Financial Manager (Shared Services) (Centurion) at Montego Pet Nutrition

Description

• You will bring a track record of accurate financial reporting, strong financial controls, and disciplined month-end, budgeting, and audit processes — and you are ready to operate at Senior Management level, shaping how Shared Services supports the wider business.

The Role

• Based at our Graaff-Reinet or Centurion office and reporting to the Financial Director, you will take ownership of Shared Services finance — accurate reporting and full compliance, strong financial controls, and commercial analysis and business partnering that helps drive the business forward.
• As a member of Senior Management, you will also lead and champion the Montego culture — setting the tone, growing your team, and making sure Shared Services runs like the well-oiled machine it should be.

What you will be doing

Commercial Analysis & Business Partnering

• Partner closely with Sales & Marketing as their commercial finance point of contact, reviewing customer performance on revenue and gross profit and flagging where trends need attention.
• Provide input to Sales on where to optimize pricing, mix and terms to drive bottom-line growth, including support for key customer engagements and negotiations.
• Assess the return on investment (ROI) on marketing spend and campaigns, working with Marketing to sharpen investment decisions and prioritize the highest return activity.
• Provide commercial input into new product launches and pricing decisions.
• Build a close working relationship with the Sales and Marketing teams, so commercial finance input is embedded in day-to-day decision-making, not just reported after the fact.

Planning, Policies & Systems

• Manage the financial accounting systems, safeguarding data integrity, and confidentiality.
• Develop, review, and implement aligned, compliant financial policies and procedures, including the authorization levels and system access controls that govern transaction processing.

Financial Reporting, Statements & Audits

• Compile monthly and quarterly management accounts, and the Annual Financial Statements, for approval by the Executive Committee and Board
• Run the month-end process in line with policies and procedures, review management accounts and financial reports for accuracy and completeness and distribute reports to the relevant role players accurately and on time.
• Consult with department heads on actual-versus-budget performance — including a quarterly review of operating expenditure (Opex) and resolve escalated queries from departmental heads.
• Manage the audit process end-to-end requests, extracts, queries, and management-letter points.

Tax Returns & Statutory Reporting

• Maintain the tax calculation file and raise accruals for income tax and deferred tax.
• Complete and submit IRP6 provisional tax returns.
• Complete and submit IT14 annual assessments, including Capital Gains Tax

Treasury & Insurance

• Manage payments and keep financial covenants on track.
• Consult with banks on working capital and Capex funding requirements.
• Work with insurance brokers on the annual renewal of group insurance and cover of risk.
• Develop, review, and implement the forex hedging policy.

Creditors & Debtors Management

• Provide strategic oversight of the creditors’ function, holding the Accounts Payable Manager accountable for accurate ageing, timely processing, and sound vendor relationship management.
• Set the credit policy framework and approve new credit applications and limit increases above the Accounts Receivable Manager’s delegated authority.
• Provide strategic oversight of the debtor’s function, holding the Accounts Receivable Manager accountable for the age analysis and management of a complex debtors’ book with various terms.
• Ensure strong collections discipline is executed — debtors kept within credit terms and limits, and inside the overall debtor-days target set in the annual budget.
• Function as the escalation point for doubtful debts and complex credit decisions; approve hand-over to legal advisors for collection or litigation.

Annual & Interim Budgeting

• Provide budget input for Capex, financing, and the Shared Services function as part of the annual and interim budgeting cycle.
• Prepare and motivate the Capex and financing budget, securing the Financial Director’s sign-off.
• Manage the Shared Services budget thereafter — overspend, shortfalls, variances, and all.

Risk Management

• Flag concerns and risk items early and ensure timely mitigation.
• Develop and manage the risk register, keeping it current, relevant, and acted upon
• Communicate high-level risks to the relevant role players.

People Management & Culture

• Read the business plan, translate it into deliverables, and secure the people — permanent and contract — to meet them.
• Champion Montego’s culture by modelling the behaviour you want to see across the team.
• Set performance and personal development plans, then coach, review and appraise against them.
• Give honest, timely feedback that keeps your people performing at their best.

Requirements

What you will need to bring

• A qualification in Finance/Accounting (or equivalent) with articles (NQF Level 7)
• CA(SA) essential
• Commercial acumen and a solid understanding of the broader business — essential; retail and/or manufacturing environment exposure advantageous
• 5–8 years’ accounting and financial management experience
• Treasury and tax exposure (local and international)
• A valid Code B driver’s license

Skills that make things happen

• Financial management and financial reporting
• Cost control and asset management
• Business analysis and problem solving
• Commercial understanding and business partnering
• Tax and treasury management.
• Risk management

And the behaviours that make it stick

• Uncompromising accuracy and meticulous attention to detail — non-negotiable
• An analytical mind with a talent for lateral thinking
• Uncompromising ethical standards
• Deadline-driven and dependable under pressure
• A leader who lives Montego’s culture — One Team, One Goal — and grows the people around them.

The fine print

• This is a Senior Management role at our Graaff-Reinet or Centurion office. The incumbent needs to be available as required and comfortable working extended hours when month-end, year-end and audit season call for it.