Finance Manager (Accountant)

Finance Manager

Reports to: Commercial Director

Location: Cape Town (Parow Industria)

Salary Grading: Paterson D

Shift: Monday to Friday, on-site

URGENT START

1. Purpose of the Role

We are seeking a highly analytical and detail-oriented Financial Manager to oversee internal financial performance, drive operational profitability, and ensure strict alignment with the NBCRFLI Main Collective Agreement. The successful candidate will guide commercial decisions by evaluating fleet efficiencies, controlling operational expenditure, and ensuring that our largest cost components—such as driver payroll, night-out allowances, and bargaining council levies—are accurately budgeted, tracked, and reconciled.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Team Leadership & Operational Supervision

· Manage, mentor, and develop a small on-site finance and admin team (including fleet, debtors, and creditors functions).

· Oversee day-to-day office administration, ensuring accurate data capture for fuel sheets, trip sheets, and subcontractor invoices.

· Implement internal controls and standard operating procedures (SOPs) to streamline the flow of paperwork from logistics operations to the finance department.

· Conduct performance reviews, manage workloads, and foster a collaborative, high-performance team culture.

2. Financial Analysis & Fleet Cost Control

· Prepare monthly management accounts, variance analyses, and operational performance dashboards.

· Evaluate and track key performance indicators (KPIs) including Cost-per-Kilometre (CPK), fleet utilisation, and revenue per route/contract.

· Manage operational budgets and forecasts, conducting detailed margin analysis on standard versus specialised freight contracts.

· Control operational expenditure, identifying inefficiencies in fuel consumption, maintenance, tyre wear, and warehouse operations.

3. NBCRFLI Compliance & Payroll Reconciliations

· Oversee the alignment of payroll data against legally mandated bargaining council Wage Tables to eliminate compliance liabilities and back-pay exposures.

· Review, budget, and report variances on industry-specific allowances managed by your team, including domestic/cross-border subsistence, night-shift allowances, and standby fees.

· Ensure accurate forecasting and reconciliation of monthly employer returns for the NBCRFLI Provident Fund, Sick Benefit Fund, and Holiday Pay Bonus Fund.

· Act as the primary financial liaison during annual Across-The-Board (ATB) wage increases and Council compliance audits.

4. Strategic Planning & Commercial Support

· Develop complex financial models to support bidding, tender pricing, and contract profitability assessments for new logistics clients.

· Conduct capital expenditure (Capex) evaluations for fleet replacements, vehicle tracking technology, and infrastructure improvements.

Requirements and Qualifications

Education and Professional Designations

· Relevant university degree in Cost and Management Accounting, Financial Management, or a related NQF Level 7/8 field.

· CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) or ACCA professional qualification/part-qualification is highly advantageous.

· Active registration with a recognized professional accounting body is highly advantageous (e.g., CIMA, SAICA, SAIPA).

Experience

· Minimum 4–6 years of experience as a Management Accountant, with at least 2 years within the Road Freight, Logistics, or Supply Chain industries.

· Minimum 2-4 years of experience leading or supervising a small administrative or finance team.

· Demonstrated experience handling financial tracking and compliance related to bargaining councils is highly advantageous.

· Proven track record in managing high-volume operational data sets (fuel, maintenance, complex driver payroll cost distributions).

· Candidates should possess strong Accounting and Finance skills, including knowledge of management accounting principles.

· Candidates should possess experience in preparing and reviewing Financial Statements and handling Accruals.

· Candidates should possess solid Analytical Skills, with the ability to interpret financial data and present clear recommendations.

· Strong attention to detail, integrity in handling financial information, and the ability to meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

· Effective communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work closely with operations and management teams.

Technical & Soft Skills

· Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (VLOOKUPs, Pivot Tables, Power Queries, complex financial modelling).

· Hands-on experience with ERP systems and accounting software.

· Strong leadership capabilities with the ability to manage, motivate, and hold an on-site team accountable.

· Excellent interpersonal communication skills to translate complex financial data for logistics, workshop, and operations managers.

To excel in this seat, the individual must completely align with the following three pillars:

• Get It: Deeply understands the dynamics of logistics margins, fleet cost per kilometre (CPK), team leadership, and the complexities of bargaining council compliance.
• Want It: Possesses the inner drive to clean up operational data, mentor the administrative team, and own the integrity of the management accounts.
• Capacity to Do It: Holds the necessary financial qualifications, analytical mental bandwidth, and experience to lead an on-site team and manage high-volume data under tight deadlines.

EMPLOYMENT EQUITY

The company is committed to Employment Equity, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from candidates who will contribute to the achievement of the company's Employment Equity objectives.

Preference may be given to suitably qualified candidates from designated groups, in accordance with the company's Employment Equity Plan and applicable legislation. All appointments will be based on the requirements of the position, the candidate's suitability and the company's Employment Equity objectives.

Pay: R342 709,34 - R768 172,06 per year

Work Location: In person