Financial Manager

Smith Garb; Kempton Park; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

Smith Garb seeks a senior financial leader to run the full finance function in Gauteng. You will oversee accounting, control, reporting and cash management, partnering with country management on profitability and strategic decisions.

Strong IFRS, tax knowledge and ERP experience are essential for accurate monthly closes and annual financial statements. The role requires 5–7 years in financial controlling or finance management, with leadership skills to mentor a team and drive compliance.

Qualifications

• BCom Accounting Honours or an equivalent financial qualification.
• 5–7 years in financial controlling, finance management or an audit environment.
• Strong knowledge of IFRS and local tax concepts (VAT, withholding, income tax).
• Experience with foreign currency translations and revaluations.
• Proven ability to prepare and analyse financial statements.

Responsibilities

• Lead the full finance function, including Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Cash Management and Financial Controlling.
• Partner with Country Management on financial performance, profitability and business decisions.
• Review monthly P&L, balance sheet and cash flow results, identifying variances.
• Provide detailed analysis of revenue, costs, profitability and productivity across clients, branches and products.
• Lead the annual budgeting process in line with Group requirements.
• Monitor financial controls, compliance and monthly finance deliverables.
• Review and analyse financial KPIs and provide insights to management.
• Oversee reconciliations and balance sheet reviews, identifying risks.
• Lead external audit and preparation of Annual Financial Statements.
• Ensure ongoing CIPC maintenance and compliance.
• Support ESG reporting and broader financial analysis.
• Facilitate monthly Country Management meetings.
• Support finance during acquisitions.
• Review FTE developments and associated financial implications.
• Ensure timely financial reporting through reporting systems.
• Manage period-end close activities and potential after-hours work.

Skills

Financial controlling

Reporting

VAT & tax knowledge

Currency translations

IFRS

MS Office suite

Sage 300 / AS400 / D365 FO

Leadership

Auditing experience

Education

BCom Accounting Honours Degree

CA(SA) / CIMA (Adv)

Tools

Sage 300

AS400

Microsoft D365 FO

Job description

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the full finance function, including Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Cash Management and Financial Controlling.
• Partner with Country Management on financial performance, profitability and business decisions.
• Review monthly P&L, balance sheet and cash flow results, identifying and explaining variances against budget and prior periods.
• Provide detailed analysis of revenue, costs, profitability and productivity across clients, branches and products.
• Lead the annual budgeting process in line with Group requirements.
• Monitor financial controls, compliance and monthly finance deliverables.
• Review and analyse financial KPIs and provide relevant insight to management.
• Oversee local reconciliations and balance sheet reviews, identifying potential financial risks.
• Lead the external audit process and preparation of Annual Financial Statements.
• Ensure ongoing CIPC maintenance and compliance.
• Support financial compliance requirements and provide financial analysis to the wider business.
• Take responsibility for ESG reporting.
• Facilitate monthly Country Management meetings.
• Support the finance function during acquisitions.
• Review FTE developments and associated financial implications.
• Ensure accurate and timely financial reporting through relevant reporting systems.
• Manage period-end close activities, including deadlines that may occasionally require work outside normal business hours.

Minimum Requirements

• BCom Accounting Honours Degree or a related financial qualification.
• 5–7 years' experience in Financial Controlling, Finance Management or an audit environment.
• Strong knowledge of financial controlling and reporting.
• Sound knowledge of VAT, withholding tax and income tax.
• Experience with foreign currency translations and revaluations.
• Strong financial statement preparation and analysis skills.
• Good understanding of local and Group financial compliance.
• Strong knowledge of accounting policies and procedures.
• Excellent knowledge of IFRS.
• Advanced proficiency in MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Experience with Sage 300, AS400 and Microsoft D365 FO would be highly relevant.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving ability.
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy.
• Strong time management and ability to work to tight deadlines.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure and adapt to changing business environments.
• High levels of integrity and confidentiality.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Proven ability to lead, mentor and inspire a finance team.
• A self-starter who takes ownership and uses initiative.

Advantageous

• CA(SA) or CIMA qualification.
• Previous experience working within a smaller finance setup, where a broad, hands-on approach was required.

What We're Looking For

We're looking for more than someone who can produce the numbers. The ideal candidate will be a credible finance leader and commercial partner who can interpret financial information, challenge where necessary and translate the numbers into meaningful insight for management.
If you're an experienced finance professional ready to take ownership of a broad finance function within a dynamic logistics environment, we'd like to hear from you.