About the position
Our client, a leading Freight / Logistics / Supply Chain company based in Durban, is looking to fill the position of Financial Director.
Overview:
My client is seeking an experienced, commercially minded and values-driven Finance Director to lead the national finance and payroll functions and contribute meaningfully to the strategic direction, governance and sustainable performance of the business. The Finance Director is accountable for financial leadership, statutory and group reporting, governance, risk management, commercial decision support, treasury, tax, insurance, contracts, leases, property-related financial oversight, compliance, executive reporting, and developing a high-performing national finance team.
The role combines executive leadership with disciplined operational oversight and requires active partnership with the Managing Director, Executive Committee, divisional and group stakeholders, regional operations, customers, suppliers, auditors, insurers, banks, legal advisers, compliance functions and regulators. The Finance Director is ultimately accountable for the organisation's financial integrity, governance framework, compliance environment, risk oversight, liquidity, strategic financial direction, and financial performance. Key external stakeholder relationships include external and internal auditors, the South African Revenue Service and other regulators, banks, insurers and brokers, legal advisers, landlords, customers, suppliers and service providers. The role includes indirect functional accountability and reporting to the divisional Chief Financial Officer, in accordance with the approved organisational structure. The role must balance executive leadership with sufficient operational visibility and disciplined follow-through to ensure effective execution across finance, commercial and governance activities nationally.
Purpose of the Role:
- Protect the financial integrity, assets, reputation and liquidity of the organisation.
- Translate business strategy into clear financial plans, performance measures and accountable execution.
- Provide timely, accurate and decision-useful financial insight to executive and operational leadership.
- Maintain an effective governance, risk, control and compliance environment.
- Drive sustainable profitability, cash generation, working capital improvement and disciplined capital allocation.
- Build a capable, resilient and service-oriented national finance function that supports operations across Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town.
Key Responsibilities:
- Strategic and Executive Leadership
- Financial Planning, Analysis and Performance Management
- Financial Reporting and Statutory Accountability
- Governance, Risk, Controls and Compliance
- Commercial Finance and Business Partnering
- Treasury, Cash Flow and Working Capital
- Tax and Regulatory Compliance
- Contracts, Insurance, Legal and Property Oversight
- Finance Systems, Data and Continuous Improvement
- People Leadership and Organisational Capability
Daily Functioning / Oversight:
- Review the daily cash position, available facilities, major receipts, high-value or unusual payments and immediate liquidity requirements.
- Preparation of IFRS16 Lease schedules.
- Manage and provide guidance on complex IFRS items, including ECL models, impairments and share-based payments.
- Preparation of deferred tax, normal tax and provisional tax calculations.
- Review of company's quarterly reporting for business forecasts, ESG, BBBEE, Risk, Audit Committee and represent the company at these meetings.
- Manage supplier and enterprise development initiatives as well as the BBBEE supplier database for non-compliant suppliers.
- Review all business internal audit reports and related findings and solutions.
- Attend and represent the business in group IT forums as FD.
- Review urgent collection, billing, supplier, payroll, tax, customs, insurance, contract, operational or regulatory matters escalated by the team.
- Regular review of national claims and insurance items, disbursement ageing and write-offs, and invoiceable tides
- Monitor significant revenue, margin, cost, working capital and operational movements requiring management attention.
- Approve transactions and decisions within delegated authority and ensure matters outside authority are escalated appropriately both on internal workflow systems and banking applications.
- Engage with the Managing Director, operational leaders and finance team on current priorities, decisions and emerging risks.
- Provide direction to direct reports, remove obstacles, confirm owners and deadlines, and monitor delivery of critical actions.
- Review or challenge material journals, provisions, write-offs, credit notes, refunds, capex requests, commercial proposals and exceptions as required.
- Ensure material incidents, control failures, suspected fraud, claims or compliance concerns are investigated and documented.
- Review regional risk registers for any business-wide risks for escalation and tabling.
- Conduct structured finance leadership and/or regional performance reviews.
- Review cash flow forecasts, aged debtors, overdue collections, disputed accounts, unbilled revenue and creditor pressures.
- Review revenue, gross margin, cost trends and customer or contract profitability exceptions.
- Monitor the status of audit, tax, legal, insurance, property, lease, compliance and strategic project actions.
- Review key reconciliations, exception reports, unresolved queries and long-outstanding balance sheet items.
- Update the Managing Director on key performance movements, decisions required, risks and proposed interventions.
- Follow up on delegated actions and ensure accountability is maintained across finance and operational stakeholders.
- Review and approve consolidated management accounts and evaluate actual performance against budget, forecast and prior year.
- Review balance sheet reconciliations, provisions, accruals, intercompany balances, ageing, impairment indicators and unusual transactions.
- Prepare or approve executive, board, divisional and group reporting packs with clear commentary, risks, actions and outlook.
Qualifications and Experience:
- Grade 12 Senior Certificate
- Chartered Accountant (South Africa) [CA (SA)] qualification
- Current professional registration and good standing with the relevant professional body.
- Degree: Bachelor of Commerce - Accounting
- Post Graduate Diploma/Honours: Bachelor of Commerce - Accounting
- SAICA Board First and Final Level completions
- Substantial post-qualification experience (post-articles training), including demonstrated success in senior financial leadership.
- Minimum of 5 to 10 years of experience in a similar executive role
- Experience within an entity that forms part of a listed group with group structures and reporting
- Proven responsibility for a complex, multi-site or national finance function
- Strong experience in financial reporting, planning, cash flow management, tax, governance, audit, controls, risk and commercial finance
- ESG, BBBEE, Audit Committee & Risk Reporting as well as representation in these committees
- Experience in logistics, supply chain, transport, warehousing, manufacturing, distribution or a comparable operational environment would be advantageous
- Demonstrated experience engaging executive, board, divisional or group stakeholders
- Experience leading organisational change, system improvement, commercial reviews and multidisciplinary
- Systems: Experience on the following systems would be advantageous: K2 Workflows, IDU, Sage 300 Accpac, Sage 300 People, Oracle Enterprise - Hyperion, Shipshape, BEE123, Ship-shape
If you are interested in applying for this role, please send a detailed copy of your CV to [Email Address Removed]
If you have not been contacted within two (2) weeks, please consider your application as unsuccessful.
Desired Skills:
- Executive Management
- Leadership
- Financial Planning
- Governance
- risk
- Treasury
- Compliance
