Debtors Clerk

Staff Solutions; Oos-Kaap; On-site; ZAR 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Staff Solutions is seeking a detailed and proactive Finance Assistant to manage Accounts Receivable, invoicing, and credit control across national customers. You will maintain the debtors ledger, follow up on overdue balances, and support month-end processes in a fast-paced FMCG environment.

The role requires accurate data entry, strong communication via telephone and email, and proficiency with Sage, Pastel, or Xero. Collaboration with Sales and Warehouse teams is essential.

Qualifications

• Matric / Grade 12 is essential.
• 1–2 years' experience in debtors, creditors, accounts receivable or general finance administration.
• Proven ability to manage a high volume of customer accounts.
• Experience with accounting software such as Sage, Pastel, Xero or similar.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and Outlook.
• Strong numerical ability and attention to detail.
• Professional telephone manner and confident collections calls.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet month-end deadlines.
• Good organisational and time-management skills.
• Ability to work independently while contributing to a Finance team.

Responsibilities

• Generate and issue tax invoices to customers nationally after dispatch.
• Capture and reconcile purchase orders against invoices and delivery docs.
• Process credit notes and account adjustments.
• Maintain national debtors ledger.
• Ensure transactions allocated to correct customer, branch and region.
• Match remittances to invoices and process receipts.
• Assist with month-end invoicing and account administration.

Skills

Accounts Receivable

Invoicing

Credit Control

Collections

Customer Administration

Reconciliations

Reporting

Excel

Outlook

Education

Matric / Grade 12

Certificate or Diploma in Accounting, Bookkeeping, Finance

Tools

Sage

Pastel

Xero

Sage Evolution

Microsoft Office

Excel

Outlook

Job description

Key Responsibilities

Accounts Receivable & Invoicing

• Generate and issue accurate tax invoices to customers nationally following the dispatch of products.
• Capture and reconcile customer purchase orders against invoices and delivery documentation.
• Process authorised credit notes and account adjustments.
• Maintain an accurate and consolidated national debtors ledger.
• Ensure transactions are correctly allocated to the relevant customer, branch and region.
• Match customer remittances to invoices and accurately process receipts on the accounting system.
• Assist with month-end invoicing and account administration.

Credit Control & Collections

• Monitor the national debtor ageing report and proactively follow up on overdue accounts.
• Contact customers by telephone, email and WhatsApp regarding outstanding balances.
• Prioritise collection activities according to the age and value of outstanding debt.
• Record customer commitments, payment promises and collection activity accurately.
• Escalate disputed or long-outstanding accounts to the Financial Manager.
• Assist with the preparation and distribution of customer statements.
• Follow up consistently on promised payments to improve cash collection.

Customer Account Administration

• Open new customer accounts following completion and approval of the relevant credit application process.
• Maintain accurate customer master data, including contact details, banking information, credit limits and regional allocation.
• Assist with customer onboarding documentation, including FICA and VAT verification where applicable.
• Maintain accurate digital and physical records of invoices, delivery notes, PODs, credit notes and supporting documentation.
• Ensure all customer account information is kept current and confidential.

Reconciliations & Reporting

• Perform regular customer account reconciliations and investigate discrepancies.
• Prepare consolidated weekly overdue debtors reports for management.
• Assist with month-end debtors reporting and ageing analysis by region.
• Liaise with Sales Representatives and Warehouse / Branch Teams to resolve invoice and account queries.
• Investigate discrepancies relating to short deliveries, returns, pricing differences and other customer queries.
• Identify recurring issues or regional debtor risks and elevate these to management.

General Finance Support

• Provide general administrative and finance support as required.
• Assist other members of the Finance team when required.
• Support finance projects and ad hoc tasks as directed by the Financial Manager.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, internal controls and financial procedures.
• Maintain strict confidentiality when handling customer and company financial information.

Key Performance Areas

• National Debtor Days (DSO): Maintain debtor days within agreed targets and contribute to ongoing reduction.
• Cash Collection: Improve the percentage of overdue debt collected within agreed timeframes.
• Overdue Debt: Reduce outstanding balances within the 60+ and 90+ day ageing categories.
• Invoice Accuracy: Ensure invoices are accurate and issued timeously.
• Reconciliation Accuracy: Complete customer account reconciliations accurately and within required deadlines.
• Query Resolution: Resolve customer account and invoice queries efficiently.
• Reporting: Deliver accurate weekly and month-end debtors reports on time.
• Collection Activity: Maintain consistent and well-documented follow‑up across the national customer portfolio.

Minimum Requirements

• Matric / Grade 12 essential.
• Minimum 1-2 years' experience in debtors, creditors, accounts receivable or general finance administration.
• Proven ability to manage a high volume of customer accounts.
• Experience with accounting software such as Sage, Pastel, Xero or similar.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and Outlook.
• Strong numerical ability and attention to detail.
• Professional telephone manner and confidence conducting collections calls with customers.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet month-end deadlines.
• Good organisational and time-management skills.
• Ability to work independently while contributing effectively to a wider Finance team.

Advantageous Experience

The following would be beneficial:

• Certificate or Diploma in Accounting, Bookkeeping, Finance or a related field.
• Previous experience within FMCG, wholesale or distribution.
• Experience using Sage Evolution.
• Experience managing a multi-branch or multi-region debtors ledger.
• Experience dealing with regional or remote Sales teams.
• Previous experience working with a large national customer base.
• Exposure to credit control, collections and debtor ageing analysis.