Senior Fractional Financial Manager

ZealHR; Wes-Kaap; On-site; ZAR 1,000,000 - 1,400,000; Full time

Job summary

ZealHR is seeking a Senior Fractional Financial Manager based in Somerset West to own financial management and reporting for a portfolio of clients. You will lead client engagements, provide commercial guidance and oversee junior finance staff in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities include monthly management accounts, budgeting, tax readiness, and developing dashboards. Strong IFRS for SMEs knowledge, tax legislation experience and advisory prowess are required.

Qualifications

• BCom degree or Honours in Accounting, Finance or related discipline.
• Qualified CA(SA), CIMA CGMA, AGA(SA) or SAIPA professional accountant – essential.
• 5-7 years' relevant experience, including traineeship, with ≥2 years post-qualification.

Responsibilities

• Lead client engagements and oversee junior finance professionals.
• Review monthly management accounts, reconciliations and annual financial statements.
• Budgeting, forecasting, cash flow planning and unit economics.
• Develop and maintain financial dashboards and decision-support tools.
• Lead audits and ensure compliance with accounting standards and tax legislation.
• Coach and develop junior finance staff and coordinate portfolios.

Skills

Financial leadership

Client advisory

Analytical thinking

Leadership and coaching

Communication

Education

BCom degree or Honours in Accounting/Finance

CA(SA)/CIMA CGMA/AGA(SA) or SAIPA

Tools

Xero

QuickBooks

Dext

ApprovalMax

Draftworx

Cin7 Core

Job description

Senior Fractional Financial Manager

Our client is an established professional financial services organisation that partners with SMEs to strengthen their finance functions and support sustainable business growth. The business provides fractional and outsourced expertise across accounting, financial management, strategic finance, tax and compliance, payroll and related professional services. An exciting opportunity is available for a Senior Fractional Financial Manager based in Somerset West to take ownership of the financial management and reporting of a portfolio of clients. This is a senior, client-facing position requiring the ability to operate independently, provide meaningful financial and commercial guidance, lead client engagements and oversee the work of junior finance professionals.

Responsibilities

• Financial Management & Reporting: Review and, where required, prepare monthly management accounts, reconciliations, annual financial statements and supporting financial reports.
• Lead client budgeting, forecasting, cash flow planning, cost modelling and unit economics.
• Oversee annual income tax planning and tax readiness in collaboration with tax and compliance specialists.
• Design, document and implement SOPs that improve the efficiency, consistency and scalability of client finance functions.
• Establish structured financial management cycles, including monthly reporting, review meetings, planning sessions and action tracking.
• Strengthen financial controls, governance and reporting processes to improve operational performance and decision-making.
• Client Advisory & Financial Oversight: Act as the Financial Manager for an assigned portfolio of clients, taking full responsibility for the quality and timely delivery of financial services.
• Independently lead monthly client financial meetings, presenting results, insights and recommendations.
• Advise business owners and management teams on cash flow, financial performance and commercial decision-making.
• Develop and maintain financial dashboards, management information and other decision-support tools.
• Translate financial information into practical insights that clients can use to improve business performance.
• Projects, Compliance & Process Improvement: Lead special projects including finance system implementations, restructuring support and due diligence reviews.
• Manage audit and independent review processes and coordinate the resolution of audit queries.
• Ensure client work complies with applicable accounting standards, tax legislation and internal quality requirements.
• Identify and implement opportunities to improve financial processes, systems, controls and reporting.
• Encourage the effective use of technology, automation and AI-enabled tools to improve accuracy, efficiency and service delivery.
• Leadership & Client Relationship Management: Build trusted client relationships through proactive communication, financial insight and consistently high service standards.
• Identify additional services and commercial opportunities that could add value to clients.
• Lead, coordinate and review the day-to-day work of Junior Fractional Financial Managers and Management Accountants across assigned portfolios.
• Coach and develop junior finance professionals through regular guidance, review and constructive feedback.
• Maintain high levels of client satisfaction and proactively address feedback or service concerns.
• Support senior financial leadership by ensuring accurate reporting and preparing clients for strategic financial discussions and decision-making.

Requirements

• BCom degree or Honours in Accounting, Finance or a closely related discipline.
• Qualified CA(SA), CIMA CGMA, AGA(SA) or SAIPA Professional Accountant – essential.
• 5-7 years' relevant experience, including traineeship, with a minimum of 2 years' post-qualification experience.
• Experience within an accounting firm, professional services environment or client-facing finance role.
• Proven experience reviewing the work of other finance professionals and leading client meetings independently.
• Strong knowledge of IFRS for SMEs, relevant tax legislation and management accounting principles.
• Demonstrated experience preparing and reviewing management accounts, annual financial statements and reconciliations.
• Strong budgeting, forecasting, cash flow management and financial analysis capabilities.
• Proficiency in cloud accounting and financial systems.
• Strong analytical, commercial and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to independently manage multiple client portfolios, reporting cycles and competing deadlines.
• Excellent communication, presentation and relationship management skills.
• Hands-on and proactive approach, with the ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced professional environment.

Beneficial

• Experience with Xero, QuickBooks, Dext, ApprovalMax and/or Draftworx.
• Experience with Cin7 Core or a similar inventory or ERP platform.
• Practical SARS eFiling experience and confidence managing client tax administration on the platform.
• International or cross-border finance exposure.
• Experience leading system implementations, restructuring projects or due diligence reviews.
• An interest in AI, automation and emerging financial technologies, with the ability to identify practical applications within finance functions.

Key Competencies

• Financial leadership: Takes ownership of client finance functions and maintains high standards of financial management and reporting.
• Commercial awareness: Looks beyond the numbers to understand business performance and identify opportunities to add value.
• Client advisory: Confidently translates complex financial information into clear recommendations for business owners and management teams.
• Leadership and coaching: Effectively reviews, guides and develops junior finance professionals.
• Analytical thinking: Identifies trends, risks, opportunities and underlying causes within financial information.
• Extreme ownership: Takes accountability for deliverables, client outcomes and the quality of work produced.
• Growth mindset: Embraces feedback, continuous improvement, technology and new ways of working.
• Collaboration: Works effectively across finance, tax, compliance and other specialist teams while contributing to a supportive, service-focused culture.