Treasury & Agile Accountant, ekaterra at Unilever

Your Role:

Local treasury is a crucial player in ensuring that the business operates effectively. In partnering with the Global Treasury team and many local teams the Treasury Accountant ensures that our banking arrangements work smoothly and that all the complexity that comes in the space of cash is understood thereby setting the platform for the business to make the correct operational decisions.  

Your Key Tasks:

Manage relationships with Banks.

• Own the local relationships and work with global treasury on any issues or requirements.
• Prepare any documentation needed by the banks.
• Manage the list of Unilever signatories and the bank resolutions.
• Assist with Electronic banking set-up for local payments with global treasury

Partner on certain types of payment

• Instruct payment of non-trade intercompany balances.   

Cash Forecasting & Management

• Support and potentially own the preparation of the cash FC
• Actively contribute to the preparation of material for the cash forum and participate in the meeting to drive for improvements in cash
• Partner cash usage decisions
• Partner the business to determine how to distribute cash i.e Dividends, Service Fees, IC loan repayment etc.

Ensure compliance to the Treasury Governance and Control framework

• Own the local Treasury controls framework and ensure compliance.
• Facilitate audits of these controls.
• Own the updating of the framework/control SOP’s should that be required.

Month-end close accounting and preparation for reviews

• Prepare/instruct the relevant FX postings.
• Review and provide commentary on month-end balances and interest for the CLM/NFD meetings

Ensure SARB adherence

• Applications, processing, liaising with banks and manage all SARB queries and audits to ensure continuous compliance. Ensure business is made aware of all SARB regulatory changes and effectively communicate changes and initiate system changes with IT's assistance. Implement effective ways for IBM to manage ongoing SARB applications and ensure overall management is maintained ensuring consistent compliance with SARB regulations.

Own FX hedging for the business

• Book FX cover in accordance with the Treasury standards when required
• Analyse historical settlements and engage with procurement to ensure cover is sufficient.
• Manage the lifecycle of the hedge to ensure the correct postings are made and the P&L impact is correct.
• Upskill the wider business on understanding the implications of FX hedging and what it means for both the P&L actuals and FC

Tax Compliance & Reporting

• Building a pro-active and collaborative relationship with SARS to attend to queries timeously and agreeing on course of action to address identified risks
• Providing guidance and advice to the business regarding any changes in tax legislation and the potential impact
• Assist with reviewing contracts and identifying tax issues
• Business partner, procurement, finance, planning Factory, regional teams and global teams on projects
• Work with 3rd party service provider to ensure monthly submissions and payments are completed
• Prepare quarterly Tax and Deferred Tax submissions for group reporting
• Work with 3rd Party service provide to submit annual Tax return

Ad-Hoc & Agile Projects

• Involvement in projects that require treasury and tax support
• Scope for FLEX projects outside of Treasury

Skills and Experience

• Experience working within finance in a top-tier FMCG, retail or eCommerce organisation, investment bank or equivalent.
• Experience in Financial accounting/Controllership preferred but not essential.
• Completed a relevant accounting qualification.
• A track record of high performance in your career to date.
• Ability to provide key business insight through strong analytical skills.
• High organizational agility to navigate a complex and diverse role.
• Self-motivated and driven to continually learn, develop and succeed.
• Strong Excel and PowerPoint skills.
• Strong attention to detail and bias for action.

Who we are looking for:

• Results-oriented, proactive thinker with a focus on continuous improvement
• Strong verbal and written communication skills to effectively interact with external and internal parties and the ability to function effectively as part of a team to gain cooperation of individuals across the organization
• Ability to work in a challenging business environment, to demonstrate flexibility by managing numerous priorities concurrently and ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines
• Strong attention to detail and analytical skills
• Independent self-starter, ability to discover opportunities and grow the business