We are seeking an experienced, commercially minded and value 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.

Role Purpose

• 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 Responsibility Areas

Strategic and Executive Leadership

• Contribute to the formulation, evaluation and execution of business strategy and annual priorities

• Act as a trusted adviser to the managing director and executive committee on strategic, financial, commercial, governance and risk matters

• Translate strategic objectives into budgets, forecasts, capital plans, performance indicators and accountable initiatives

• Lead financial scenario modelling, investment evaluation and sensitivity analysis for significant decisions

• Conduct impairment assessments and modelling at a business and regional level

• Identify emerging risks, opportunities and performance trends, and recommend practical action

• Provide financial leadership for business transformation, relocations, acquisitions, expansions, restructures and other strategic projects where applicable

Financial Planning, Analysis and Performance Management

• Review and close supervision of annual budget, periodic forecast and longer-range planning processes

• Analyse revenue, gross margin, operating expenditure, EBITDA, profitability, productivity and cash performance against budget, forecast and prior periods

• Provide customer, contract, branch, region and service-line profitability insights.

• Develop and maintain practical dashboards and performance packs that clearly identify variances, risks, actions and owners

• Challenge assumptions and ensure that operational plans are financially credible and aligned to strategy

• Drive corrective action where performance deviates from approved plans

Governance, Risk, Controls and Compliance

• Own and continuously improve the financial governance and internal control framework

• Ensure adherence to approved policies, delegated authorities, procurement controls and segregation-of-duties requirements

• Oversee financial and operational risk identification, assessment, mitigation and reporting

• Monitor audit findings, control deficiencies and remediation plans to closure

• Ensure statutory, tax, payroll, regulatory, ESG and group compliance obligations are met

• Escalate material control failures, fraud indicators, losses, penalties and compliance breaches promptly

Commercial Finance and Business Partnering

• Partner with operations and commercial leadership to improve revenue quality, margin, productivity and customer profitability

• Review pricing models, tenders, RFPs, proposals, business cases and material customer or supplier arrangements

• Assess contract economics, indexation, volume assumptions, cost-to-serve, risk allocation and return requirements

• Support customer negotiations and ensure financial commitments are sustainable and appropriately authorised

• Drive revenue assurance claims recovery and the identification and reduction of revenue leakage

• Provide independent financial challenge while remaining solutions-oriented and commercially pragmatic

Treasury, Cash Flow and Working Capital

• Oversee daily liquidity, bank balances, funding requirements and short- to medium-term cash flow forecasts

• Lead working capital improvement across debtors, creditors, billing, collections, inventory and other cash drivers

• Maintain effective banking relationships, mandates, access controls and payment governance

• Oversee foreign currency exposures and treasury risks where relevant

• Ensure capital expenditure and commitments are evaluated, authorised, tracked and post-reviewed

• Monitor financial covenants, guarantees and security arrangements where applicable

Tax and Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure accurate and timely corporate income tax, VAT, payroll tax and other statutory submissions and payments

• Oversee tax risk assessments, reconciliations, reviews, audits and correspondence with authorities

• Ensure transactions are structured and documented with appropriate tax and regulatory consideration

• Maintain current awareness of legislative developments affecting the business and coordinate required implementation

Contracts, Insurance, Legal and Property Oversight

• Provide financial and commercial review of material contracts, leases, amendments, renewals and termination arrangements

• Assess financial obligations, guarantees, indemnities, escalation clauses, contingent liabilities and risk exposures

• Oversee insurance placements, renewals, declared values, premium allocation, claims processes and recovery monitoring

• Support legal matters and disputes with financial analysis, records, scenario assessment and settlement evaluation

• Oversee the financial aspects of lease commitments, property matters, site relocations and related capital or operating costs

• Maintain registers and reporting for material commitments, claims, leases and significant contractual exposures

Finance Systems, Data and Continuous Improvement

• Ensure finance and payroll systems, master data, interfaces, access controls and reporting processes are reliable and appropriately governed

• Drive automation, standardisation and simplification of finance and business processes and reporting

• Improve the quality, availability and usability of management information

• Coordinate finance requirements for system implementation, enhancement, testing and change control

• Promote disciplined document management, data retention and audit trails

People Leadership and Organisational Capability

• Lead, coach and develop the national finance team and direct reports

• Set clear objectives, standards, responsibilities and performance expectations

• Conduct regular one-to-ones, performance reviews, talent reviews and succession planning

• Ensure appropriate capacity, role clarity, segregation of duties and regional support

• Recruit and retain capable finance employees and address performance or conduct matters fairly and promptly

• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, service, ethics, learning and continuous improvement

Detailed Day-to-Day Functioning and 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 quarterly reporting for business forecasts, ESG, BBBEE, Risk, Audit Committee and represent at 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 & insurance items, disbursement ageing & 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.

• Chair performance reviews with relevant business leaders, agree corrective actions, owners & due dates

• Review finance, payroll team performance, capacity, leave coverage, vacancies, development requirements and recurring process failures

• Conduct interviews across business pillars

• Review KPI results and ensure underperformance is supported by a credible recovery plan

• Lead tax reviews, control assessments and strategic performance reviews

• Oversee annual budgeting, audit planning and completion, annual financial statements, tax submissions, insurance renewals and statutory reporting, including presentations to the group

• Review the finance organisational structure, succession plans, system roadmap and process improvement priorities

• Provide financial leadership on tenders, major contracts, lease negotiations, relocations, litigation, acquisitions, disposals and capital projects as they arise

• Present material financial, risk, governance and strategic matters to Executive, Board, divisional and group forums

• Preparation of formal business reports for distribution across various business and executive areas

• Preparation of income tax returns

• Preparation of year-end tax packs and review of year-end accounting packs

• Preparation of formal board minutes, presentations and related reports

• Preparation of strategic business proposals to stakeholders, including divisional and group executives

Decision Rights and Escalation

• Exercise approval authority strictly in accordance with the approved Limits of Authority and applicable policies

• Approve or recommend budgets, forecasts, capex, contracts, leases, pricing, credit limits, provisions, write-offs and settlements within delegated parameters

• Require corrective action, additional evidence or independent review where financial, control or commercial risk is not adequately addressed

• Escalate matters that are material, unusual, outside delegated authority, legally contentious, potentially fraudulent, non-compliant or likely to affect liquidity, reputation or achievement of strategy

• Maintain independence of judgement and ensure that financial information and concerns are communicated transparently

Minimum Requirements

Qualifications

• 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

Experience

• 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 (advantageous), BEE123, Ship-shape