Regional Finance Controller – Johannesburg – On-site at Datafin Recruitment

ENVIRONMENT:

• A leading Retailer is looking for a Regional Financial Controller who is responsible for ensuring that financial and stock-related controls are consistently applied, enforced, and maintained across all branches within the region (12-15 branches per region).
• This role operates as a regional control and governance function, bridging Central Finance, Supply Chain, and Branch Operations to protect the business through robust compliance, accurate financial processes, and effective stock governance.

DUTIES:

Financial Control & Governance

• Enforce strong financial controls across the region, ensuring compliance with company policies and audit requirements.
• Manage and review emergency payments and buyouts, ensuring appropriate authorisation and supporting documentation.
• Review and approve petty cash submissions for all regional sites prior to submission to Central Finance.
• Audit petty cash floats across branches.
• Oversee document flow to Accounts Payable, ensuring completeness, accuracy and timely submission.
• Administer insurance claims and FNB/WesBank fleet card management.
• Maintain accurate filing and recordkeeping in accordance with company and audit standards.

Stock Control & Stocktake Management

• Provide oversight and leadership of the regional stock control environment, ensuring the integrity, accuracy and completeness of inventory records.
• Lead the planning, coordination and execution of regional stocktakes in accordance with company standards, timelines and audit requirements.
• Ensure stocktake systems and scanners are appropriately configured, controlled and fully operational.
• Monitor stocktake progress and review results with relevant teams.
• Investigate and resolve stock variances, ensuring corrective actions are implemented and reported.
• Oversee the Goods in Transit process, including accurate tracking, reconciliation and resolution of outstanding balances.
• Strengthen stock control processes and internal controls to safeguard inventory assets.
• Review scanner administration, stock count validation, variance investigations and corrective actions to maintain stock accuracy and reporting integrity.

Asset Management & CAPEX Control

• Review and verify fixed assets, ensuring physical assets are accurately recorded.
• Prepare CAPEX forms with the required approvals and supporting documentation.
• Maintain accurate asset registers.
• Ensure compliance with asset management policies and controls.

Financial Processing & Transaction Oversight

• Oversee Financial GRVs (Goods Received Vouchers), ensuring accuracy and completeness.
• Prepare Purchase Orders for non-stock items for the regional head office.
• Ensure compliance with procurement and financial policies across regional transactions.
• Process transactions, reconciliations, expenses and financial adjustments across allocated finance portfolios.

Specialised Finance, Reporting & Corporate Governance

• Ensure compliance with applicable accounting standards, tax legislation, statutory and regulatory requirements, company policies and governance frameworks.
• Perform end-to-end financial administration, accounting, reconciliations and reporting for allocated finance portfolios.
• Manage finance activities relating to alternate sales channels, regional commercial activities, third-party platforms, supplier funding programmes and shared-service cost allocations.
• Investigate and resolve financial exceptions and reconciliation discrepancies.
• Prepare and maintain complete supporting documentation, working papers, reconciliations and audit trails.
• Prepare, review and submit financial, statutory, management and ESG-related reports and supporting schedules.
• Ensure financial information is accurate, complete and submitted within required reporting deadlines.
• Liaise with internal and external stakeholders, including auditors, to resolve queries and support audit requirements.
• Support continuous improvement of financial processes and internal controls.
• Manage the administration and governance of contracts and related documentation with Finance personnel.
• Maintain complete, current and audit-ready hardcopy and electronic records.

Regional Support & Audit Preparation

• Provide financial insights and support to regional operational management.
• Assist with audit preparation and respond to audit queries accurately and timeously.
• Ensure financial compliance with company policies and procedures across all regional sites.
• Escalate systemic issues, material financial risks and control weaknesses to Central Finance.
• Provide backup support across finance functions during periods of leave, peak workloads and ad hoc departmental requirements to ensure operational continuity.
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REQUIREMENTS:

Technical Skills:

• Financial Controls & Governance
• Stock & Inventory Management
• Audit & Compliance
• ERP Systems – Financial & Stock Modules
• Financial Reporting & Analysis
• Asset Management & CAPEX Control

Education:

• Relevant tertiary qualification in Finance, Accounting, Financial Management, Auditing, or a related field.
• Postgraduate qualification in Finance, Accounting, or Business Administration would be advantageous but is not essential.
• Professional finance or accounting certification such as CIMA, ACCA, SAICA, or a similar industry-recognised credential would be advantageous.

Experience:

• Solid experience within financial control, audit, or compliance environments.
• Experience overseeing multi-site financial governance and/or stock control.
• Experience within retail, wholesale, or multi-branch operational environments.
• Proven experience enforcing financial controls, governance standards and process discipline across multiple locations.
• Experience in stock control, stocktake management and inventory governance.

Relevant Operational Experience:

• Managing or overseeing financial controls across multiple sites or branches.
• Leading or supporting stocktake planning, execution and variance resolution.
• Working with ERP systems for financial processing, stock management and reporting.
• Ensuring compliance with financial policies, procurement controls and audit requirements.
• Collaborating with Supply Chain, Operations and Central Finance teams.
• Conducting financial audits, process reviews and control assessments.
• Managing GRVs, petty cash, CAPEX, asset verification and insurance administration.

Additional Requirements:

• Willingness to travel between regional sites when required, approximately every six months per branch.
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• ATTRIBUTES:

Soft Skills:

• Attention to Detail
• Problem-Solving & Root Cause Analysis
• Written & Verbal Communication
• Stakeholder Management
• Organisational Skills

Leadership Skills:

• Enforcement & Accountability
• Process Discipline
• Mentoring & Guidance
• GRV Clerk Supervision