Finance Manager

Goodwall; South Africa; On-site; ZAR 600 000 - 800 000; Full time

Job summary

A dynamic educational technology company in South Africa is seeking an experienced Finance Manager to oversee financial operations including accounting, compliance, and process improvements. The ideal candidate has over 5 years of experience in finance roles, particularly within tech or service-oriented environments. This position is critical for ensuring financial accuracy and operational efficiency.

Qualifications

• 5-8+ years in process-oriented roles at high-growth startups.
• Demonstrable experience in finance, audit, or accounting.
• Proven expertise in operational accounting (A/R, A/P, GL reconciliation).

Responsibilities

• Manage and execute monthly and annual financial closing processes.
• Oversee all general ledger entries and bank reconciliations.
• Manage the full invoicing cycle, including tracking client payments.

Skills

Process improvement

Operational accounting

Advanced Excel/Google Sheets

Attention to detail

Proactivity

Tools

Xero

Job description

Overview

Goodwall (https://www.goodwall.io) is a TIME100 award-winning social education app, engaging over 3 million youth with skills for AI and Climate. We partner with Fortune 500 companies, governments, and the United Nations including Microsoft, Accenture, HP, PwC, Nestle, Circle, and the United Nations to build engaging experiential learning campaigns for the next generation. Our platform helps young people globally gain the confidence, skills, and networks to achieve better livelihoods. Backed by leading investors, Goodwall has been recognized as a World Economic Forum Innovator, TIME100 Top EdTech, and featured by F@stCompany, Bloomberg, CNBC and Forbes.

We are urgently seeking a highly diligent and operationally focused Finance Manager to manage the day-to-day finance, administrative and compliance functions of our Finance department. This role is crucial for ensuring the accuracy of our financial data and the efficiency of our processes. You will report directly to the Finance & Internal Operations Director.

Responsibilities

• Accounting & Reporting:
  • Manage and execute the timely monthly, quarterly, and annual financial closing processes.
  • Oversee all general ledger entries, bank reconciliations, and balance sheet accounts to ensure data integrity.
  • Prepare and manage documentation required for external audits and tax filings.
• Operational Finance (A/R & A/P):
  • Manage the full invoicing cycle, including tracking client payments and proactively driving Accounts Receivable (A/R) collections.
  • Process and manage all vendor invoices, payments, and expense reports (Accounts Payable - A/P).
  • Ensure compliance with client payment terms and actively manage the related cash flow timing.
• Compliance & Payroll Oversight:
  • Supervise the external payroll process to ensure accuracy and timely payment across all jurisdictions.
  • Liaise with external accounting advisors to ensure adherence to local statutory requirements.
• Process Improvement:
  • Actively identify, document, and implement opportunities for process automation and efficiency gains within the core finance workflows.
  • Automation: Drive targeted automation projects to eliminate routine data entry and manual reconciliation tasks (e.g., automated bank reconciliation).

Role Type and Experience

• 5-8+ years in process oriented, people, roles at high-growth startups or scale-ups.
• Demonstrable experience in a finance, audit, or accounting role, preferably within a tech or service-based company.
• Proven expertise in operational accounting (A/R, A/P, GL reconciliation).
• Advanced proficiency in Excel/Google Sheets and experience with modern ERP/accounting software. Xero will be a plus.
• Diligence & Trust: Possesses impeccable attention to detail and is the fully trusted steward of company finances.
• Proactivity: Ambitious and eager to take ownership, always looking ahead to identify potential risks or bottlenecks.
• Challenge Mindset: Driven to challenge existing processes and propose better, more efficient ways of working, rather than simply accepting the status quo.