Senior Manager: Treasury and Finance Operations - (FIN-L9.3) at Zutari

About the role:

• The Senior Manager Treasury & Finance Operations is responsible for the day-to-day management of Zutari's treasury function including cash and liquidity management, banking, funding facilities, guarantees and treasury risk monitoring, together with general financial accounting responsibilities, including general ledger integrity, reconciliation review and financial reporting.
• The role also owns the Group's cash budgeting process, leads a treasury finance team, oversees the payroll department, guides the calculation of cost and charge-out rates, supports the assessment of projects for commercial viability, and acts as a finance business partner to the operational business.
• Reporting to the Finance Director Group
• Reporting & Control, the incumbent manages treasury and accounting operations and controls in line with Group policy and prepares monthly management and board-level reporting.

Key responsibilities: 

Cash, Liquidity and Working Capital Management

• Lead the Group's cash, liquidity and working capital management activities, ensuring adequate funding to support operational and strategic requirements.
• Oversee cash flow forecasting and liquidity planning processes, providing visibility of cash positions, funding requirements and liquidity risks.
• Monitor working capital performance and cash conversion trends, identifying opportunities to improve cash generation and optimise capital deployment.
• Provide recommendations to the Finance Director: Group Reporting and Control on liquidity management, funding utilisation and cash optimisation strategies.

Banking, Facilities and Treasury Operations

• Responsible for day-to-day banking relationships, account structures, signatories, access controls, and online banking platforms; support account rationalisation and periodic banking reviews to ensure competitive pricing and fit-for-purpose solutions.
• Oversee funding facilities (utilisation, drawdowns, repayments, covenant tracking) and the guarantee/bond portfolio (bid, performance, retention, and advance payment guarantees), including issuance, renewals, and releases.
• Monitor facility capacity and guarantee expiry profiles and renewal requirements and support negotiation of new or renewed facilities and guarantee lines with banks.
• Manage treasury operations, systems and controls to ensure accuracy, efficiency, and compliance, and drive continuous improvement of treasury processes, reporting and systems use.
• Drive continuous improvement and digital transformation initiatives across treasury systems, reporting capabilities and cash management processes.

Business Partnering, Team and People Management

• Act as a finance point of contact for operational business units on treasury, cash, and accounting matters, and work closely with Group Finance, tax, and legal.
• Lead, manage, and develop a small team of treasury and accounting staff, including workload allocation, performance management, and succession/cover planning.
• Drive capability development, succession planning, employee engagement and continuous improvement within the team
• Champion operational excellence, standardisation and process improvement across treasury and finance operations.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, Accounting, or a related field      

Essential

• Professional accounting qualification (e.g. CA(SA), ACA, ACCA, CIMA) or treasury-related professional qualification.           

Advantageous

• Post graduate qualification in Finance, Accounting or a related field  Advantageous

Experience

• Minimum 10-12 years' experience with at least 3-5 years leading treasury, cash and finance operations teams.
• Experience managing or supervising a team.
• Experience with month-end close, financial reporting and management/board reporting.
• Exposure to budgeting and cash flow planning processes.
• Solid working experience in foreign exchange, interest rate and liquidity risk management.

Advantageous:

• Experience in an engineering, construction, or professional/consulting services environment, including cost/charge-out rate setting and project commercial assessment.
• Payroll oversight experience.
• Exposure to treasury systems and finance ERP platforms.

Skills

• Solid working knowledge of cash management, banking operations, funding facilities, and guarantee instruments.
• Strong general accounting skills, including reconciliations, journals and financial reporting.
• Commercial acumen, with the ability to assess project viability, margins and cost structures.
• People management and team leadership ability.
• Advanced Excel and working knowledge of ERP/treasury/payroll systems.
• Strong attention to detail, analytical ability and sound judgement.
• Good written and verbal communication skills, including preparing reports for senior management and board forums.

Competency 

• Treasury and Cash Management
• Financial Accounting and Control
• Commercial and Cost Rate Awareness
• Budgeting and Financial Planning
• Management and Board Reporting
• People Leadership and Team Development
• Business Partnering and Stakeholder Support
• Governance and Compliance