Manager Financial Accounting at South African Airways (SAA)

Reference Number    
SAA250818-1

Job Purpose    

• The Manager Financial Accounting role is responsible for compiling and distributing the Final Income Statement, high level narratives for the month & Balance Sheet for the Group, balancing of final Group Trial Balance in SAP with Final Income Statement and Balance Sheet, Manage and set month end closing deadlines for all SAP users (Group), as well as manage the opening and closing of accounting periods in SAP (Group). 
• The role will run the foreign currency revaluation program in SAP and reconcile to detail, ad hoc tasks and sound liaison with other finance departments. In addition, the role is responsible for the preparation of the annual financial statements as well as relevant interaction with both internal and external auditors. 
• The incumbent will be responsible for creating new, changing, blocking and unblocking GL accounts in SAP (Group), Maintain Trial Balance in SAP (Group). The role will ensure that reconciliations are done, reviewed and signed off, ensure that all Inter-Company consolidations are done, reviewed and signed off, as well as to ensure that all month end closing exchange rates are loaded in SAP. 
• Furthermore, the role is also responsible for converting and uploading of non-SAP subsidiaries Trial Balances in SAP, supervising of subordinates and co-ordinate leave, coordinate the period 13-year end journal process and provide updated Trial Balances etc. to auditors and internal customers.

Principal Accountabilities    

• Provide input to the design of the Department Strategy and implement strategy within area/s of responsibility
• Manage the implementation of the Department’s strategy
• Recommends and standardises policies, processes and systems to support implementation of the strategy
• Drive profitability in area of responsibility and overall department
• Manage and control budget for the cost centre and contribute to department budget management
• Provide recommendations to actively support cost and headcount containment
• Analyse cost centre report monthly to ensure that costs are correct
• Prepare Group consolidated annual financial statements (AFS) using Accounts Production financial statement software
• AFS must be prepared in terms of IFRS, Companies Act, PFMA and other relevant legislation
• Liaising with external auditors regarding the AFS, as well as the external audit in general
• Benchmarking SAA’s AFS against the AFS of other industry leaders in order to keep up to date with best practices followed by leading airlines
• Preparation of information for inclusion in the annual report and Directors’ Report
• Prepare Final Income Statement & Balance Sheet working paper (Excel), which includes commentary and high level narratives, check consolidation entries for correctness
• Run forex revaluation every month, ensure that the amounts are posted correctly to the various GL accounts and perform a reconciliation of the calculation 
• Ensure that all accounts, which are your responsibility, are reconciled and cleared monthly and that there are no unresolved issues older than 3 months on the reconciliations
• Create / Change / Block / Unblock General Ledger (GL) Accounts in SAP after following the relevant department policies and procedures
• Responsible for updating the table with any changes to the accounting clerks for all company codes
• Ensure that all new accounts are correctly grouped in the TB
• Reconcile TB groupings, after year end, to groupings on AFS to ensure that the TB and AFS are in sync, feasibility regarding reallocating accounts on the TB should be considered
• Exercise control over the opening and closing of the accounting periods in SAP for the whole group, as per the month end timetable
• Use discretion in opening and closing the accounting period as per the request of various companies/departments to ensure that the specific month- / year end deadlines are met
• Conduct March year end closing (period 12 & 13 closing) and normal month end 
• Control period 13 opening and closing after consultation with management 
• Summarize period 13 journals entries posted
• Liaison with external and internal auditors to ensure successful audit
• Maintain good working relationship with internal and external clients to improve the image of SAA, Finance and Financial Accounting in particular
• Ensure that the Policies and Procedures for Final Accounts, are updated regularly
• Complete the Quarterly Group PFMA Compliance Checklist & PFMA Disclosure Template in respect of irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure when requested by the Financial Controller Shared Services
• Advise Finance team regarding changes to IFRS and the accounting impact thereof
• Liaise with subsidiary finance departments regarding accounting policies
• Submission of populated templates to the shareholder as required
• Scrutinise and follow up on any abnormalities in the Trial Balance on a regular basis
• Review monthly journals captured in SAP by subordinates for correctness
• Review monthly and year to date Sundry Income analysis before distribution (Account 810500)
• Verify and signoff of monthly and year to date FOREX analysis (Account 944010)
• Verify and sign off monthly recurring journals prepared by subordinates
• Ensure journals marked for reversal have been reversed
• Ensure Trial Balance variants in SAP are updated for the new month
• Compile internal month end closing schedule and hand to Team Leader for distribution
• Update the SAP News monthly with the new closing dates once available
• Back up Shared files between Manager and Team Leader after each month end

Qualifications & Experience    

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting at NQF level 7
• Qualified Chartered Accountant CA(SA) registered with SAICA
• At least 5 - 7 post articles years’ experience in financial accounting environment of which 3 years is in a management level
• Experience with people management
• Exposure to financial reporting, particularly International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)
• Knowledge and Skills    
• Good knowledge of SAP FI (Financial) essential
• Good knowledge of TM1 will be an advantage
• Application and understanding of accounting principals
• Public Finance Management Act
• Good knowledge of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), Companies Act and other relevant legislation
• Accounting principles and procedures
• Working knowledge of Accounts Production software will be an advantage
• Computer literate (MS Office and Advanced Excel, SAP FI, TM1, Accounts Production)
• Good interpersonal skills
• Excellent communication skills (verbal & written)
• Ability to perform under pressure and meet deadlines
• Analytical and accuracy in work output essential
• Strong numeric skills
• Attention to detail
• Strong problem-solution orientation
• Effective decision making
• Good administrative, planning and organising skills
• Confidentiality and accountability

Attributes    

• Leads with purpose
• Manages team performance
• Manages transformation and change initiatives
• Drives innovation
• Sells/ translates the vision
• Leverages team diversity
• Role models behaviours and values
• Innovative
• Self-starter
• Reliable and team player