Management Accountant

4C Recruitment Pty Ltd; George; On-site; ZAR 500,000 - 800,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading agribusiness is seeking a proactive Management Accountant for its George division. The successful candidate will oversee financial planning & analysis, act as a financial partner to operational teams, and ensure robust governance. With a focus on enhancing financial acumen and driving process improvements, this role requires proven accounting expertise and strong communication skills.

Qualifications

• At least 7 years' relevant experience in financial planning and analysis.
• Advanced Excel experience.
• Proven ability to analyse and interpret large datasets.

Responsibilities

• Lead the budgeting, forecasting and financial planning for the George division.
• Act as financial liaison for operational leaders, translating financial data.
• Implement and maintain strong financial controls and governance.

Skills

Financial governance

Financial Reporting

Business partnering

Operational support

Education

BCom with qualification associated with Management Accounting

Tools

Business Central 365 ERP

Paltrack / Palbroker system

Job description

Role Summary

Our client is a vertically integrated agribusiness spanning plant supply, farming, and fruit distribution. The George division encompasses both nursery and farming operations, supporting rapid business growth and increasing external plant sales.

We are seeking a proactive and commercially driven Management Accountant to join the Triple Bottom Line Support department (previously Finance) and take ownership of FP&A within the George business unit.

This role will act as the financial business partner to operational teams, enhancing financial acumen, driving process improvements and ensuring robust financial planning and analysis.

While reporting to the CFO, the role carries operational responsibility for supporting non-financial managers, ensuring data-driven insights and sound financial governance underpin decision-making.

While the role is based in George, there will be a requirement to travel to other farms and provide support to the larger group from time to time.

Personal Attributes

• Team Player who thrives in a fast-paced, growing business
• Commercially astute, forward thinking
• Proven ability to implement change with stakeholders
• Strong communicator, confident and able to act on own initiative
• Detail oriented, ensuring accuracy in financial planning and reporting with a proven ability to provide actionable high-level insights
• Solutionist mindset and proven track record of effective, hands-on and holistically considered problem solving
• Assertive in character

Key Responsibilities

Key Performance Areas
Financial planning and analysis ownership

• Lead the budgeting, forecasting and financial planning for the George division
• Develop and maintain costing models and pricing analysis for nursery and farming operations
• Provide scenario analysis and decision support to optimise financial and operational performance
• Identify profitability drivers and partner with operational teams to drive margin improvement

Business partnering and operational support

• Act as financial liaison for George's operational leaders, translating financial data into actionable operational insights
• Support non-finance managers in understanding budgets, forecasts and cost structures
• Conduct regular financial review with farm and nursery teams to enhance financial accountability
• Assist in operational process improvements, including inventory control, cost efficiencies and profitability tracking

Financial governance and compliance

• Implement and maintain strong financial controls and governance frameworks together with central finance
• Ensure accurate financial reporting and compliance with internal policies
• Assist with audit process and financial risk management
• Improve and own the process management of nursery deposits and order changes

Essential requirements

• Sound understanding of accounting principles
• Advanced excel experience
• Proven track record of process management with multiple non-finance stakeholders
• Proven ability to analyse and interpret large datasets
• IT savvy and systems oriented
• At least 7 years' relevant experience in the key responsibility areas listed above
• BCom with qualification associated with Management Accounting (with SAIPA/CIMA/AGA/ACMA/CGMA accreditation)

Advantageous experience

• Agriculture/horticulture experience
• Business Central 365 ERP
• Paltrack / Palbroker system experience
• Project management experience, including change management

Desired Skills:

• financial governance
• Financial Reporting
• Business partnering and operational support