Business Unit Management and Project Accountant - Smelter and Support Centres (JHB East Rand) at Rand Refinery

PURPOSE OF THE POSITION

• The purpose of this role is to provide a professional Management Accounting service to the business units to improve efficiency, cost reductions, maximise profits and to supply meaningful, relevant, and accurate information timeously as a tool for decision making.
• This position prepares managerial reports, operational financial statements and supports the management accounting reporting cycle by preparing management reports and analysing variances.
• This includes the recording or review of financial transactions for operations.
• Providing support to the operations, through timeous and accurate co-ordination of reports.
• Auditing, reporting, investigating, and implementing permanent solutions to any deviations, updating, and correcting the inventory records on SAP as and when necessary.
• Manage cost budgets on SAP for operations, which must be current and accurate at all times. Addressing and resolving any discrepancies with approval of Operations Manager, General Manager, and other relevant parties.
• Reviewing of spending with budget
• Analyse financial performance and forecast.
• Recommend and apply methods and strategies for cutting cost.
• Maintain records and support auditing efforts.
•  Advise company or department management on financial decisions.
• Make upper-level strategy recommendations based on financials.
• Show good knowledge of business strategy and methodology.
• Show analytical skills, critical thinking skills, organisational skills, strong attention to detail and strategic thinking.
• Analysing information and using it to make business decisions.
• Determining what information is needed by management and explaining numbers to non-financial managers.
• Explaining the financial consequences of business decisions applying accounting techniques to plan and budget.
• Provide the monthly management accounts, and budgets and forecasts to aid business planning.
• Provide financial support to the metals accounting team.
• Evaluating Provisions related to Metal Accounting and providing sound analyses on potential risks for the accounting of Metal transactions.
• Provide direct and indirect tax related support to the business.
• This role is to provide a professional Project Accounting support to the manager Project and Engineering by providing details of cost analysis including commitments to complete reporting packs and performing administration function while ensuring that all project documentation is updated on a regular basis to reflect the current status of all projects.
• On the Project Accounting: Manage and create ad hoc project accounts in the accounting system (SAP) in line with business unit objectives and business plan.
• Review reporting of overall Rand Refinery Capex budget for EXCO/Board approval. 
• Folow up on project variances submitted to EXCO.
• Advise on project profitability to EXCO.
• Manage and approve ad hoc budgets on SAP for all Smelter and Refinery business units,
• Assist with the Co-ordination of the budget 5-year plan.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES

MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING 

• Implement and maintain adequate financial and budgetary controls, which include management reporting, to ensure the safeguarding of the companies monetary and physical assets.
• Compile budget, monthly cost reports, variance analysis, forecasting and planning
• Ensure all costs are complete, accurate and processed to the correct cost centres.
• Ensure all transactions are captured in SAP as per agreed timetable by providing regular feedback to users on progress and to work closely with the management accounting office.
• Manage end to end (create, maintain, close-of) accuracy of capital projects lifecycle on SAP.
• Analyse & report on all capital projects within business unit.
• Load project budget and review project costs on a monthly basis
• Monthly Project and cost meetings
• Completeness of commitments 
• Review all cost centre report & ensure usage of resources is in line with cost.
• Accurately prepare Management Accounts in conjunction with management accounting office to be presented at various Committee meetings.
• Act as a centre of competency for SAP-CO (Management Accounting) & SAP-PS (projects) in area of responsibility.
• Support budget holders in developing & monitoring plans.
• Assist with annual budget preparation.
• Co-ordinate budgets by assisting budget holders, performing reasonable test on information received from budget holders and from the management accounting office.
• Review & comment on Budgeted P&L from management accounting office.
• Process/Review all metal accounting Journals and reconcile Metal TB and Ownership statements.

FINANCIAL CONTROL

• Accurately capture business unit journals (transfer pricing, provisions, etc.)
• Create & maintain a repository of all key financial documents.
• Respond to internal audit review & implement action plan within agreed timeline.
• Liaise with & respond to external auditor on matter relating to work of section. Prepare & provide financial recommendation on various requests from Business Unit Manager & Management Accounting office.
• Implement external audit recommendation within agreed timeline.
• Accurately download TB & map accounts by ensuring management account balances to TB. Facilitate capital expenditure justification process.
• Accurately prepare Management Accounts i.e. by ensuring they agree to TB as well as provide commentary on various line items by comparing actual to budget to forecast & to previous years.
• Support management accounting office with various ad hoc request
• Improve reporting timelines and quality of reports.

SYSTEMS IMPROVEMENT & PROCEDURES         

• Improve procedure & value adding reporting and analysis.
• Optimise SAP reporting systems.
• Use reporting tools e.g., QlikView to improve dashboard reporting.

REPORTING AND OTHER

• Oversee the fixed assets reporting process and guide the asset clerk.
• Other - Extract reports for management and perform statistical analysis in order to present statistical knowledge.
• Compile Executive and Governance committee reports for respective area.

PROJECT ACCOUNTING         

• Ensure completeness and accuracy of all project costing and commitments.
• Attend Monthly project review meeting with Head of projects.
• Attend Post Project analysis and review to determine if financial objectives have been met.
• Reconcile the asset register on a monthly basis and balance with CAPEX sheet, Accuracy and manager’s feedback.
• Perform the ongoing improvements on the development and costing models to ensure assistance with the project costings, Effective costing models, managers feedback.
• Continuous adherence to IFRS regulations and procedures, Standards adherence, and no comebacks.
• Communicate effectively with Project Manager. 

Requirements

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

•  Must have attained full CA(SA) membership or completed the CIMA qualification.
• Candidate must have at least 4-5 years’ experience in Finance or auditing and industry knowledge.  

SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

•  Advanced computer literacy for SAP and advanced excel is advantageous.
• Financial and numerical literacy - High levels of accurate and detailed financial ability-Financial and numerical literacy
• Attention to detail.
• Report writing skills - In order to produce accurate and timeous reports for management.
• People skills - An ability to interact and communicate a high degree of technical knowledge to management and staff.
• Negotiate, collaborate & partner with others.
• Good communication skills - An ability to explain highly technical information to management and staff and customers.
• Technical Skills - Collecting, storing & processing information to be shared with other stakeholders such as financial accounting & reporting, cost accounting, management accounting & treasury accounting.
• Business Skills - Use knowledge of organisation & turn data into insights.
• Leadership skills - Ability to manage change & drive performance.
• Analytical mind - A high degree of analysis and logic is required.
• Consistent behaviour - To continuously work in a consistent manner.
• Honesty, openness, and integrity - An ability to honestly validate findings in the face of adversity.
• Methodical thinking-To develop systems and processes methodically and logically.
• Confidentiality - Able to retain confidential information.
• Consistency - Able to continuously work in a consistent manner.
• Teamwork ability-Display the ability to work in a team.