Summary
Calo is a personalized meal-planning app that has expanded across seven countries and is now growing into retail and other verticals. The Chief Financial Officer will lead financial strategy and IPO readiness, oversee planning, reporting, finance systems, compliance and treasury, and advise the CEO, board and investors. The role leads a finance team of more than 15 professionals and owns a P&L at a stated $200M+ revenue scale. The posting lists Dubai, Seef and Riyadh as locations and values GCC leadership experience, with Saudi IPO and Tadawul familiarity as a strong plus.
The posting
As published on calo.app. Pulled from the employer's site and shown as they wrote it.
About Calo (more here)
Calo is an app providing personalized meal plans for busy people through nutritional algorithms, built with love by chefs, nutritionists, and software engineers.
Launched in Bahrain in 2019, we have since expanded to 7 countries, delivered millions of meals to our customers, and are now expanding our mission of making healthy easy to retail and other verticals.
We're on a noble mission to make healthy easy. We think this is one of the most important problems to tackle in our world today. We have global ambitions - no small thinking here.
Why This Role Matters
We're building the financial engine for what comes next.
Calo has grown fast. Now we need to grow smart. The next 2–3 years are defined by one mission: getting IPO-ready, tightening financial architecture, building world-class governance, and making the profitability story as compelling as the growth story.
Strong finance leadership is already in place. Your job is to elevate what exists, bridge leadership and the board, and build the systems that take us public.
What You’ll Do
Financial Strategy & IPO Readiness
This is your north star mission for the next two to three years. You will lead Calo's financial strategy with a clear eye on public-market readiness.
- Own and execute the financial roadmap toward a Calo IPO
- Strengthen profitability levers across all markets, unit economics, cost discipline, and margin improvement
- Build investor-grade reporting, financial models, and board-level narrative
- Ensure financial governance, audit readiness, and internal controls are at public-company standard
- Lead capital allocation strategy and advise on future funding or M&A decisions
- Saudi IPO experience is a significant plus, familiarity with Tadawul listing requirements and the KSA regulatory environment is highly valued
Financial Planning & Analysis
Drive the analytical engine that powers sound business decisions across Calo.
- Lead annual budgeting, forecasting, and long-range financial planning across all seven markets
- Own the P&L ($200M+ revenue scale) with a deep understanding of B2C subscription economics
- Partner with business unit leaders to translate financial data into actionable insights
- Build KPI frameworks that drive accountability and performance across geographies
- Deliver clear, concise financial reporting to the executive team and board
Finance Operations, Systems & Compliance
Build the infrastructure that a world-class, IPO-ready finance function requires.
- Own Calo's ERP and financial systems end-to-end, ensuring scalability, accuracy, and efficiency
- Ensure full compliance with local regulations, tax obligations, and statutory requirements across all operating markets
- Oversee treasury management, cash flow planning, and FX risk across seven countries
- Build and maintain SOPs that create consistency and accountability across geographies
- Drive automation and AI adoption within the finance function to increase team efficiency
People Leadership & Team Development
You'll lead a team of 15+ finance professionals across two functions, Finance (FP&A & Business) and Finance Operations. Your job is to elevate them, not just manage them.
- Directly lead two Directors who own Finance and Finance Operations respectively
- Build a team culture grounded in psychological safety, high performance, and genuine care
- Develop team members' strategic thinking and deepen their functional expertise
- Champion the adoption of AI and automation tools within the team
- Fill two open senior roles (GL & Reporting lead, Tax & Stat Manager) with great talent
Board, Stakeholder & Cross-functional Leadership
You will be the financial voice of Calo, internally and externally.
- Serve as a trusted thought partner to the CEO and executive leadership team
- Lead board-level financial presentations with clarity, credibility, and conviction
- Build strong working relationships with legal, operations, and commercial leadership
- Represent Calo's financial story to investors, auditors, and external partners
- Navigate occasional productive disagreements, and always land on the right decision for the business
From an experience standpoint
- Current or recent CFO / Head of Finance owning the full finance function
- Strong B2C experience with subscriptions, customer economics, and consumer scale
- $200M+ P&L ownership or similar commercial complexity
- Built or scaled finance systems (ERP, reporting, controls, compliance)
- Strong board-level communication and executive presence
- Experience leading regional teams across the GCC
- Deep understanding of GCC tax, statutory, and market dynamics
- Startup / scale-up leadership experience; corporate-only background likely not enough
- Saudi market exposure and Tadawul IPO familiarity is a strong plus
- IPO and/or M&A experience is a bonus
- Excited about using AI to modernize finance
From who you are as a person
- You listen first and understand before acting
- Humble, secure, and focused on the best idea winning
- Organized and disciplined without being rigid
- You care genuinely about the people you lead
- Comfortable working closely with founders and strong personalities
- Willing to challenge what doesn’t make sense
- Curious, adaptable, and future-focused
- Interested in helping shape what finance can become through AI
The Hiring Journey
Screening meeting with TA
Intro Call with leadership team
Chemistry check with CEO
Technical call
Board interview
Culture-fit interview
Offer stage