Head of Accounting | Johannesburg

SUMMARY:
Head of Accounting | Johannesburg

POSITION INFO:
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa Employment Type: Permanent, Full-Time Reporting To: Director Our client is an entrepreneurial, commercially minded, and solution-oriented professional services firm specializing in accounting, tax, and business advisory . Known for their highly personal, authentic approach to client partnerships, they are dedicated to ensuring every financial aspect of their clients'' businesses is expertly managed . They are seeking a dynamic, strategic Head of Accounting to lead and manage their accounting function . This senior leadership role is responsible for overseeing a high-performing team delivering bookkeeping, payroll, and VAT compliance, as well as preparing annual financial statements and independent reviews . Key Responsibilities Team Leadership & Development: Lead, mentor, and develop a team of accountants and support staff, ensuring clear performance expectations, identifying skills gaps, and fostering a high-performance culture aligned with core firm values . Quality Assurance & Compliance: Oversee the overall delivery and quality of client accounting compliance services in line with standard operating procedures . Perform quality reviews on financial statement drafts and supporting working papers before final technical sign-off . Accounting, VAT & Payroll Oversight: Supervise monthly bookkeeping processing, statutory returns (including EMP201s, EMP501s, and VAT returns), and ensure client records are prepared to be annual financial statement drafting ready at all times . Financial Statement Preparation: Oversee the preparation and review of client annual financial statements drafted in accordance with IFRS for SMEs . Operational & Practice Management: Monitor team KPIs, billing targets, utilization rates, and work-in-progress (WIP) tracking using practice management software . Client Relationship Management: Act as a senior point of contact for clients, ensuring professional, clear, and proactive communication that builds long-term trust . Qualifications & Experience Education: BCom Accounting degree is required . An Honours or relevant post-graduate qualification is an advantage . Professional Designation: CA(SA) or equivalent is beneficial but not required . Membership in a relevant professional body (such as SAICA, SAIPA, or CIMA) is strongly preferred . Experience: Minimum of 5 to 7 years of relevant accounting experience, with at least 5 years serving in a supervisory or management capacity . Experience working within a professional services or accounting practice environment is highly preferred . Technical Knowledge: Solid working knowledge of IFRS for SMEs and familiarity with relevant regulatory frameworks, such as the Companies Act and Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) regulations . System & Software Requirements Required Systems: Proficiency in Xero, Dext, Draftworx, PaySpace, and Microsoft Office 365 (including advanced Excel) . Advantageous Systems: Exposure to Karbon, Spotlight Reporting, or Syft Analytics is considered a plus . Key Attributes A confident, clear communicator capable of building trusted relationships with both clients and internal teams . High energy levels with a positive, solutions-oriented outlook and the ability to work effectively under pressure . Technologically aware, adaptive, and innovation-minded to continuously drive process efficiencies.