting systems (e.g., voyage/vessel management and accounting software).
• Continuously improve financial processes, reporting automation, and internal controls to increase efficiency and accuracy.

Qualifications & Requirements

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field (required).
• Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA) or Finance is an advantage.

Professional Certification

• Professional accounting qualification such as CPA, ACCA, CMA, or CFA (required or strongly preferred).
• Familiarity with maritime-specific certifications or training (e.g., shipping finance, chartering, or maritime economics courses) is a plus.

Experience

• Minimum 7–10 years of progressive experience in financial management, accounting, or controllership, including at least 3–5 years in a managerial role.
• Prior experience within the shipping, maritime, logistics, freight forwarding, or port operations industry is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience with voyage accounting, charter-party financials, multi-currency consolidation, and trade finance instruments (LCs, bank guarantees).

Skills & Competencies

• In-depth knowledge of IFRS/GAAP, corporate tax, and treasury management principles.
• Strong analytical and financial-modeling skills, including proficiency in Excel and financial/ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, or maritime accounting platforms such as Veson, DNV Navigator, or similar).
• Solid understanding of shipping industry commercial terms: charter parties, Incoterms, bills of lading, laytime, demurrage/despatch, and bunker markets.
• Strong leadership, team management, and cross-functional communication skills.
• High attention to detail, integrity, and sound judgment in financial decision-making.
• Excellent negotiation skills for banking, insurance, and supplier relationships.
• Fluent in English (written and spoken); additional languages relevant to trade routes are an advantage.
• Ability to work under pressure and manage tight reporting deadlines in a fast-paced, 24/7 operational environment.