Job Summary:

Key responsibilities will include record keeping, management and financial accounting, analysis, budgeting, reporting and ensuring that all corporate accounting and reporting requirements and deadlines are met. The successful candidate will also be responsible for the reporting and consolidating of businesses and financial reporting from their respective accounting functions, as well as ensuring continuous Implementation and strict application of a set of operational standards and controls throughout the company.

Job Description:

Accounting

• Ensures compliance with applicable accounting and corporate policies and ensure that entries are recorded in compliance with the policies and accounting standards.
• Implement and ensure adherence to internal control processes.
• Monitors the month-end close and the preparation of month-end management accounts
• Ensure that financial statements are generated for the holding companies, operating companies and all affiliates.
• Interact with external auditors at the time of audit.
• Ensure that all tax submissions are done on time and accurately.
• Ensure controls over Fixed Assets records and reporting.
• Familiar with a variety of accounting concepts, practices, and procedures.
• Ensure completeness, accuracy, time lines, accessibility and consistency objectives are met and that the books comply with accounting policies and procedures.
• Identify and recommend necessary changes in financial policies and procedures to optimize effective and efficient reporting:

? Maintain operational policies and allocation of responsibility.
? Accounting Professional to provide detailed daily reporting after proper review and analysis, to allow him to report effectively.
? Use of automation and systems (as set out below).

• Work with the Accounting Team leaders to manage workload and allocation of staff.
• Ensure that there are adequate programs in place for staff training and education.
• Continuously review the processes and suggest necessary improvements to extract maximum efficiencies.
• Support training and on boarding processes as appropriate
• Supervision over the function within the department for which they are responsible for, being general accounting, property accounting, cost accounting, and budgetary controls.
• Ensure that detailed processes are in place.
• Monitor and manage adherence to the process.
• Review all aspects of the process and not only review the end product

Financial Reporting

• Submission of accurate and complete Budgets and Forecasts on a monthly basis by the last day of the month
• Submission of Detailed Cost Analysis Reports with cost analysis projections on a quarterly basis
• Preparation of Cost Control Reports and Variance Analysis
• Ensure that Weekly Reports are prepared and submitted on time, are accurate and of the required quality
• Ensure that Monthly, Quarterly, Semiannual and yearly compilation of the financial statements are completed on time
• Ensure that financial information received from various departments is reviewed and checked before submission to the CFO.
• Ensure that preparation of Monthly Management Accounts with detailed analysis is completed and
submitted within the desired deadlines:
• Evaluate and review the outcomes of the accounting process at all stages:

? Sign off ledger
? Review Trial Balance
? Review individual aspects of management accounts
? Review the completed set of management accounts.
? Review individual aspects of consolidated financial statements.
? Review notes and disclosure items for constituency and correctness.

• Ensure that reports to the Board Meeting, Audit Committee, Operations Reporting Meeting, Head of Department Meeting and Department meeting are of good quality and accurate and they are submitted on time.
• The Accounting Professional is responsible for a detailed review of the documents prepared within the function of the department for which he is responsible
• This includes performing a review of the Board Reports which are to be prepared by the accounting department and ensure completeness and accuracy.

Treasury

• Ensure that Cash Budgets and Forecast cash flow positions are prepared on time.
• Conduct a variance analysis on a weekly basis and provide management with a detailed analysis of changes and the reasons therefore.
• Maintain banking relationships and negotiate terms with banks under the strict supervision of the executive directors.
• Ensure that sufficient reserves are maintained for short and long term liabilities including reserves for capital adequacy purposes..
• Prepare analysis of short and long term liquidity requirements of the group and ensure future cash flow requirements are based on accurate projections. An Accounting Professional is expected to interrogate the source data and cannot utilise information received from internal sources / departments without verification.
• Ensure that sufficient funds are available to meet ongoing operational and capital investment requirements
• Maintain a system of policies and procedures to ensure adequate level of control over treasury activities.
• Prepare reports based on multi-currency scenarios and recommend the management of currency risk through different exposures.

Property

• Ensure that the company complies with the JSE listing requirements.
• To maintain relationships with the CSDP, monitor the shareholder register and submit the reports to the executives.
• Ensuring that all the lease data are loaded correctly on MDA so that the revenues and the recoveries are properly accounted for.
• Must have a thorough understanding of the MDA system and its management reports and is required to suggest enhancements to the reports to optimize management reporting.
• Must have a full understanding of the interim and year end procedures and the productions of the interim and annual financial reports.
• Maintenance of the budget and forecast for both revenue expenditures and capital budget.
• Prepare reports based on multi-currency scenarios and recommend the management of currency risk through different exposures.
General

• Ensure that the processes are automated and where any development is required coordinate with the relevant departments to achieve that objective
• Ensure that mapping on various systems is accurate and integration and data sharing is done properly to ensure accuracy and reliance on the data.
• Ensure that the charter of accounts is used for the accounting recording keeping.
• Creating, implementing and monitoring processes and procedures around the creation of monthly forecasts.
• Preparing periodic financial statements, including profit and loss accounts, budgets, cash flows, variance analysis and commentaries.
• Develop and implement finance and accounting procedures.
• Establish and maintain appropriate internal controls.
• Interact with other managers to provide support through financial and management information analysis, reports, and recommendations.
• Monitoring and evaluating financial information systems.
• Establish and implement short- and long-range departmental goals, objectives, policies, and operating.
• Formulating a business plan for the accounting function (including all sub-functions) in order to ensure the effective management of the group.
• Contributing to medium and long-term business planning.
• Advising on the financial implications and consequences of business decisions.
• Ensure records are maintained in accordance with generally accepted accounting standards.
• Develop and direct the implementation of strategic business and/or operational plans, projects, programs, and systems.

Qualifications:

• BCom/BCom Hons/CA(SA)
• A Masters In Business Administration (Specialisation in Finance), Masters in Taxation or Masters in Accounting would be an added advantage

Minimum Experience in years & Skills:

• Completed articles with a globally reputable Audit Firm.
• Registered CA (SA) having passed the Board Exams at 1st attempt.
• Stable career history.
• Good working knowledge on Accounting Package (Pastel, Oracle, Caseware, MDA etc); Candidate should have –5 to 10 years of experience Must have an in-depth knowledge of corporate and tax laws and regulatory requirements in order to ensure that the returns, account etc. are filed on a timely basis.
• Must have existing experience of the capital adequacy requirements of financial services companies, International tax, and financial regulatory and reporting requirements (IFRS/GAAP).
• Candidate with previous experience in fund management industry will have a distinct advantage over a conventional accountant;
• Candidates with experience in a large multinational environment with a strong focus on management and cost accounting will be suited to this role as well;
• Candidate must have the ability to perform electronic reviews of accounting information and the ability to type reports to management on an ongoing basis;
• Operating in a fully computerised financial accounting environment and know how to ensure the accuracy of Static data on the systems

Competencies: (Attribute & proficiencies, soft-skills)

• Strong leadership skills.
• Ability to create a network of contacts across various disciplines.
• Mentor, coach and generally support team members.
• Build morale/ personal esteem and generally encourage others to give their best performance.
• Confident and influential.
• Creative and flexible decision making ability.
• Ability to maintain relationships and develop a sense of trust within the team.
• Self-starter with strong problem-solving abilities and attention to detail.
• Create a culture of continuous improvement.
• Honesty and integrity.
• Strong numerical ability.
• Ability to work well under pressure.
• Strong time management skills.
• Evaluate situations and calculate risks whilst justifying and defending quality standards.
• Energetic with the ability to multitask.

Our client is an independent organisation that is driven by its internal stakeholders, dedicated management and multi-skilled staff. The company endeavours to provide unrivalled financial products and services to satisfy the needs of its clients. The unequivocal objective of the company investment team is to protect clients' assets through the application of a low volatility fund management philosophy that seeks to protect the capital of its investors during downward market movements whilst they simultaneously strive to grow the real wealth of investors during favourable market movements. The application of this philosophy is epitomised in the focused management of financial assets through the utilisation of proven stock selection skills that leverage off a meticulous research process to provide superior returns at lower than market risk.