Job Opportunities at Spartan

Context for the Role

• Spartan is looking for analysts, with either a Commerce degree or Engineering degree or a PPE degree, who wish to explore the finance world and apply their skills in becoming a credit analyst by investigating established SMEs’ credit worthiness for funding.

This role is:

• Not a desktop based analytical role – but rather one that also engages with CEO, founders, entrepreneurs
• Not a data science role but you will heuristically connect the dots
• Not a purely mathematical endeavour - and will rely on your systems/process thinking.

This Role will:

• Allow you to engage with entrepreneurs to gain an intimate knowledge of their businesses
• Allow you to explore and profile owners’ personalities
• Allow you investigate trends in industry and sectors and apply those determinations
• Expand your general business & industry knowledge exponentially
• Get you to directly make a difference to entrepreneurial businesses and build our country
• Engage with the Credit Committee

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• The individual will report to the Commercial Director and will work closely with the executive team, gaining broad exposure to the business.  The role also requires a close working relationship with the Finance Department and assisting the Financial Controller with regular and ad hoc tasks.

Required Qualifications

• The individual must be a CA (SA) with at least 5 years post qualification experience

Job Description

The expectations of the experienced candidate will include:

Fund raising

• Support executive team
• Prepare information for institutional funders
• Prepare due diligence information
• Transaction documentation

Credit Committee

• Work with Credit Analyst Team on transactions
• Attend & contribute at Credit Committee meetings
• Transaction implementation

Recoveries from defaulting borrowers

• Support Legal & Compliance Department
• General corporate finance and paralegal work

Reporting

• Monthly reporting (internal & external)
• Annual financial statements & engagement with auditors
• Ensure IFRS compliance
• Reporting to lenders and stakeholders
• Forecasts and budgets
• Impact reporting
• ALM reporting
• Expected Credit Loss calculations
• Income tax & VAT
• Regulatory reporting

Systems & Processes

• Ensure effectiveness
• Recommend & implement enhancements and/or amendments

Manage projects:

• Sculp, Plan, Execute, and Debrief
• Coordination
• Manage project resources

Ad hoc projects

• Innovate, research
• Apply commercial and para-legal knowledge
• Be eligible to be a Key Individual in respect of FSCA

Desired Skills and Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of post-articles experience (preferably with exposure to engaging with and reporting to external stakeholders – shareholders, debt providers, regulators
• An “all-rounder” with some corporate experience who is looking for a challenge outside the “corporate comfort-zone”
• Solid working knowledge of IFRS
• Project management

General Microsoft office tools

• Excel – Advanced
• Analytical mind, organized, precise and meticulous
• Ability to take initiative, learn quickly and strive for results
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written)
• Strong team player – able to follow and lead

Required Disposition

• Someone who is discerning and keen to learn and grow
• Problem solver
• Good Communicator
• Take initiative and responsibility
• Managing own time efficiently
• Multitasking
• Someone who is self-aware
• An eye for detail
• Curiosity with constant holistic learning
• Resilient
• Techno Savvy
• Team player who is not afraid of “dirty hands” from time to time
• Someone who wants to contribute to South Africa
• Empathetic to the struggles of SMEs (our Customers)

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• The individual will report directly to the Commercial Director and will work closely with the senior management team.

Required Qualifications

• BCom or equivalent (Hons – preferred)

Job Description

• As the Financial Manager, you will work closely with the executive team, gain broad exposure to the business and be accountable for the accounting function for the Spartan Group and some key financial processes in servicing customers.

The expectation of the experienced candidate will include:

• Be eligible to register as a Key Individual in respect of FSCA
• Manage the accounting function
• Direct and lead the financial department team
• Ensure IFRS compliance
• Responsible for monthly reporting, Annual Financial Statements of several companies and the audit engagement
• Experience in, or a conceptual understanding of, the principles inherent in a financing business
• VAT & income tax returns & General SARS queries
• Insurance matters
• Budgets
• Key Process management
• Ensure effectiveness
• Maintain efficiencies
• Sign off process compliance activities
• Manage projects
• Plan, Execute, and Debrief
• Coordination
• Manage project resources
• Prepare reports
• Timeous delivery
• Alert Management to exceptions
• Cash flow management & forecasts
• Gather and present to Exco
• Prepare reports for Board meetings and funders

Desired Skills and Experience

• Minimum of 10 years’ experience (preferably with exposure to mid-sized companies including reporting to external stakeholders)
• Leadership experience in a financial role
• Working knowledge of IFRS
• Project management
• General Microsoft office tools
• Excel – Advanced
• Exposure to ERP systems & Sage/Xero/Quickbooks
• Flexibility to adapt with business changes
• Analytical mind, organized, precise and meticulous
• Ability to take initiative, learn quickly and strive for results
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written)
• Strong team player and motivator

Required Disposition

• Someone who is discerning and keen to learn and grow
• Problem solver
• Good Communicator
• Management experience and the ability to get the best out of a team
• Take initiative and responsibility
• Managing own time efficiently
• Multitasking
• Someone who is self-aware
• An eye for detail
• Curiosity with constant holistic learning
• Resilient
• Techno Savvy
• Team player who is not afraid of rolling up sleeves
• Someone who wants to contribute to South Africa
• Empathetic to the struggles of SMEs (our Customers)

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Purpose of the Role

• This opportunity requires a self-aware, conscientious, and precise team-player who knows how to maximise revenue assurance, reporting and collections. Manage a complete and accurate billing process. 
• Perform debtors & balance sheet reconciliations and prepare delinquent customer case files for handover to internal legal department.
• The individual will report to the Finance Controller and will work closely with their Finance Team.  

Job Description 

• As the Loan Portfolio Accountant, you will be joining a growing team with the ability to first grow and then master within the role. Then, in the future, provide support to the Finance Team. You will be responsible for ensuring the integrity of the loan portfolios comprising SME clients who have received funding from Spartan SME Finance. This includes preparing billing that is timeously and correctly calculated and captured on the accounting system and then accurately and timeously process collections from the SME clients.

At a high level:

• Ensure the accuracy of drawdown repayment calculations, including Interest on arrears calculations, settlements, and amortisation calculations.
• Maintain these schedules and the subsequent invoicing up to date with interest rate changes and payment changes.

At a more detailed level:

• Balance Sheet reconciliations related to customer accounts 
• Generate invoices and credit notes
• Debtor allocations and reconciliations
• Preparing and reconciling consolidated customer statements and statements for legal accounts.
• Sending invoices with statements and payment reminder emails to customers
• Preparation of collection repayments due to Spartan for debit orders & EFTs
• Management and resolution of unpaid instructions - including notifying the team as early as possible, calling and emailing customers when required to.
• Resolving certain customer queries 
• Reconciliations of debit order bank accounts and general ledger accounts.
• Reconciliation of intercompany transactions (admin recoupment, collections clearing account, origination clearing account, origination income and expense accounts)
• Ensuring customers are on-billed for expenses incurred post deal activation (legal expense recoveries, insurance assets, repairs and maintenance of assets). 
• Notifying Creditors Officer of any intercompany transfers for loading onto the banking system
• Assisting in work overflow where needed.
• Check and release payments when needed
• Work closely with Spartan’s internal Legal Team (including attending internal legal recovery meetings)
• General support to the Finance Team  and ad hoc projects as required

 Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor of Commerce (preferably with a major in Accounting) or equivalent tertiary qualification
• Experience on Microsoft 365, Xero, Microsoft Teams, and Standard Bank Business online an advantage. If no Xero experience, you will be required to complete the Xero advisor certification in your first week.

 Desired Skills & Experience 

• Financial understanding & accuracy  
• Ability to perform financial and leasing calculations – not a production line/data processor but someone who is able to calculate the micro aspects and evaluate the macro aspects of a loan book
• Techno Savvy  
• Analytical mind, organized, precise and meticulous, ability to think on your feet, take initiative, learn quickly, and strive for results 
• Excellent communication skills [verbal and written] 
• Ability to listen, interpret and understand 
• Conscientious, with follow-up & feedback  
• Trustworthy and dependable 
• Problem solver 
• Strong team player 
• Help train others 
• Take responsibility 
• Managing own time efficiently
• Self-awareness 
• Flexible and able to adapt to change 
• OCD and meticulous [with an eye for detail]