Cost Accountant- Kliprivier

Responsible for providing accurate lane rate modelling, financial analysis, reporting, and insights on:

• Fleet maintenance costs

This role supports cost control, budgeting, forecasting, and operational decision-making across the Transport fleet.

1. Rate Modelling and Pricing

• Develop, calculate, and maintain transport rates for all lanes, customers, and contracts.
• Build and manage rate models based on operational cost drivers including:
  • Fuel
  • Labour
  • Maintenance
  • Tolls
  • Insurance
  • Overheads
• Ensure pricing aligns with:
  • Market conditions
  • Contractual requirements
  • Company profitability targets
• Analyse:
  • Cost per kilometre
  • Trip profitability
  • Route profitability
• Support commercial teams with:
  • Pricing proposals
  • Tenders
  • Customer negotiations

2. Fuel Cost Analysis & Reporting

• Monitor, analyse, and report fleet fuel consumption and fuel costs by:
  • Vehicle
  • Route
  • Depot
  • Customer
• Track fuel efficiency metrics such as:
  • km/litre
  • cost per km
• Identify trends, variances, and anomalies.
• Budgets
• Targets
• Historical performance
• Identify fuel cost-saving opportunities and support efficiency initiatives.

3. Maintenance Cost Analysis & Reporting

• Analyse fleet maintenance costs, including:
  • Servicing
  • Repairs
  • Tyres
  • Breakdowns
  • Parts
• Report on:
  • Maintenance cost per vehicle
  • Cost per kilometre
  • Planned vs unplanned maintenance
• Track vehicle downtime and its financial impact on:
  • Fleet availability
  • Utilisation
• Support lifecycle cost analysis and vehicle/trailer replacement planning.
• Identify:
  • High-cost vehicles
  • Recurring maintenance issues
• Provide actionable insights to operations.

4. Budgeting & Forecasting

• Develop transport cost budgets and forecasts.
• Monitor budget performance and identify cost-saving opportunities.
• Support preparation of:
  • Fuel budgets
  • Maintenance budgets
  • Rolling forecasts
• Monitor actual costs vs budget and explain variances clearly and accurately.
• Fleet size changes
• Support operational management in:
  • Financial planning
  • Strategic decision-making.

5. Performance & Management Reporting

• Monitor transport revenue vs operational costs to ensure profitability.
• Conduct variance analysis between:
  • Planned rates
  • Actual operational costs
• Cost optimisation
• Prepare weekly and monthly management reports and dashboards for fleet cost performance.
• Develop KPIs and cost benchmarks for:
  • Fuel efficiency
  • Maintenance efficiency
• Present insights and recommendations to finance and operations management.
• Ensure data accuracy and integrity across:
  • Fuel systems
  • Maintenance systems
  • Financial systems.

6. Systems & Process Improvement

• Work closely with:
  • Operations
  • Fleet teams
  • Procurement teams
    to improve cost visibility and controls.
• Assist in improving:
  • Data quality
  • Reporting automation
  • System integration
    (fuel systems, fleet management systems, ERP).
• Support audits and compliance related to fuel and maintenance expenditure.

Qualifications / Experience / Skills Required

• Matric
• Bachelor's degree in:
  • Finance
  • Accounting
  • Economics
  • Related field

Advantageous

Experience

• 2 - 5 years' experience in financial analysis in:
  • Manufacturing
  • Logistics
  • Fleet operations