Finance Business Partner

Tongaat; Durban; On-site; ZAR 600,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading organization in the sugar industry is seeking a Chartered Accountant with 5-10 years of experience. The role involves financial management, budgeting, and risk management while ensuring alignment with organizational goals. The candidate should possess strong commercial acumen and be proficient in SAP, ready to contribute to financial decision-making in a dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• Must be a qualified Chartered Accountant (CA) with at least 5 - 10 years of relevant experience.
• Knowledge and understanding of the manufacturing industry are necessary.
• Experience in a large organization with financial exposure is required.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-level financial skills and support to local and export operations.
• Review product and customer profitability reports.
• Prepare detailed revenue and raw material budgets.

Skills

Financial Acumen

Commercial Sense

Negotiation Skills

Communication Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Education

Chartered Accountant (CA)

Tools

SAP

Job description

Must be a qualified Chartered Accountant (CA) with at least 5 - 10 years of relevant experience in a sugar environment, with a successful track record in middle management within a large organization.

Will be indirectly responsible for financials of approximately R10 billion. Must be self-motivated, able to work with minimal supervision, and willing to work under pressure. Good communication and interpersonal skills are essential.

Requires strong business systems and process improvement capabilities, commercial astuteness, and good negotiation skills. Knowledge and understanding of the manufacturing industry are necessary. Experience with SAP is essential. Must have business, commercial, and financial acumen—understanding industry and business trends, models, challenges, opportunities, and how they impact financial, customer, people, and business performance.

Purpose of Role

To provide high-level financial skills combined with superior business acumen, commercial sense, and strategic intelligence. The role requires understanding the strategic framework of business processes, project management skills, and strong communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills. Additionally, to provide financial and administrative support to the operations, both locally and in export markets.

Job Functions: Financial and Management Reporting

• Review product and customer profitability reports.
• Perform financial evaluations and provide information to assist with commercial and business decisions.
• Review monthly agent commission and incentive calculations.
• Review and monitor raw material and commodity prices, liaising with Strategic Sourcing/Procurement to ensure favorable pricing and terms.
• Review and monitor stock returns due to quality and combustion, assessing impact on the business.
• Stay abreast of competitor trends with the Sales Manager and assess impact on business.
• Weekly assessment of sales distribution progress and impact on financial and cash flow forecasts.

Commercial Management

• Monitor trends in cost of sales compared to budgets/forecasts and communicate concerns to senior management.
• Monitor operational raw material requirements to ensure alignment with forecasts.
• Monitor selling prices and gross profit margins, assessing impact on budgets/forecasts.
• Maintain relationships with key suppliers, credit insurers, and procurement teams.
• Collaborate with procurement on supplier contracts, SLAs, and tender processes.

Budgeting and Forecasting

• Prepare detailed revenue and raw material budgets based on operational inputs.
• Create sensitivities on key assumptions and provide variance analysis.
• Review standard costs per ton for the Bill of Materials (BOM).

Sugar Industry and Forecasting

• Oversee calculation and payment/receipt of molasses carry-over.
• Prepare the molasses industry season-end audit as per agreed procedures.
• Monthly SASA report submission.

Systems of Internal Control and Risk Management

• Implement and maintain internal control standards and systems.
• Participate in risk identification and management processes.
• Review stock reconciliations.
• Ensure SAP and production systems are aligned and reconciled.
• Collaborate with Business Assurance to improve control environment.
• Liaise with internal and external auditors.

Effective communication with various organizational levels is required.