Senior Management Accountant

Lactalis South Africa; Gqeberha; On-site; ZAR 600,000 - 800,000; Full time

Job summary

Lactalis South Africa seeks a dedicated individual to join their Port Elizabeth Plant in the Admin department. This role focuses on financial controlling and process improvement with a strong emphasis on accuracy and numeracy. The successful candidate will collaborate with various departments to enhance business performance and lead initiatives that reduce losses. A postgraduate degree in costing coupled with extensive experience in a manufacturing environment is essential for success in this position.

Qualifications

• Postgraduate degree with costing as a major required.
• Five years' experience in standard costing in manufacturing necessary.
• Fluency in English and computer literacy are essential.

Responsibilities

• Supervising production accountants and implementing GMP reports.
• Managing monthly industrial reporting and annual budgeting.
• Collaborating with R&D on product costing.

Skills

Numeracy skills

Attention to detail

Presentation skills

Problem-solving skills

Interpersonal skills

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Computer literacy

Education

Postgraduate degree with costing as a major

Tools

MS Office (Excel advanced skills)

BPCS or integrated systems

Job description

Role Purpose

Join Lactalis at our Port Elizabeth Plant in the Admin department with the main responsibilities for assisting with the continuous improvement of processes and financial controlling information to highlight business concerns and reduce losses. A postgraduate degree with costing as a major, excellent numeracy skills, and the ability to work accurately are required.

Five years’ experience in standard costing within a manufacturing environment is necessary. Basic knowledge of products is essential, and fluency in English and computer literacy are required.

Requirements

Required Skills

• A postgraduate degree with costing as a major
• Excellent numeracy skills and ability to work accurately
• Two years’ experience in standard costing in a manufacturing environment
• Ability to develop partnership roles with Plant Manager, Production Managers, Controllers, and Financial Manager
• Presentation skills; must be a self-motivator with good planning, organizing, and admin skills
• Ability to work independently with strong interpersonal and analytical skills
• Attention to detail and accuracy
• Good communication skills
• Computer literacy in MS Office (Excel advanced skills); understanding of BOMs and routings
• Knowledge of BPCS or integrated systems is advantageous
• Two years’ prior experience managing staff
• Methodical approach with good problem-solving skills and ability to trace problems to source

Duties and Responsibilities

• Supervising and working with production accountants
• Implementing improved GMP reports (milk material) and loss investigations
• Reporting on plant yields, processes, and performance metrics including TRG (OEE) and labor efficiency
• Handling ad-hoc projects to streamline reporting processes
• Managing monthly industrial reporting and annual budgeting
• Assisting the Financial Manager with quarterly forecasts aiming for 95% accuracy
• Training staff on inventory systems and reports
• Chairing departmental stock flow meetings and implementing loss reduction initiatives
• Identifying at-risk stock, especially finished goods, packaging, and ingredients
• Supporting production departments with variance analysis, loss investigations, and optimization
• Driving continuous improvement in shop floor data accuracy and KPI performance
• Collaborating with R&D on product costing and tracking savings from recipe changes
• Providing decision-making support to Production Managers and Plant Manager
• Ensuring internal controls over stock, assets, and financial cycles
• Managing overheads within budget targets
• Assisting with CAPEX processes and post-implementation reviews