Finance Manager

Communicate Recruitment; Sandton; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Communicate Recruitment is seeking an entrepreneurial Operational Financial Manager (CA(SA)) who thinks beyond the numbers and partners with operational leaders to improve profitability and drive strategic decisions.

You will lead budgeting, forecasting, governance, and a high-performing finance team while strengthening controls in a fast-growing environment.

This role requires a CFO mindset, hands-on execution, and comfort navigating ambiguity to unlock business growth.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to lead finance with a strategic, commercial focus.
• Experience partnering with executive teams to influence decisions.
• Strong budgeting, forecasting, and financial modelling capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Act as financial partner to operational and executive leadership to drive performance.
• Deliver meaningful financial reporting, analysis, forecasts, and recommendations for strategic decisions.
• Lead budgeting, forecasting, scenario planning, and long-term financial planning.

Skills

Strategic finance leadership

Executive stakeholder management

Budgeting & forecasting

Financial modelling

Automation & process optimisation

Team leadership

Commercial mindset

Education

CA(SA) qualification

Job description

We're looking for an entrepreneurial, commercially minded Operational Financial Manager (CA(SA)) who thinks beyond the numbers and understands how finance drives business success. This opportunity is suited to someone with a strong CFO mindset, who is comfortable working in a fast-growing, evolving environment where structure isn't always handed to you. You'll need to be hands-on, highly accountable, and confident navigating ambiguity while partnering with operational leaders to improve profitability, drive strategic decisions, strengthen controls, and unlock business growth. If you're someone who sees opportunities where others see problems, this role could be exactly what you're looking for.

Job Description:

• Act as the financial partner to operational and executive leadership, providing commercial insights that drive business performance.
• Deliver meaningful financial reporting, analysis, forecasts, and recommendations to support strategic decision-making.
• Lead budgeting, forecasting, scenario planning, and long-term financial planning initiatives.
• Drive profitability through improved cost control, pricing analysis, resource allocation, and working capital management.
• Challenge the status quo and identify opportunities to improve operational and financial performance.
• Provide oversight and leadership across Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and broader operational finance functions.
• Lead process improvement, system optimisation, automation, and reporting enhancement projects.
• Strengthen governance, compliance, financial controls, and audit readiness across the business.
• Develop insightful dashboards and reporting tools that enable faster and better decision-making.
• Build and lead a high-performing finance team while driving accountability, ownership, and continuous improvement.

We Are Looking For Someone Who:

• Thinks like a CFO, not just a finance manager.
• Is commercially curious and understands what drives business success.
• Thrives in an entrepreneurial environment.
• Enjoys building, improving, and creating structure.
• Can confidently challenge business decisions while remaining collaborative.
• Is resilient, adaptable, and comfortable making decisions with imperfect information.
• Loves being close to the operation and influencing real business outcomes.

Skills & Experience:

• Proven ability to operate as a strategic finance leader within a dynamic business environment.
• Demonstrated experience partnering with executive teams and influencing business decisions.
• Strong budgeting, forecasting, financial modelling, and business planning capabilities.
• Experience improving profitability, cash flow, and operational performance.
• Strong systems orientation with experience driving automation and process optimisation.
• Excellent leadership and stakeholder management skills.
• Comfortable working in an evolving environment where structure needs to be created rather than followed.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capability