Senior Financial Analyst - Refinery

Astron Energy (Pty) Ltd.; Gauteng; On-site; ZAR 500 000 - 700 000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent energy company is seeking a Senior Financial Analyst specializing in refinery finance. This pivotal role involves preparing annual budgets, conducting monthly forecasts, and analyzing gross margin performance. The ideal candidate should possess strong analytical skills, be a fully qualified CA (SA) or CIMA, and ideally have experience in the oil and gas sector. The role is full-time, requiring excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to drive continuous improvement initiatives within the team.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 3 years' post-qualification accounting experience, preference for 5+ years.
• External auditing experience strongly preferred.
• Experience in oil and gas or similar manufacturing environment is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Prepare annual budgeting, monthly forecasting, and reporting of the refinery's performance.
• Conduct monthly financial analysis of gross margin.
• Support special projects and continuous improvement initiatives.

Skills

Analytical skills

Problem-solving skills

Interpersonal skills

Presentation skills

Initiative

Education

CA (SA) or CIMA

Job description

Senior Financial Analyst – Refinery role at Astron Energy (Pty) Ltd.

The Senior Financial Analyst – Refinery is a key member of the Refinery Finance Team responsible for preparing the annual budgeting, monthly forecasting, and monthly reporting of the refinery's business performance. The incumbent also performs monthly financial analysis of the refinery's gross margin, conducts in‑depth price and volume variance analysis of actuals versus budget/forecast, and collaborates closely with the refinery's gross‑margin planner in Business Excellence. Additional duties include supporting special projects, driving continuous improvement initiatives, providing financial training to refinery departments, and acting as back‑up for the Refinery Finance Manager. The role requires strong collaboration across all levels of staff, rapid relationship building, and the ability to influence outcomes and drive results.

Financial Perspective

• Prepares monthly Gross Margin analysis of refinery production income vs. business plan and reforecast expectations, including price and volume variance analysis with related commentary.
• Ensures accuracy of refinery transfer pricing entries in SAP by comparing to gross margin calculations.
• Collates Availability and Utilisation and other KPIs from the Commercial department for inclusion in monthly reporting and validates explanations provided for reasonability.
• Responsible for ensuring accuracy of gross margin reporting in SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC).
• Coordinates the annual business plan and monthly reforecasting of the refinery's gross margin, working side by side with the gross margin planner to meet deadlines and validate inputs.
• Acts as interface between Oil Accounting and Refinery Commercial departments during month‑end, assisting in resolving discrepancies on product yields and driving month‑end to close.

Financial and Management Reporting

• Prepares all required monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reports and variance analyses of actual results vs. business plan/forecast for submission to FP&A.
• Collates, validates, and reports on various refinery Key Performance Indicators monthly.

Business Planning, Forecasting and Performance Reporting

• Coordinates, consolidates, and prepares the presentation deck supporting the annual business plan for the refinery business unit; ensures the business plan is reasonable through analysis and discussion with department heads.
• Coordinates, consolidates, and prepares the presentation deck supporting the monthly reforecast for the refinery business unit.
• Responsible for submission of the annual business plan/monthly forecast into SAC and validation of accuracy of the final product.
• Attends monthly Business Teams' performance meetings as Finance representative, explaining gross margin and fuel cost KPIs; supports Opex analysts in answering queries from business and driving cost control/Opex management.
• Prepares deck on monthly business performance and leads presentation to the Refinery Leadership Team at monthly governance meetings.

CAPEX Reporting

• Reviews CAPEX reporting prepared by the Refinery Capex Planner for reasonability and provides guidance to ensure reporting requirements to stakeholders are met.

Customer Perspective

• Supports reporting requirements to shareholders, EXCO, RLT and other refinery stakeholders.
• Leads the finance presentation at the monthly business performance governance meeting.
• Represents Finance in the Extended Leadership Team at Refinery.
• Will be sought out to support Refinery initiatives and priorities from a financial perspective from time to time.

Special Projects

• Participates in special projects directed by the Refinery Finance Manager; projects may require economic/decision analysis, guidance on accounting policy, and internal control assessments focusing on continuous improvement initiatives.

Month‑end Coordination

• Prepares, distributes, and coordinates/manage the refinery's monthly reporting schedule to ensure all deadlines are met.
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Ad‑hoc Queries

• Supports the business in resolving complex vendor/payment queries and acts as interface between the refinery business unit and Procurement and Accounts Payable departments.
• Assists the business with SAP data requests.
• Supports the Refinery Finance Manager with resolving queries from CoCT, ESKOM, TNPA and other bills directed to the Refinery Finance team.
• Supports the Refinery Finance Manager in providing oversight over the Refinery Warehouse's adherence to internal controls for warehouse inventory, ensuring compliance with UKCR and AE accounting policy.

People Management

• Guides, coaches, and supports analysts in the team, helping resolve complex queries.
• Actively influences the Refinery Leadership Team and Extended Leadership Team on finance‑related initiatives and objectives.
• Serves as stand‑in for the Refinery Finance Manager when required, reviewing manual journals and account reconciliations of Opex analysts on an ad‑hoc basis.

Minimum Qualifications and Experience Required

• Fully qualified CA (SA) or CIMA.
• Minimum of 3 years' post‑qualification accounting experience; preference for candidates with 5+ years.
• External auditing experience strongly preferred.
• Oil and gas industry or similar manufacturing experience strongly preferred.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills.
• Strong interpersonal and presentation skills.
• Ability to take initiative and grow with the business.

Application Deadline: 04 January

Seniority Level: Mid‑Senior level

Employment Type: Full‑time

Job Function: Finance and Sales

Industries: Oil and Gas