Internship: Finance Asset Office (Two positions) at Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)

About the job: 

• The CSIR has Internship opportunities in the Finance portfolio. The purpose of these internships is to provide graduates with an opportunity to gain practical work experience through performing accounting and administrative duties. These positions are based in Pretoria.

Key responsibilities:

• Process financial transactions under guidance and supervision to ensure the transactions are recorded accurately, in compliance with policies, processes, guidelines and legislation.
• Perform financial account reconciliations to identify discrepancies or items to be actioned and ensure that all transactions are recorded in the correct accounting period.
• Prepare, obtain, and attach supporting documentation for approvals before processing asset additions and journals for correct allocation and accounting.
• Follow up and resolve queries received from Divisions, clusters or portfolios, or custodians and where required, escalate to supervisor or accountant for action.
• Keep record of all financial documents, e.g., journals, additions, disposals, transfers, custodian consent, recons, and proof of verifications for future reference and audit purposes.
• Comply to month-end and year-end processes to enable financial departments to meet deadlines and process all financial transactions before final closure.
• Physical verification of assets and scanning of bar codes and QR codes at all CSIR locations.
• Follow-up visits to departments to verify, gather and compare additional available information.
• Create a transparent audit trail of all office documents and communications to support existing fixed asset accounting records.
• Quarterly document management to ensure a ready to be audited accounting trail.

Qualifications, skills and experience:

• A three-year diploma or degree in accounting or finance. 
• Good understanding and ability to implement basic accounting principles.  
• Basic knowledge of VAT principles, Microsoft Office Suite, and Outlook
• Ability to function under pressure and manage stress. 
• Good office administrative and record keeping skills.
• Good analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong time management and planning skills.
• Punctuality, adaptability, and effective communication and listening skills.
• Effective and professional writing skills.
• Attention to detail and excellent interpersonal skills.
• Sound work ethic and ability to work in large teams is essential. 
• Ability to be able to work remotely by being a self-starter, accountable and disciplined