Karnot closes its Series A round and needs a CFO on day one of that new chapter. Not in six months when everything is running smoothly, and not as a back-office appointment — as an executive who owns the financial strategy, manages the investor relationship, and runs the treasury across three entities from the moment the funds land. The Series A is both the trigger and the context: the CFO must be someone who has lived through a funding round on the company side and knows what the post-close priorities actually are.
The role covers the full CFO mandate: financial model ownership and scenario planning, quarterly investor reporting and board pack preparation, annual statutory audit across PH, UK, and Malaysia entities, treasury management and FX risk, Series B preparation from the moment Series A closes, and team build (Finance Manager and Accountant reporting into the CFO function). You will inherit a Bookkeeper and a clean set of management accounts — the function is structured, not chaotic. You build on that foundation rather than starting from rubble.
Founder control is a non-negotiable principle at Karnot. The CFO role is advisory and operational — not a route to governance influence that could dilute or constrain the founder's authority. Candidates who are comfortable with that structure and motivated by building genuine enterprise value in a mission-driven company will find this an outstanding opportunity.
Because the post-close period after a Series A is operationally intense in ways that are only understood from direct experience. Drawdown conditions, investor reporting cadences, covenant compliance, new board dynamics, treasury management with freshly received capital, and preparing for the first audit under institutional scrutiny — these are things a CFO who has been through a raise knows intuitively. Karnot cannot afford a learning curve at that moment. Candidates who have managed a raise as advisors or investors are valuable in other contexts, but not as Karnot's post-Series-A CFO.
It means the CFO role is operational and advisory — not a governance lever. The CFO builds financial strategy, manages investors, and provides analytical input to decisions. Final commercial and strategic decisions rest with the founder-CEO. This is explicitly the structure. Candidates who expect to accumulate governance influence over time, or who view the CFO role as a stepping stone to a power-sharing arrangement, are the wrong fit. Candidates who want to build a great finance function and be well-rewarded for it without political maneuvering are the right fit.
Karnot's Series A is planned to close in FY28 (the financial year beginning July 2027). Target raise size and structure are not published publicly — they will be discussed in confidence with shortlisted CFO candidates as part of the conversation. Candidates who register interest now will be invited into early conversations in FY27 as the fundraise preparation accelerates.
The equity package is structured as an ESOP tranche or direct share allocation, with a standard vesting period. The percentage is meaningful — not a token award. The specific structure, strike price (for options), and vesting schedule will be negotiated at offer stage and documented in a separate equity agreement alongside the employment contract. Candidates who are interested in the equity component are encouraged to raise it directly in initial conversations — Karnot is transparent about equity, not coy about it.
The CFO starts post-Series A close in Q3 FY28. Early conversations are welcome now — this role requires the right relationship, not just the right CV. We read every application personally.
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