CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER (CFO)
KOTO Inc.
Reports to:
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Function:
Arm 4 - Strategic Shared Services
Level:
C-Level
Scope:
KOTO Group - Multi-entity, Multi-site
Location:
Vietnam, with regional and international stakeholder responsibilities
1. ABOUT NEW KOTO
Founded in 1999, KOTO -
"Know One, Teach One"
- is Vietnam's pioneering social enterprise dedicated to transforming the lives of at-risk and disadvantaged youth through hospitality and vocational training, education, and life-skills development.
For more than two decades, KOTO has empowered nearly 2,000 young people to build better futures for themselves, their families, and their communities.
KOTO is more than an organisation. It is a movement built on
dignity, opportunity, and the belief that once helped, we have a responsibility to help others - "Once Helped, Help Others."
KOTO is now entering a new chapter - evolving from a
founder-led social enterprise into a more
integrated, accountable, financially sustainable, and scalable organisation
, while protecting the mission, culture, and humanity that have defined KOTO since 1999.
The New KOTO operating model consists of four interconnected Arms:
Arm 1 - Operations & Enterprise
Restaurants, commercial operations, and operational excellence.
Arm 2 - Training & School
Recruitment of disadvantaged youth, vocational training, life skills, certification, and pathways to employment.
Arm 3 - Growth & Ecosystem
Business development, strategic partnerships, fundraising, ecosystem development, brand, and growth.
Arm 4 - Strategic Shared Services
People & Culture, Finance, Legal & Compliance, Internal Audit, IT/Systems, Procurement, and other organisational support functions.
The four Arms operate as
one KOTO
, under a common strategy, governance framework, performance management system, and culture of accountability.
Our Vision
We aspire for an all-inclusive world in which no one is left behind, where every individual from all backgrounds thrives and inspires through lasting life-changing journey and empowerment.
Our Mission
As Vietnam's first social enterprise, KOTO empowers disadvantaged communities with transformative platforms and pathways, instilling the "once helped, help others" ethos with passion, innovation, and responsibility.
Our Values
Respect everyone's dignity & self-worth.
Act with
professionalism
& lead by example.
Be driven by
passion
& purpose.
Love ourselves & the KOTO family.
Innovative approach to action.
KOTO's transformation is guided by one fundamental principle:
Professionalisation without dehumanisation.
2. JOB DESCRIPTION The
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
will work directly with the CEO to build and lead KOTO's group-wide financial architecture, financial management capability, controls and financial discipline.
This role is for someone who is both
strategic and hands-on
, building the systems, people and financial discipline needed so that KOTO's mission and growth ambitions are supported by financial sustainability, reliable information, commercial discipline, effective controls and evidence-based decision-making.
The role connects
Strategy → Revenue → Cost → Margin → Cash → Forecast → Capital → Control → Decision → Sustainable Growth
Key Responsibilities
Develop KOTO's
group-wide financial strategy
; translate strategic priorities into budgets, forecasts, financial scenarios and resource requirements; support the CEO in balancing
mission, growth and financial sustainability
.
Establish clear P&L accountability and financial visibility across KOTO entities and operating units; provide management with timely insight into revenue, COGS, labour cost, gross margin, contribution margin, operating expenses, cash performance and budget/forecast variance.
Work with Arm 1, Arm 2 and Arm 3 to strengthen restaurant economics, cost control and profitability , clarify the economics and resource needs of KOTO's training mission, and assess commercial opportunities, funding proposals, partnerships and growth initiatives.
Lead
annual budgeting and rolling forecasting
; develop reliable
Flash P&L, cash forecast and management reporting
; identify material variances early and ensure specific corrective actions are assigned:
Actual → Budget/Forecast → Variance → Root Cause → Impact → Corrective Action
Develop and maintain group-wide
financial policies, SOPs and internal controls
; establish approval controls, segregation of duties and the
Delegation of Authority (DOA)
framework; reduce manual processes, fragmented spreadsheets and inconsistent financial data.
Ensure accurate, complete and timely
accounting, treasury and cash management
, including cash flow, working capital, liquidity and monthly, quarterly and annual financial closing.
Strengthen KOTO's management of
COGS and unit economics
; work with Operations and Procurement to establish recipe/BOM costing, analyse price variance and usage/yield variance, identify margin leakage and develop practical corrective actions.
Ensure
compliance with Vietnamese accounting, tax and financial regulatory requirements; coordinate with external auditors, tax advisers and other professional advisers; provide transparent financial reporting to the CEO and Board.
Prepare KOTO for
investment, strategic partnerships, franchising, financing and due diligence
; develop financial models for new ventures and expansion; ensure the financial components of donor, grant, impact and ESG reporting are accurate, transparent and auditable.
Build and lead a strong group-wide
Finance function
; coach
General Accountants and finance leaders, build succession, and improve financial literacy among non-finance leaders.
Work closely with the
Enterprise Control Unit (ECU)
to digitise and progressively integrate financial information and workflows - dashboards, approvals, financial data - without compromising accounting integrity, controls, security or auditability.
Act as the
CEO's principal financial adviser
: provide independent, evidence-based financial challenge and recommendations, work across all four Arms, and escalate material financial risks early.
The CFO is expected to say not only
what happened
, but also:
Why it happened → What it means → What happens next → What management should do
Finance owns the integrity of financial information. ECU enables the systems, integration and automation.
3. COMPETENCY & EXPERIENCE
KOTO is looking for candidates with
senior-level finance leadership experience in one or more of the following areas:
Strategic Finance | Financial Planning & Analysis | Accounting & Reporting | Financial Controls & Governance | Cash & Treasury | Investment Readiness The ideal candidate should demonstrate:
At least
5 years of experience in a similar role
(
CFO, Finance Director or senior finance leader
) in a multi-entity, growth-stage or multi-site organisation.
A track record of building or significantly improving
finance functions, policies, controls and management systems
.
Strong understanding of
Vietnamese accounting, tax and regulatory requirements
.
Ability to build
budgets, forecasts and scenarios and to provide decision-oriented financial analysis.
Understanding of
restaurant economics, revenue, COGS, labour cost, margin, capacity and unit economics
.
Ability to manage
cash, liquidity and working capital
, and to build scalable policies, controls and DOA.
Ability to use systems, automation and management information to improve financial control and decision-making.
Ability to work with the CEO, C-Level, Board, auditors, investors and international stakeholders, with Vietnamese and English communication appropriate to the role.
Ability to develop Finance teams and improve the financial literacy of
business leaders.
Ability to convert financial priorities into:
Priority → Owner → Target → Deadline → Measure → Corrective Action
Experience in F&B, hospitality, retail or multi-site operations is highly desirable.
Experience in investment readiness, due diligence, fundraising, partnerships, franchising or business expansion is an advantage.
Integrity, humility and accountability, with strong alignment to KOTO's mission and its Know One, Teach One philosophy.
The Person We Are Looking For
This is not a traditional finance and accounting role focused only on recording and reporting historical results.
KOTO is looking for a
forward-looking finance leader
- a builder of financial systems and capability, a guardian of financial integrity, a commercially minded partner to the CEO and the business, and a teacher who develops stronger financial capability across the organisation.
Someone who can balance
Mission + Sustainability + Growth + Accountability The New KOTO CFO standard is:
Know the Numbers → Understand the Business → Anticipate the Future → Challenge the Assumptions → Enable the Decision → Protect the Mission.
The mindset we are looking for:
Integrity first - protect the credibility of KOTO's financial information.
Know the numbers, and know the business behind them.
Independent, evidence-based advice - even when the message is difficult.
See risks and opportunities before they become historical results.
Use financial expertise to strengthen the whole of KOTO - Know One, Teach One.
4. HOW TO APPLY
Please send your
CV and
letter of interest to
[protected info]
.
This position will remain open until filled.
Candidates who meet the requirements will be contacted for an interview within one week of submitting their application.