Finance & Accounts Administrator (Maternity Cover)

The Ear Academy; Cape Town; Hybrid; ZAR 112,000 - 246,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid/remote options

Maternity cover

Job summary

The Ear Academy is seeking a capable Finance & Accounts Administrator to cover maternity leave in a hybrid setup in Cape Town. You will manage invoicing, reconciliations, payroll administration, and monthly reporting for SA and UK entities, with a structured handover from the Head of Finance.

Training occurs Nov–Dec 2026, followed by full cover Jan–Apr 2027. The role requires independent work with flexible hours during the finance cycle.

Qualifications

• Solid bookkeeping and accounts administration experience.
• Experience with Xero and cloud accounting.
• Payroll administration and month-end processes.
• Familiarity with external accountants and reporting templates.
• Ability to work independently and meet deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Bookkeeping & Invoice Processing: process invoices via Dext and reconcile bank transactions in Xero for SA and UK entities.
• Accounts Receivable & CRM Administration: issue invoices, track payments, update CRM with payment status.
• Month-End Close & Management Reporting: support month-end close and prepare management packs with templates.
• Payroll Administration: manage leave, payroll inputs, and liaise with payroll provider.
• Payments & Banking: prepare payment requests and follow dual-authorization controls.
• General Finance Support: assist with board materials and budget tracking.

Skills

Bank reconciliations

Invoicing

Payroll administration

Cloud accounting

Attention to detail

Tools

Xero

Dext

SimplePay

Syft

Job description

Finance & Accounts Administrator (Maternity Cover)

Department:

Finance

Reports To:

CEO

Location:

Cape Town, South Africa (hybrid/remote options available)

Type:

Fixed-Term Contract (6 months total)

Training Period (November – December 2026);

Full Cover (January – April 2027)

Working Hours:

Flexible, output-based arrangement with fixed meetings and deadlines. Not a standard full-time-hours role; hours vary depending on the finance cycle, with greater input required around month-end.

Remuneration:

Training Period: R10,000 per month

Full Cover: R22,000 per month

About The Ear Academy

The Ear Academy is an EdTech company on a mission to make quality music education accessible to every school. We provide a comprehensive digital music curriculum designed for both specialist and non-specialist teachers, empowering schools to deliver meaningful music lessons regardless of their resources or expertise. Operating across South Africa and the United Kingdom, we have grown from 3 to over 50 partner schools and are scaling rapidly toward 175 schools by early 2027. This is an exciting opportunity to join a purpose-driven team at a pivotal stage of growth.

About the Role

We're looking for a capable and highly organised Finance & Accounts Administrator to keep our day-to-day finance operations running smoothly while our Head of Finance is on maternity leave from January to April 2027. You'll take ownership of established finance processes across our South African and UK entities, including invoicing, reconciliations, payroll administration, payments, month-end processes, and recurring management reporting.

This isn't a strategic finance or senior accounting role. You'll receive a structured handover from the Head of Finance, with documented processes, existing reporting templates, and established support from our external accountants and bookkeepers in South Africa and the UK. Strategic finance, complex accounting matters, and material decisions will remain with the board and external advisers. It's a great fit for someone who enjoys working independently, likes keeping things organised and accurate, and wants meaningful responsibility within a small, purpose-driven company.

Training & Handover Period

During November and December 2026, the successful candidate will complete a structured handover with the Head of Finance. The expected commitment includes:

• Approximately 2 hours of scheduled training and handover sessions per week.
• Reviewing documented finance processes, reporting templates, recurring deadlines, and key controls between sessions.
• Becoming familiar with the company's core finance systems, including Xero, Dext, SimplePay and Syft, as applicable to the role.
• Shadowing key recurring processes, including month-end, invoicing, payments, payroll administration and management reporting.
• Completing agreed practical or handover tasks where useful to ensure the candidate is comfortable taking ownership of the function from January 2027.
• Being reasonably available during the training period for questions, preparation and agreed handover activities outside the scheduled training sessions.

Key Responsibilities

Bookkeeping & Invoice Processing

• Process outstanding invoices via Dext and reconcile bank transactions in Xero for both SA and UK entities.
• Coordinate with external accountants and bookkeepers in South Africa and the UK on bank reconciliations, closing entries, and month-end adjustments.
• Keep on top of outstanding invoices and resolve queries with relevant contacts promptly.

Accounts Receivable & CRM Administration

• Create and send invoices to new customers as advised by the sales team.
• Track payment status on outstanding invoices and follow up on unpaid in line with company policy.
• Keep our CRM (ActiveCampaign) up to date with payment status.

Month-End Close & Management Reporting

• Support month-end close across SA and UK entities, working with external accountants to process adjustments.
• Compile and distribute monthly management accounts and board reporting packs using existing templates.
• Update the company's existing financial model each month with actual results and agreed forecast changes.

Payroll Administration

• Administer leave requests and review monthly payroll inputs and draft pay runs via SimplePay.
• Liaise with the external payroll/accounting provider on any changes.
• Process contractor invoices ahead of month-end for both entities.

Payments & Banking

• Prepare payment requests for authorisation in line with the company's dual-authorisation controls.
• Flag any payments requiring judgement or approval to the CEO.

General Finance Support

• Support the preparation of financial materials for board meetings.
• Collaborate with marketing, education, and IT colleagues on cost tracking and budgetary requests as needed.

Skills & Attributes

Essential

• Solid bookkeeping/accounts administration experience, ideally including bank reconciliation and invoice processing.
• Comfortable with technology, including cloud accounting platforms (e.g. Xero), online banking, and spreadsheets.
• High attention to detail and strong organisational skills — comfortable managing multiple recurring deadlines.
• Confident working independently and communicating clearly with external accountants, service providers, and leadership.
• Trustworthy and discreet, given regular exposure to confidential financial information.
• A genuine interest in supporting a mission-driven organisation through a period of change.

Desirable

• Experience working across more than one entity, currency, or jurisdiction (e.g. South Africa and the UK).
• Familiarity with Dext, Simplepay, Syft, or similar finance/payroll platforms.
• Exposure to financial modelling or forecasting in Excel.
• Previous experience in a fixed-term or interim finance role.

You don't need to have worked with every system we use - we're primarily looking for someone with strong finance fundamentals who is organised, dependable, and comfortable learning new systems.

What We Offer

• The opportunity to make a tangible difference to a purpose-driven EdTech company at a pivotal moment.
• Hands‑on exposure to finance operations across two countries.
• A comprehensive handover from the Head of Finance before the maternity-cover period begins.
• Flexibility in how and where you work.