Fractional Chief Financial & Operations Architect

Role and Responsibilities

• Works closely with the Operations Lead, Chief of Staff, and external legal counsel. 
• No direct reports currently, but may later oversee finance and compliance staff as the organization scales.

• Establish financial governance structures, reporting templates, and monthly close processes to deliver reconciled financials within ten business days of month-end. 
• Implement internal controls for approvals and reconciliations to ensure audit readiness. 
• Develop cash-flow and runway visibility tools for leadership and investor reporting. 
• Define the roadmap for migrating from spreadsheets to an integrated finance and treasury management platform for hybrid fiat and digital assets. 
  
  

• Design the client’s internal fundraising tokenization framework, including token structure, vesting, governance, and integration with financial systems. 
• Coordinate with Swiss legal counsel and other advisors to validate the tokenomics model and ensure compliance with emerging FINMA and MiCA standards. 
• Deliver a tokenization blueprint and phased implementation roadmap by Q2 2026, outlining key milestones, dependencies, and governance implications. 
  
  

• Coordinate Swiss registration with external counsel, ensuring timely incorporation as an association and roadmap to a foundation structure. 
• Expand draft internal policies into a comprehensive governance and compliance framework aligned with Swiss and international standards, covering finance, delegation of authority, procurement, audit, risk, data protection, and ethics. 
• Establish a phased compliance roadmap linking policy priorities to growth and tokenization milestones. 
  
  

• Assess current operational and reporting systems to identify workflow and data inefficiencies. 
• Define the roadmap for a scalable, cloud-based data and reporting architecture integrating financial, operational, and token metrics (potentially overseeing implementation at a later stage). 
• Establish data-governance principles for accuracy, traceability, and accountability. 
• Develop dashboards and reporting routines enabling real-time, data-driven decision-making. 
• Work with the Operations Lead and Chief of Staff to embed data systems and reporting practices into institutional performance routines. 

• Collaborate with the Operations Lead and Chief of Staff to clarify roles, decision rights, and reporting lines across finance, operations, and tokenization to support effective cross-functional governance. 
• Define an organizational framework balancing strategic oversight with lean delivery, with recommendations for future structure by mid-2026. 
• Develop a resourcing plan identifying priority hires or outsourced functions in finance and compliance. 
• Support leadership in embedding coordination mechanisms (e.g., meeting cadence and reporting routines) to ensure operational alignment within three months of onboarding. 

• Immediate (0–3 months): Establish monthly close and reporting routines, implement reconciliations, ensure financial visibility and control, and coordinate Swiss registration progress. 
• Medium Term (3–9 months): Deliver the tokenization blueprint, governance and compliance frameworks, and finance-system roadmap. 
• Longer Term (9–12 months): Drive institutional readiness for finance and compliance system implementation, finalize governance policies, and establish operational reporting dashboards. 

• Monthly close completed within 10 business days. 
• 100% reconciled fiat and crypto balances. 
• 12-month runway visibility updated monthly. 
• High priority compliance and filings completed on time, with phased plan for remaining compliance and governance frameworks to be implemented subsequently. 
• Tokenization roadmap ready for implementation by Q2 2026. 

Requirements

• Minimum 12 years of experience in finance, operations, or institutional development within DFIs, impact investors, or financial technology environments. 
• Demonstrated experience establishing finance, treasury, and governance systems in early-stage or scaling organizations. 
• Prior experience overseeing Swiss or international regulatory compliance and working with legal counsel on registration or foundation structures is highly desirable. 
• Exposure to digital assets, tokenization, or fintech-enabled financial operations preferred. 
• Experience collaborating with multidisciplinary teams across finance, operations, and legal functions. 

• Advanced degree in finance, business administration, economics, or related discipline (MBA or CFA preferred). 
• Strong understanding of financial controls, reporting standards, and audit processes. 
• Familiarity with Swiss governance frameworks, international compliance standards, and digital finance technologies. 
• Proven ability to design and implement integrated financial and operational systems. 
• Exceptional analytical, reporting, and data interpretation skills. 

• Mission-driven and deeply motivated by Africa’s energy and climate transformation. 
• Entrepreneurial and self-directed, with a strong bias for building from the ground up. 
• Strategically minded and execution-focused, able to translate complex objectives into practical financial and operational systems with clear accountability. 
• Collaborative across finance, legal, and technical functions, aligning diverse teams toward shared goals. 
• Adaptable and effective in decentralized, fast-moving digital environments. 
• Globally minded with strong stakeholder engagement skills, able to build trust across investors, partners, and institutional counterparts.