Senior Associate - Accounting & Finance Statements

The Catalyst Group; South Africa; On-site; ZAR 400 000 - 600 000; Full time

Job summary

A financial services firm in South Africa seeks a professional to oversee the management of reconciliation teams and ensure the preparation of financial statements. Responsibilities include maintaining industry awareness, enhancing client service delivery, supporting senior management, and ensuring compliance with accounting standards. The role requires strong leadership and communication skills, providing opportunities for staff development and technology-driven processes.

Responsibilities

• Manage the company’s reconciliation teams and financial statement preparation.
• Take ownership of the financial statement deliverables and audit assistance.
• Stay informed on industry trends and regulatory changes.
• Facilitate process improvements to enhance client service delivery.
• Assist in technology development for scalable financial products.
• Support senior management and perform ad-hoc duties.
• Conduct research on accounting standards and ensure staff development.

Job description

Day to day Responsibilities

These responsibilities cover the day-to-day management of the company's reconciliations teams. This includes (but not limited to) the following tasks:

• Financial Statement Preparation
  • Preparation: Collaborate with the wider financial accounting team to prepare financial statements for all Catalyst Accounting, Catalyst Fund Administration, and Clearwater CFO clients, including ad-hoc structures.
  • Data Transformation: Collaborate with the fund administration team to manage the transformation of data from fund accounting systems into the financial statement reporting process.
• Deliverable Ownership
  • Ownership: Take full ownership of the financial statement deliverable process and ensure high-quality service delivery.
  • Audit Assistance: Act as the main point of contact for annual audit assistance, working closely with auditors and internal operations teams
• Industry Awareness
  • Awareness: Stay informed about industry trends, regulatory changes, and other factors that could impact the business.
• Process Improvement
  • Improvement: Share insights to facilitate the development of new processes and procedures, aiming to create business efficiencies and enhance client service delivery.
• Technology Development
  • Development: Assist in the development and customization of technology to produce scalable financial statement products.
  • Research: Conduct research into relevant technologies and applications to aid in the development process.
• Support and Additional Duties
  • Support Senior Management: Provide support to the Senior Associate Director and Manager - Accounting & Finance as needed.
  • Ad-hoc Duties: Perform additional ad-hoc duties as required and respond to client requests promptly.
  • Client Interaction: Build and maintain strong client relationships, addressing any demands and exploring how Catalyst can provide additional assistance.
  • Work collaboratively with operations staff, business users, project managers, and implementation teams to develop effective solutions.
• Accounting Standards Research
  • Research: Conduct thorough research into different accounting standards and reporting requirements, such as IFRS and US GAAP
• Staff Development
  • Supervise, coach, and mentor junior staff as required to ensure their development and effective contribution.

Product alignment Responsibilities

These responsibilities include the representation of the company's operational teams with the product team and include (but are not limited to) the following tasks:

• System maintenance and upgrades - Ensuring that all systems are fit for purpose and working with the product team when any upgrades are needed.
• Contribute to the creation and implementation of new products and solutions to meet evolving customer needs.

Risk Responsibilities

These responsibilities include the representation to the company's Risks from an operational perspective and include (but are not limited to) the following tasks:

• Governance Framework - Operating within our governance framework
• Quality Control - Working with the Internal Governance team to ensure change controls and internal quality assurance.

Compliance Responsibilities

These responsibilities include the representation in alignment with compliance that include (but not limited to) the following tasks:

• Compliance Culture - Working in tandem with the groups Head of Compliance and Governance to instill a culture that is centered around good governance and compliance.
• Operational Controls - Driving and contributing to a culture of quality/excellence, through risk awareness and adherence to regulatory compliance standards and operational controls.
• Regulatory Assistance - Taking part in any meetings with the necessary regulators and assisting the group's Head of Compliance and Governance with any reports needed when doing so.
• Regulatory Business Updates - Taking part in any business plan updates that may be required for regulators and providing the necessary information to allow completion.
• Regulatory Adherence - Ensuring an effective risk-based approach is adopted to meet all regulatory compliance procedures per jurisdiction.