Finance Manager at Robert Walters

An organisation with multi-site operations in Durban is seeking a Finance Manager to provide financial leadership and commercial governance. This is a confidential opportunity. This management role offers the opportunity to become a trusted partner to senior management, driving profitability, operational efficiency, and sustainable shareholder value. You will be empowered to shape financial strategy, implement robust controls, and foster a culture of accountability.

This established organisation within the Automotive sector that has multi-site operations in Durban offers stability/growth opportunities within a collaborative/inclusive workplace culture. Employees benefit from flexible working arrangements that accommodate personal commitments alongside generous training support designed to foster professional development at every stage of your career journey. The company prioritises transparency/accountability and empowering its people through open communication channels/supportive leadership structures/process improvement initiatives that encourage innovation without compromising long-term capability or customer experience. As part of this dependable network you’ll enjoy being part of a knowledgeable team committed to delivering sustainable value/shareholder returns while nurturing talent through ongoing mentorship and succession planning opportunities.

As Finance Manager you will play a pivotal role in shaping the financial future of multi-site operations in Durban. Your day-to-day responsibilities will involve partnering closely with senior executives to translate complex financial data into actionable strategies that enhance profitability and operational discipline. You will oversee monthly management accounts with precision—ensuring timely closure of books while providing insightful analysis on variances between actuals versus budget/prior year figures. By monitoring key metrics such as revenue, profit margins, stock ageing, operational productivity, cost efficiency, and facility utilisation—you will ensure each business unit operates efficiently with strong controls in place. You will lead annual budgeting cycles for all departments while establishing disciplined expense management practices that promote accountability among department managers. Your commitment to maintaining robust internal controls will safeguard shareholder assets/cash flows while ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements. As a visible presence within operating departments you will engage regularly with managers, executives, operational teams, and finance administrators—building trust through transparent communication/supportive leadership. Ultimately your success will be measured not only by accurate numbers but also by your ability to foster better decisions/effective capital utilisation/sustainable profitability across all business units.

• Act as the senior financial and commercial partner to senior leadership and the management team by providing clear insight into profitability, margins, costs, working capital, and return on investment.
• Translate complex financial results into practical operational actions that improve business performance across all departments.
• Participate actively in strategic and operational decision-making processes alongside senior leaders to evaluate major expenditure, investment, and business-development opportunities.
• Take overall responsibility for the accuracy and timeliness of monthly management accounts, profit-and-loss analysis, balance-sheet reconciliations, cash-flow forecasting, and departmental allocation of revenue and expenditure.
• Provide dedicated financial oversight for each site and business unit by monitoring revenue, gross profits, stock levels, operational productivity, receivables, facility utilisation, and overall profitability.
• Lead the annual budgeting process for all business units by developing comprehensive budgets for all sites, shared functions, and administrative teams.
• Establish disciplined expense management practices without compromising customer experience or long-term capability by reviewing payrolls, overtime costs, marketing expenses, utilities expenditures, insurance premiums, repairs and maintenance fees, outsourced services costs, facility expenses, professional fees, IT expenditure, security costs, transport expenses and holding department managers accountable for their budgets.
• Maintain strong internal financial controls across all operations by overseeing cash handling procedures; banking activities; stock management; transaction documentation; inventory; work-in-progress; debtor/creditor balances; payroll processing; procurement protocols; supplier payments; credit notes; discounts; journal entries; asset registers; user access permissions and conducting periodic internal reviews to identify control weaknesses.
• Ensure compliance with South African accounting standards as well as taxation requirements (including VAT/PAYE), Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) planning/verification obligations, Employment Equity Act mandates, Occupational Health & Safety regulations, Companies Act stipulations and act as primary liaison with external auditors and banks.
• Lead and develop the finance administration team by establishing clear organisational structures with defined responsibilities; recruiting new talent; succession planning; managing performance reviews; facilitating training/development opportunities; improving processes through automation and creating a culture where finance is viewed as a commercial support function rather than purely administrative.

The ideal candidate for Finance Manager brings deep expertise in multi-site operations within the automotive sector, supported by the mandatory CA (SA) qualification, and proven experience managing complex financial functions across multiple departments. Your analytical skills enable you to interpret intricate data sets while your commercial acumen drives practical improvements in profitability/margins/costs/working capital returns. You are adept at engaging collaboratively with both senior executives and operational managers and building trust through honest communication/supportive leadership/inclusive team development. Your commitment to process improvement ensures ongoing enhancement of finance systems while your understanding of compliance requirements guarantees audit readiness/governance integrity. You thrive in environments where knowledge sharing/training opportunities are valued and where your ability to nurture talent contributes directly to organisational success.

• CA (SA) qualification is essential and non-negotiable.
• Extensive experience in financial management across multi-site operations is essential.
• Proven track record managing management accounts/budgeting/working capital/financial controls within large-scale organisations.
• Strong commercial acumen combined with analytical capability enables you to translate financial information into practical operational improvements.
• Experience consolidating financial reporting across multiple sites is advantageous.
• Exceptional leadership skills allow you to engage effectively with both senior executives and operational managers while fostering an inclusive/supportive team environment.
• Excellent communication skills are required for building trust among stakeholders at all levels, from board members to operational staff.
• Ability to develop concise monthly scorecards/KPI dashboards that highlight exceptions requiring management action rather than simply presenting historical data.
• Commitment to process improvement/automation/succession planning ensures ongoing development of finance systems/team capabilities within an inclusive workplace.
• Understanding of South African accounting/taxation/compliance requirements (including BBBEE/VAT/PAYE/Companies Act) is necessary for meeting audit/governance obligations.