Key Accounts Controller

Function: Sales

Location: Cape Town

Job Grade: 10

Reporting to position: RMG Strategy Manager

Closing date: 27 August 2026

Position Purpose The Key Accounts Controller is responsible for ensuring the accurate administration, validation, and financial management of customer trading agreements across key accounts. The role supports the Key Account Managers by managing promotional commitments, validating customer claims and deductions, maintaining pricing and rebate structures, ensuring contractual compliance, and protecting company profitability through effective reconciliation and dispute management.

The incumbent acts as the commercial finance partner to the Key Account Managers by providing accurate financial reporting, maintaining promotional plans, supporting accruals, and ensuring all retailer transactions are processed in accordance with agreed trading terms.

Key Accountabilities

• Customer Agreement Management
• Maintain and administer customer trading agreements for key customers.
• Capture and maintain pricing structures, rebates, settlement discounts, promotional funding, listing fees, and service charges within company systems.
• Ensure customer-specific commercial terms are accurately implemented and maintained.
• Monitor agreement renewals, amendments, and expiry dates.
• Maintain all customer agreements and supporting documentation within Ironclad and other approved systems.
• Promotional Plan & Commitment Management
• Support the Key Account Managers in maintaining the Promotional Management Tool (PMT).
• Capture all promotional activities, commitments, and customer agreements accurately within the PMT.
• Update promotional plans throughout the promotion lifecycle, including new promotions, amendments, cancellations, and closures.
• Validate expected promotional costs using approved pricing and commercial governance tools (TPS, RGMC and related systems).
• Review and close aged promotional commitments.
• Reconcile monthly promotional spend against SAP postings.
• Explain monthly promotional spend variances against plan in collaboration with the Key Account Manager, Regional General Manager and Commercial Finance.
• Ensure promotional commitments accurately support customer agreements and financial accruals.
• Invoice, Claims & Deduction Management
• Validate all customer invoices, claims, rebates and deductions against approved customer agreements.
• Verify pricing, promotional discounts, rebates and trade terms before processing.
• Process and validate retailer claims in accordance with contractual agreements.
• Match retailer deductions including:

• Promotional claims
• Settlement discounts
• Rebates
• Advertising contributions
• Logistics and supply chain charges

• Investigate discrepancies between customer deductions and contractual agreements.
• Raise disputes for invalid deductions and drive resolution with customers.
• Liaise with Key Account Managers, Customer Services, Finance and Supply Chain to resolve outstanding claims.
• Allocate promotional spend to approved commitments within the Power App and upload supporting documentation.
• Request supporting information from customers where required to validate claims, including sell-out data and promotional calculations.
• Monitor outstanding deductions and maximize recovery of invalid claims.
• Account Reconciliation & Financial Control
• Reconcile customer accounts and monthly statements.
• Monitor aged deductions, claims and outstanding balances.
• Ensure customer account balances are accurate and fully supported by documentation.
• Support month-end close through accurate accruals and reconciliations.
• Assist Commercial Finance with customer account reviews and financial reporting.
• Reporting & Analysis

Produce regular reports relating to:

• Customer deductions
• Promotional spend
• Rebate accruals
• Outstanding claims
• Contract compliance
• Promotional commitments
• Financial reconciliations

In addition:

• Identify trends in customer deductions and recommend corrective actions.
• Support customer reviews and business planning through accurate financial analysis.
• Provide commercial insight into promotional effectiveness and customer spend.
• Administration & Compliance
• Maintain accurate filing of contracts, claims, invoices and supporting documentation.
• Ensure all promotional documentation is complete and auditable.
• Support both internal and external audits through the provision of required documentation.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, financial controls and customer service standards.
• Maintain accurate records across Ironclad, SAP, PMT and Power App.

Qualifications Minimum Requirements

• Diploma or Degree in Finance, Accounting, Commerce, Business Administration or a related field (preferred)

Experience

• 3–5 years' experience within Commercial Finance, Sales Administration or Customer Accounting in an FMCG or retail environment.
• Experience working with major South African retail customers (e.g. Shoprite, Checkers, Pick n Pay, SPAR, Woolworths, Boxer or Massmart).
• Experience managing customer trading agreements, promotional funding, rebates, claims and deductions.
• Experience with customer reconciliations and month-end financial processes.

Knowledge & Skills Technical Knowledge

• Strong understanding of retail trading terms and customer agreements.
• Knowledge of promotional funding and rebate management.
• Experience with ERP systems such as SAP (preferred), Oracle, Dynamics or similar.
• Intermediate to Advanced Microsoft Excel.
• Strong reconciliation and financial analysis skills.
• Understanding of commercial accruals and customer claims processes.

Core Competencies

• High attention to detail
• Commercial acumen
• Financial analysis and reconciliation
• Analytical thinking
• Problem solving
• Planning and organizing
• Relationship management
• Communication and influencing
• Accountability
• Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines