Financial Controller

Johannesburg, South Africa Posted on 24/10/2025

The Financial Controller is responsible for maintaining the integrity of the businesses' financial systems and ensuring that financial reporting, statutory submissions, and audit deliverables are timely, accurate, and compliant. The role will lead the control, accounting, and payables functions to ensure robust governance and efficient financial operations across the business.

Reporting to the Finance Director and managing a team of about 9 in the wider finance team.

Key Responsibilities:

• Oversee the month-end close process, ensuring timely, complete, and accurate management accounts.
• Maintain the integrity of the General Ledger and ensure alignment with sub-ledgers.
• Lead preparation of balance sheet reconciliations and monthly review packs for management.
• Prepare annual financial statements and coordinate external audits to deliver clean outcomes.
• Enforce internal controls across journal entries, user access, approvals, and system integrity.
• Ensure accounting policies and procedures are properly documented, communicated, and adhered to.

Tax, Compliance and Statutory Reporting

• Oversee compliance with VAT, PAYE, and corporate income tax requirements.
• Maintain readiness for audit and support all compliance and statutory reporting cycles.

Operational Finance Oversight

• Supervise Accounts Payable, Bank & Cash, and Expense Control teams to ensure process efficiency and adherence to policy.
• Govern the ERP finance environment, ensuring accurate configuration, posting controls, and audit trails.
• Maintain 13-week cash inflow forecasting, track Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) performance and coordinate rebate cash-out timing with Finance and FP&A teams to optimise cash flow.

Business Partnering and Process Improvement

• Partner with the CFO and FP&A to support budgeting, forecasting, and reporting (input-level involvement).
• Drive initiatives to strengthen financial discipline, automation, and reporting accuracy.
• Support ongoing finance transformation, systems upgrades, and process documentation projects.

Key Outcomes / Success Measures

• Accurate and compliant management accounts and financial statements.
  
• Clean annual audits and on-time statutory submissions.
  
• Efficient and controlled payables and cash management processes.
  
• Strengthened control environment and ERP governance.
  

Qualifications & Experience

• CA(SA) or equivalent professional qualification.
  
• 5-8 years' post-articles experience in financial control, audit, or corporate accounting.
  
• Proven experience managing financial close, tax compliance, and audit processes.
  
• Strong working knowledge of IFRS and South African regulatory frameworks.
  
• FMCG, retail, or distribution sector experience is advantageous.
  

Technical Skills, Competencies and Characteristics

• Detail-oriented, disciplined, and control-focused.
  
• Strong technical accounting and analytical skills.
  
• High level of integrity and professional accountability.
  
• Effective communicator and team leader.
  
• Proactive problem solver with continuous improvement mindset.