Group Financial Director

SUMMARY:
Our well established commercial vehicle dealer client based in Johannesburg currently holds a vacancy for an experienced Group Financial Director.

POSITION INFO:

Our well established commercial vehicle dealer client based in Johannesburg currently holds a vacancy for an experienced Group Financial Director.

Job Description
The Group Financial Director is responsible for overseeing the accurate and timely reporting of their Trucks Division financial results and performance.
The individual is the custodian of the Internal Control environment within their truck operations which includes ensuring that internal controls are operating effectively as intended, monitor adherence to internal controls by the greater workforce and take remedial actions where required in order to enforce company policy.

Position Overview
Financial Reporting:
• Sign off of monthly flash and final reported numbers together with Executive Head.
• Attend monthly internal flash review meeting and present monthly results for their Trucks Retail operations.
• Conduct monthly analytical review of financial results and compare against budgets/prior year/industry movements/manufacturer targets.
• Providing guidance to RFMs & FMs on application of their accounting policies and taking the lead on complex accounting / finance related matters.
• Ensure that monthly reported figures accurately and fairly present the results of the business operations.
• Communicate with IT, business heads and finance teams any issues or challenges identified relating to the DMS (Drive).
• Give guidance on what is expected to be included in monthly General Ledger file recons and monitor that the files and related information are of a high standard.
• Ensuring that monthly review notes raised in General ledger reviews and other operational reviews are acted upon and closed timeously.
• Preparation of annual budgets and forecasts based on inputs from within their division/
• Operationalise and interpret budgets for DPs and departmental heads.
• Assist in preparation of annual financial statements by facilitating an easy and efficient flow of information between their trucks Head Office and dealership accountants.

Management and Oversight:
• Provide guidance and support for FMs in the performance and execution of their duties.
• Overseeing the smooth flow of information between FMs and DPs to ensure that relevant information and insights are available at all times to aid speedy and decisive decision making.
• The role reports directly to the Franchise Director.
• Discuss with management any operational or financial concerns (at individual dealer level) relating to the performance of any dealership.
• Responsible for succession planning within their trucks Operations finance team and ensuring that individuals are appropriately qualified and capable of carrying out jobs them are employed for.
• Strictly monitor overheads and ensure that spend is in line with budget and take the initiative in driving cost savings when there is an opportunity to do so.
• Assist Retail Executive in formulating and reviewing incentive structures and ensure that FMs understand the structures and are able to calculate the related payouts.
• Responsible for the accounting function their trucks Head Office and ensuring that all financial transactions relating to this entity are recorded timeously and accurately.
• Monitor individual dealer debt levels and ensure that any deviations against budget are highlighted and reported to RRSA CFO.
• Conduct performance reviews (half-yearly) for FMs against required level of performance and ensure that underperformance is identified and remedial action taken.
• Prepare monthly operations reports and quarterly board reports for their trucks showing financial performance and operational highlights
Specific Role Responsibilities
Internal Control and Governance:
• Overseeing the design and implementation of internal controls and ensuring that the control environment including related review mechanisms are designed to adequately and timeously address any non-adherence with internal controls or detected ineffectiveness.
• Represent their Trucks in quarterly Finance and Risk Review Committee meetings (Chaired by their representative)
• Be the 1st point of contact for any matters that need to be escalated upwards by internal or external auditors.
• Sign off on all internal and external audit reports and ensure that any findings are addressed timeously and remedial action is applied across their operations.
• Actioning and resolving any control deficiencies identified or pointed out by auditors or employees.
• Perform dealer visits and discuss with management areas of concern picked up or highlighted during FM dealership reviews/visits.
• Championing the implementation of new policies and ensuring that FM’s understand all company policies and what risk they are intended to address.

Working Capital Management:
• Calculate, analyse and report monthly working capital ratios for review by management.
• Be the escalation point for finance teams for debtors’ accounts where set credit parameters have not been complied with.
• Directly engage with manufacturer sales teams for any rebate claims denied or not paid.
• Ensure that procedures and processes are in place to facilitate accurate and timely recording and submission of warranty claims. Communicating with staff members all minimum requirements (including documentation and parts to be kept for audit purposes) for submission of claims that need to be adhered to.
• Monitor dealership cash conversion cycle and report to management any adverse movements that are likely to result in an increase in debt and borrowing costs.
• Ensuring that company policy is adhered to in respect of any credit lines extended to customers and continually reviewing the appropriateness of lines of credit already opened.
• Monitor inventory ageing and highlight to dealer management any areas of concern especially relating to recoverability of carrying amounts of inventory.
• Review and monitoring of adherence to company policies with regards to inventory management, ageing provisions to be raised timeously, NRV provisions to be raised where there is a need to do so.

Analysis and Benchmarking:
• Give direction to FMs as to which areas, they need to concentrate on when conducting benchmarking exercises.
• Assist dealership management with interpreting and understanding results of benchmarking exercises and provide guidance with regards to formulating remedial action.
• Ability to apply learnings and best practices across their Trucks Operations.
• Optimisation of commercial models to maximise the financial performance of their Trucks

Taxation:
• Provide guidance to finance teams for interpretation and application of Taxation laws and provisions.
• Prepare annual deferred tax and current tax entries that need to be processed to retained earnings for each dealer.
• Quarterly review of tax computations reported to the company in Hyperion packs.
• Be up to date with new taxation legislation that has an implication to the group’s financial information or reporting.
• Assist RRSA Head Office with completion of tax computations for calculation of provisional tax payments.

Qualifications and Experience

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS:
• BCom Hons in Finance CA (SA), CIMA or equivalent.
• Knowledge of the South African Income Tax act and VAT act.
• Computer proficiency (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, accounting packages. DMS knowledge (Autoline Drive; Automate) is an advantage.
• Ability to drive and implement new projects and EXCO resolutions. Must be able to operationalise Board and EXCO resolutions and have the ability to report on operational implications, adoption and take up within the brand and provide recommendations.
• In depth knowledge of IFRS and application thereof within a retail dealership environment.
• Ability to interpret and analyse complex operational and financial business scenarios.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in a senior finance role, 2 of which must be at a strategic level within a dealership Group.
• Strong leader with good business acumen and ability to steer and mentor a finance team and advise & support the Franchise Director as well as draw best outputs from the team and individual team members.

Skills and Personal Attributes
Qualities:
• Highly motivated
• Inclusive leadership style
• Analytical
• Ability to motivate and inspire finance team
• A model of integrity and a moral compass in the business
• Ability to handle and work effectively in a high-pressure environment
• Optimistic
• Results and deadline driven
• Strategic and logical thinker
• Self-starter
• Ability to drive alignment between RRSA EXCO, Retail finance teams and operational heads.

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