Accountant / Financial Manager

SUMMARY:
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POSITION INFO:
The Accountant \/ Financial Manager is responsible for the management, control, review and accuracy of the company financial function. This is an accounting management role focused on financial reporting, governance, compliance, audit readiness, cash flow oversight, financial risk management and management support. At commencement, this role will not have direct people reporting into it. Day-to-day operational finance activities, including routine debtor, creditor, bookkeeping, billing and administrative finance processes, will be overseen by the Finance Team Lead and the Operational Head. The Accountant \/ Financial Manager remains accountable for reviewing the financial outputs, identifying risks, ensuring accounting accuracy and escalating issues before deadlines or financial outcomes are compromised. Duties & Responsibilities Management Scope and Accountability Manage the accounting control environment, not the daily operational processing team. Review and validate finance outputs produced by the finance team, Finance Team Lead, Operational Head and external service providers. Ensure management accounts, group reporting, balance sheet reconciliations, tax compliance, audit files and financial governance are accurate, complete and delivered on time. Provide management with financial insight, variance analysis, cash flow visibility, risk escalation and commercial support. Develop and maintain financial calendars, review processes, SOPs and control checks to ensure deadlines are met and errors are reduced. Escalate unresolved operational finance issues, recurring errors, control weaknesses or deadline risks to management timeously.   Key Responsibilities Financial reporting: prepare or review monthly management accounts, flash reports, variance analysis, financial commentary and complete reporting packs. Group reporting: prepare and submit accurate group reporting packs using CaseWare or other Group-required systems, and respond to Group finance queries. Balance sheet control: review reconciliations, working papers and schedules; ensure all balances are supported, accurate and cleared where required. Budgeting and analysis: coordinate budgets, forecasts, budget-versus-actual reviews, margin analysis, pricing support and financial modelling. Cash flow and working capital: review cash flow forecasts, debtor ageing, collections versus billing, liquidity risks and working capital trends. Debtors, creditors and billing oversight: review accuracy, completeness and reconciliation of debtor, creditor, revenue, billing and bookkeeping outputs. Tax and statutory compliance: ensure VAT, income tax, SARS matters, CIPC\/company secretarial requirements and other statutory deadlines are managed and met. Banking and treasury oversight: review bank reconciliations, liquidity, payment controls, bank mandates, covenant calculations and supporting documentation. Audit readiness: prepare audit files, coordinate audit evidence, liaise with auditors, resolve audit queries and maintain year-round audit readiness. Governance and risk: maintain financial risk reporting, participate in risk reviews, monitor control weaknesses and support finance governance. CAPEX and assets: maintain fixed asset records, review additions, disposals, depreciation, capitalisation and CAPEX reporting. Payroll and commissions: review payroll outputs, journals, reconciliations and sales commission calculations for accuracy and compliance with approved structures.   Reporting Requirements Weekly: KPI scorecard, debtor ageing\/DSO, cash flow review, financial calendar, risk items and critical finance deliverables. Monthly: management accounts, balance sheet reconciliations, group reporting pack, variance analysis, cash flow review, debtor and working capital review, and management commentary. Quarterly: risk register input, governance reporting, banking covenant reporting where applicable, and strategic financial review support. Annually: budget preparation, year-end audit support, annual financial statement support, tax planning, insurance review and SOP review.   Key Performance Indicators Monthly management accounts and flash reporting completed within agreed deadlines. Financial reporting accuracy of 98% to 100%, with complete supporting schedules and reconciliations. Group reporting deadlines met 100% of the time. VAT, tax, SARS, CIPC and statutory deadlines met with zero avoidable compliance breaches. Debtors, creditors, billing and bookkeeping outputs reviewed with errors identified and corrected timeously. Cash flow and liquidity risks identified and escalated before they become failures. Audit readiness maintained throughout the year, with minimal audit findings due to internal errors. Financial risks, unreconciled items, control weaknesses and deadline risks escalated proactively. Desired Experience & Qualification Required Experience and Qualifications Matric BCom Accounting, BCom Financial Management or equivalent qualification preferred. Postgraduate degrees are advantageous Professional accounting qualification or designation required or strongly preferred, including SAICA, SAIPA or CIMA qualification\/designation. Over 3 years of post-article experience Strong accounting and financial management experience, including management accounts, reconciliations and financial reporting. Experience with group reporting, audit preparation, budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis and cash flow oversight. Sound knowledge of IFRS, South African tax, VAT, SARS requirements and statutory compliance. Experience reviewing debtor, creditor, billing, bookkeeping, payroll and commission outputs. Strong working knowledge of IFRS, CaseWare and Pastel Evolution required, together with advanced Excel and financial modelling skills. Telecommunications, technology, infrastructure or group company experience are advantageous.   Behavioural Expectations: Strong ownership of financial accuracy, deadlines and governance outcomes. Commercial awareness and ability to support management decision-making. High attention to detail, confidentiality, integrity and professionalism. Ability to work with operational finance teams, senior management, auditors, banks, SARS, service providers and Group finance. Ability to lead through process, review, controls and accountability, even where direct people management is not part of the initial role   Non-Negotiables: No missed critical reporting, tax or statutory deadlines. No unmanaged unreconciled balances or unresolved material financial discrepancies. No failure to escalate financial risks before deadlines fail or losses occur. No unauthorised storage, sharing or handling of confidential financial information. Full accountability for financial reporting, control, governance and management support outputs. Package & Remuneration R55 000 pm – R75 000 pm (depending on experience and qualifications) Interested? Shortlisted applicants will be contacted within 2 weeks, if you do not hear from us by then your application for this position was unsuccessful, but you have been added to our database for future vacancies.