Financial Accountant

Role Purpose

The Financial Accountant is responsible for the day-to-day ownership, accuracy and integrity of the company’s accounts.

This is a hands-on role combining financial accounting, month-end reporting, transactional accounting and the supervision of one Accounts Assistant. The Financial Accountant will be responsible for ensuring the accounts are complete, reconciled and ready for management reporting each month.

While the Accounts Assistant will complete a range of day-to-day accounting activities, the Financial Accountant remains accountable for the overall quality and accuracy of the accounts and will also be expected to work directly within the accounts when required.

Key Responsibilities

·      Take ownership of the company’s accounting records and the integrity of the full trial balance.

·      Manage the month-end accounting process and ensure reporting deadlines are met.

·      Prepare monthly management accounts, profit and loss statements, balance sheets and cash-flow reporting.

·      Prepare and review bank, credit-card, balance-sheet and intercompany reconciliations.

·      Maintain the general ledger and process journals, accruals, prepayments and other month-end adjustments.

·      Manage the monthly payroll process, including payroll reconciliations and related statutory submissions.

·      Manage and review accounts payable and accounts receivable, including monitoring customer and supplier balances and investigating discrepancies.

·      Ensure customer receipts, supplier payments, deposits, prepayments and other travel-related transactions are correctly accounted for.

·      Manage and reconcile foreign-currency transactions and exchange-rate differences where applicable.

·      Ensure financial information from booking, payment and operational systems is accurately reflected in the accounting records.

·      Monitor cash balances and assist with short-term cash-flow forecasting.

·      Prepare VAT reconciliations and supporting information for statutory and tax submissions.

·      Prepare schedules and supporting documentation for external accountants, auditors and tax advisers.

·      Maintain appropriate accounting controls and identify opportunities to improve finance processes.

·      Provide management with accurate and timely financial information and highlight significant discrepancies or unusual movements.

Management of Accounts Assistant

The Financial Accountant will directly manage and supervise one Accounts Assistant.

Responsibilities include:

·      Allocating and prioritising day-to-day accounting work.

·      Reviewing the Accounts Assistant’s work and ensuring it is accurate and completed on time.

·      Providing guidance, support and on-the-job development.

·      Ensuring delegated accounting tasks and reconciliations are completed within agreed deadlines.

·      Identifying and correcting errors or accounting issues.

·      Supporting management with feedback on the Accounts Assistant’s development and performance.

The Financial Accountant remains accountable for the accuracy and completeness of the accounts regardless of whether individual accounting activities have been delegated.

Requirements

Qualifications

·      A completed bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Accountancy, Commerce or a related field with Accounting as a major is required.

·      Diplomas will not meet the minimum qualification requirement for this role.

·      Completed SAICA or SAIPA articles, or progress toward a recognised professional accounting designation by a controlling body, is advantageous but not essential.

Experience

·      At least three years of relevant accounting experience, with meaningful hands-on exposure to the accounting function of a commercial business.

·      Experience across a full monthly accounting cycle, including general-ledger accounting, reconciliations, month-end adjustments and financial reporting.

·      Practical experience with accounts payable, accounts receivable and balance-sheet reconciliations.

·      Experience preparing or contributing materially to monthly management accounts.

·      Candidates should be comfortable taking responsibility for a set of accounts rather than working only within one accounting function.

Candidates from accounting or audit practices

Articles and accounting-practice experience are valuable; however, time spent solely as an accounting or audit trainee will not automatically satisfy the experience requirement for this role.

Candidates coming from a practice environment should be able to demonstrate sufficient hands-on commercial accounting experience and readiness to take ownership of the day-to-day accounts of a business.

Post-articles commercial experience is advantageous but is not a strict requirement.

Skills & Attributes

·      Strong practical understanding of accounting principles.

·      Strong attention to detail and accuracy.

·      Comfortable taking ownership and accountability for the accounts.

·      Hands-on and willing to work at both transactional and reporting level.

·      Able to identify, investigate and resolve accounting discrepancies.

·      Able to review and supervise the work of a more junior team member.

·      Strong organisational skills and ability to meet month-end deadlines.

·      Good Microsoft Excel skills.

·      Experience with Xero is advantageous.

·      Experience with foreign-currency, multi-entity or international supplier accounting is advantageous.

·      Clear written and verbal communication skills.

·      Dependable and comfortable handling confidential financial information.

Key Performance Indicators

·      Accurate and complete accounting records.

·      Month-end completed within agreed deadlines.

·      Accurate and timely management accounts.

·      Complete and accurate balance-sheet, bank, credit-card and intercompany reconciliations.

·      Accounting discrepancies identified and resolved promptly.

·      Reliable cash-flow and financial reporting.

·      Accurate and timely completion of work by the Accounts Assistant.

·      Effective supervision and development of the Accounts Assistant.

·      Compliance with accounting controls, statutory requirements and audit requests.

Benefits

and other information

·      Home base is in the Cape Town CBD and applicant must provide own transport

·      WOLO Travel offers a structured hybrid work from home, work from office environment

·      Every employee receives a Guaranteed 10 WOLO Weekends (Long Weekends) a year

·      WOLO Travel is a lifestyle brand with a commitment to "Working to live, not living to work!"