Financial Director

To provide financial leadership and support to South Africa and Mozambique (“Company”). Working closely with the Managing Director and wider management team, the role will involve the financial management of the business on a day-to-day basis and the provision of commercial insight to support the growth strategy of the company.

Reporting Line

Reporting to the Managing Director of the company, a business controlled and operated by the Group. The position will also have a dotted reporting line to the Group based in London, UK.

Accountabilities and Responsibilities

Finance and Reporting

• Developing and managing the financial strategy for the business in line with Group and business strategic targets
• Preparation of budgets and forecasts for the company in South Africa and oversight of Mozambique’s budgets and forecasts.
• Preparation of monthly management accounts and trading reports.
• Analysis of trading results and effectively analyzing variances and reporting to the Managing Director and Group CFO.
• Custodian of standard costing models, including review and updating of models, improving costing allocations and monitoring the application of outputs.
• Accurate and timely cash flow forecasting, and tight management of cash resources.
• Monitoring and control of working capital, including stock levels, debtors and their aging, and accounts payable.
• Preparation of high-impact presentations for the Board, shareholder meetings, and various Committees.
• Custody of standard review templates for monthly performance, budgeting, and forecasting reviews.
• Management of external audit process on an annual basis.

Compliance, Internal Control and Risk Management

• Responsibility for, and oversight of, all compliance, ethics, and business practice processes and reporting.
• Take ownership of maintaining the appropriate BBBEE level of certification required.
• Ensuring compliance with all laws and regulations applicable to the Company.
• Ensuring compliance with all relevant tax and VAT legislation including filing of information as required.
• Submitting tax information to the Group.
• Responding to SARS audits & queries.
• Managing the business risk management process, including insurance.
• Maintenance of a strong internal control environment to ensure robust stewardship over the company’s assets and resources.
• Responsibility for all company compliance – this will be done in collaboration with the Group.

Stakeholder Engagement and Staff

• Enhancing customer and supplier relationships through building long-term strategic relationships, consistent with the Group’s values.
• Collaborating with the Group to ensure awareness of financial performance and emerging issues, appraisal of commercial opportunities, and compliance with delegated authorities.
• Engagement with all other shareholders on a strategic level.
• Managing full team and developing staff capabilities.

General

Any other relevant tasks as may be required to effectively operate the financial and commercial aspects of the company in South Africa and Mozambique.

The Company requires strong strategic financial leadership as well as on key aspects including:

• Accurate product pricing to protect margins.
• Effective cost-management.
• Management of working capital is optimized.
• Reporting is on time, accurate, and insightful.

The individual must be a strong confident leader, unafraid to challenge embedded practices and implement change where required to deliver improvement.

A robust understanding of product costing methodologies and the manufacturing environment is critical, as are the key requirements for BBBEE compliance and reporting.

The expectation is that the individual will have the ambition and capacity to provide the necessary strategic, commercial, and operational support to the business as it develops in future years.

Qualifications, Skills, and Experience

• A qualified chartered with at least 5-8 years of post-qualification experience.
• Prior experience in a manufacturing environment at a senior level.
• Strong knowledge of standard costing and its application within IFRS.
• Excellent Microsoft Office and ERP skills – SAGE X3 experience will be an advantage.
• Well-versed in both South African Company law and reporting under IFRS.
• Experience in ensuring compliance with BBBEE.
• Experience operating in other African jurisdictions will be beneficial.

Personal Attributes

• Strategic thinker who can translate strategy into real business solutions and actions.
• Ability to couple technical knowledge with a sound level of commercial acumen and common sense.
• Excellent presentation skills and ability to engage at Board level.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to inspire respect and also build relationships (both internally & externally).
• Ability to fit into a small team but to think and act on a Group-wide basis and see the big picture.
• A self-starter with an eagerness to learn and grow commercially as the business develops, with a “can do” and proactive approach to work.
• A strong confident leader in a wider management team.

Work Pattern

5 days per week, with occasional extended hours to cover reporting deadlines. Ad-hoc international travel requirement.