Financial Manager at Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)

The CSIR has a vacancy for a Financial Manager in the in the Chemical, Agriculture, Food & Health Division . The successful incumbent will be supporting the Cluster with financial information, analysis and advice for strategic decision-making, input to Cluster strategy (solely accountable for finance position of the strategy). The incumbent will assume overall accountability for financial management of the Cluster, monitoring and evaluation of all financial Key Performance indicators (KPls) and the management and development of the finance Team within the Cluster. This position is based in Pretoria.

Key Responsibilities

• Guide and assist the unit with budgeting and forecasting processes;
• Prepare and provide monthly financial reports for the monitoring of the success of the business plan implementation;
• Develop, prepare and provide standard and on-request financial reports and data analysis of unit activities or stakeholder financial contract information;
• Obtain an understanding of the unit financial environment by pro-actively analysing and interpreting data and reports;
• Review customer and supplier agreements to mitigate risk and maximise cash flow;
• Identify and determine the impact of stakeholder requirements on financial reporting for timeous and accurate submission of financial information;
• Review planned purchases of property, plant and equipment to assess financial risks, availability of funding, payment terms and conditions, legislative requirements for importing and the return on investment;
• Review classification and useful life of assets to ensure adherence to accounting policies;
• Assist with the integration of new initiatives into and out of the CSIR and the transfer of initiatives between units within the CSIR;
• Attend initiative specific meetings with industry partners to provide financial feedback against the programme budget, deliverables and objectives;
• Internal and external audit process plus the ability to remedy internal controls weaknesses reported by auditors;
• Oversee contracting and contract management to ensure accurate and complete financial management;
• Manage, direct and advise relevant staff on month end, quarter end and year end processes;
• Create awareness of relevant financial legislative and policy changes to assist management with the implementation of financial policies and procedures, legislation, accounting framework and audit requirements;
• Review and improve unit financial business processes and the financial internal control environment;
• Prepare, assist and provide process descriptions and other financial information requirements to assist the auditors in meeting the set deadlines;
• Manage staff to ensure performance of duties in accordance with job requirements;
• Evaluate segregation of duties continuously to ensure the control environment remains intact;
   

Qualifications, Skills And Experience

• An Honours degree or equivalent, such as a CIMA qualification with at least seven year’s finance experience in a medium to large business including:
  • Three year’s management experience;
  • A combination of private and public sector experience;
  • Contract evaluation and management;
  • Experience in analysing & interpreting financial data;
  • Sound understanding of legislation applicable to state owned entities;
  • ERP finance system application experience;
  • private working experience in a complex and multi-dimensional financial department;
• Chartered Accountant (SA) qualification would be an advantage;
• Excellent experience in analysing complex financial reporting;
• Advanced analytical and problem solving skills;
• Ability to make informed decisions, attention to detail and a high level of accuracy;
• Strong problem solving skills and the ability to develop solutions to complex financial issues;
• Very effective organisational skills and advanced Microsoft Office suite skills;
• Outstanding knowledge and ability to apply accounting principles;
• Excellent knowledge of statutory requirements, legislation, policies and procedures typically relevant in the area of responsibility;
• Exceptional ability to assess risk within the area of responsibility and skills to recommend and implement appropriate internal control systems;
• Ability to analyse financial data and to communicate the results to a diverse group;
• Ability to manage, evaluate and develop people;
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to have effective working relationships with people at all levels in the organisation;
• Excellent verbal, written, listening, presentation and communication skills;
• Ability to work/function well within teams with sensitivity to diverse cultures;
• Sound work ethic, time management skills and the ability to manage stress.