Manager: Financial Planning And Analysis (Central Office Hatfield) at Agricultural Research Council

Description

Budgeting and Forecasting

• Ensure that the necessary training is provided to the internal stakeholders on the policies within area of responsibility.

Oversee the development and maintenance of appropriate policies and procedures in relation to:       

• Revenue exchange and non-exchange transactions.
• External income
• Income received in advance.
• Pricing and costing; and Project accounting.
• Drive the process for annual and multi-year budgets (including forecasting); including ongoing support.
• Develop the Budget guidelines, which will be signed off by the CFO.
• Provide guidelines for the quarterly forecasting and ensure adherence thereof.
• Consolidate the preliminary and final budget documents (i.e., Budgeted Financial, Statements – full set; financial commentary); as submitted by the respective Institutes and / or Divisions)
• Submissions of the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF/MTEC) and ENE (Estimates of National Expenditure) to the National Treasury, Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) and other external
• Stakeholders as per the agreed standards and agreed timelines.
• Provides professional assistance and support to ARC management and staff on budget and other related matters.
• Assist the CFO, in reviewing and prioritising the business cases relating to Capital Expenditure budget.

Management Accounting and Reporting

• Provide finance support and input in terms of developing business cases / proposals to ensure that the opportunities pursued are financially viable.
• Performing financial analysis on a continuous basis to identify areas of development or improvement.
• Analyse revenue and expenditure variances relative to the approved budgets and prepares monthly management reports (A full set of financial statements including financial commentary/ narrative)
• Collaboration with other finance managers, to ensure that the integrity and quality of the management reports are of acceptable standards.
• Prepare quarterly reports to be submitted to the DALRRD; National Treasury; Statistics South Africa and any external parties as required. 

 People Management

• Manage people development initiatives, succession planning and talent management to meet functional performance standards.
• Provide input into workforce planning and implement approved plans to ensure team is suitably staffed to meet sub-functional objectives.

Internal Business Processes

• Ad hoc requests from the CFO and other internal stakeholders.
• Review of policies and procedures within line of responsibility (i.e. External Income; Income received in advance; Pricing and Costing).
• Project Accounting; Budgeting and Forecasting.
• Ensure that audit requests are addressed within the agreed timelines as set by the auditors (internal and external).
• Implementation of audit improvement initiatives related to area of responsibility.
• Ensure that audit findings are addressed
• Lead the FP&A function, overseeing budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis processes to support strategic decision making and business planning.

Requirements

• B. Com Accounting Hons or equivalent, CA(SA), or CIMA from an accredited institution. An MBA qualification would be an added advantage.
• Eight (8) years of responsible, professional experience in budgeting, accounting, forecasting, management reporting or related finance field with at least four (4) years in Senior Management position.
• Accounting, auditing, financial modelling and forecasting, and budgeting principles and practices.
• Understanding of financial transactions and processes.
• Applicable laws and regulations, and financial reporting practices.
• Knowledge and advanced experience of computer software, including Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint etc.
• Management Information Systems applications for accounting functions.
• Office management principles and practices.
• Communicating effectively, both verbally and in writing.
• Maintaining accurate records and making accurate arithmetic calculations.
• Working on several assignments simultaneously, setting priorities, meeting deadlines, and working independently within established guidelines.
• Experience in working on ERP systems and solutions.
• Knowledge and experience of Microsoft Dynamics Systems would be an added advantage.
• Providing outstanding customer satisfaction (internally and externally).
• Ability to understand and interpret the ARC Act, PFMA and Treasury Regulations.
• Examine and verify financial documents and reports.

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATION: 02 APRIL 2026