Junior Accountant

? Location: Durban, KwaZulu-Natal
? Employment Type: Permanent
? Reporting to: Head of Finance

Join Manuchar South Africa

Manuchar is a global leader in the distribution of raw chemicals, international trade, and logistics, operating in more than 160 locations across Africa, Asia, Europe, North and Latin America, and the Middle East. For over 35 years, we have built our reputation on reliability, partnership, and delivering end-to-end supply chain solutions in emerging markets.

We are looking for a Junior Accountant to join our team and support the day-to-day financial operations of the business. This is an important role for a detail-oriented and commercially minded finance professional who takes pride in financial accuracy, strong controls, and delivering timely and reliable financial information.

The Opportunity

As the Junior Accountant, you will support the full spectrum of finance activities across the business, including Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Treasury, Inventory Accounting, General Ledger, reconciliations, month-end reporting, and statutory compliance.

Working closely with the Finance team and key stakeholders across the business, you will help ensure that financial records are accurate, complete, compliant, and audit-ready.

This role offers an opportunity to contribute directly to the financial integrity of the business while supporting continuous improvement in finance processes, systems, and controls.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Accounting & General Ledger

• Record and process daily financial transactions accurately and timeously.

• Maintain the General Ledger and subsidiary ledgers.

• Prepare and post journal entries and accounting adjustments.

• Process invoices, receipts, payments, and other financial transactions.

• Maintain complete and accurate supporting documentation.

• Ensure accounting entries comply with company policies and applicable accounting standards.

• Perform regular reconciliations and investigate discrepancies.

Accounts Receivable

• Manage the full Accounts Receivable function.

• Prepare and issue customer invoices.

• Capture and allocate customer receipts.

• Perform customer account reconciliations.

• Monitor outstanding debtor balances and follow up on overdue accounts.

• Support credit control activities.

• Resolve customer account queries and discrepancies.

• Ensure debtor balances are accurate, recoverable, and maintained within agreed payment terms.

Accounts Payable

• Manage the full Accounts Payable cycle.

• Verify supplier invoices for accuracy, completeness, and appropriate approvals.

• Capture supplier invoices and process payments.

• Perform supplier account reconciliations.

• Investigate and resolve invoice and payment discrepancies.

• Respond to supplier queries.

• Ensure supplier accounts are accurate and up to date.

Treasury & Banking

• Process daily banking transactions.

• Perform daily, weekly, and monthly bank reconciliations.

• Reconcile cash, credit card, and other financial accounts.

• Monitor cash flow requirements and support payment planning.

• Complete treasury-related activities accurately and timeously.

• Investigate and resolve reconciling items.

Inventory Accounting

• Maintain accurate inventory accounting records.

• Perform inventory reconciliations.

• Monitor inventory quantities and costs.

• Ensure inventory transactions reconcile to the General Ledger.

• Apply inventory accounting policies consistently.

• Assist with assessing inventory impairment where required.

Financial Reporting & Month-End

• Prepare monthly Management Accounts.

• Prepare balance sheet reconciliations.

• Perform variance analysis and investigate movements.

• Prepare quarterly and annual financial reporting information.

• Produce ad hoc financial reports and analysis for management.

• Assist with budgeting and forecasting activities.

• Complete month-end close activities within agreed deadlines.

• Prepare accruals, prepayments, provisions, and adjusting journal entries.

• Support the year-end financial close process.

Tax, Compliance & Internal Controls

• Prepare VAT calculations and supporting schedules.

• Assist with statutory submissions and compliance requirements.

• Ensure compliance with accounting standards, company policies, and internal controls.

• Maintain accurate documentation for internal and external audits.

• Support audit processes and respond to finance-related queries.

• Identify and escalate financial control weaknesses, compliance risks, and material discrepancies.

Accounting Systems & Process Improvement

• Capture and maintain accounting transactions within the ERP/accounting system.

• Maintain accurate accounting master data.

• Generate standard financial reports.

• Support improvements to accounting systems and finance processes.

• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, accuracy, and internal controls.

• Assist with finance automation and process improvement initiatives.

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Work closely with the Finance team and other finance stakeholders.

• Collaborate with Procurement, Operations, Commercial, and other business functions.

• Build effective relationships with customers, suppliers, auditors, and regulatory authorities.

• Support finance initiatives and projects as required.

• Provide reliable and timely financial information to internal stakeholders.

Minimum Requirements

Qualifications

• Diploma or Degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.

Experience

• Minimum 3–5 years' experience in bookkeeping or accounting.

• Experience with full-cycle accounting and management reporting.

• Practical experience in Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, General Ledger, reconciliations, and month-end processes.

Advantageous:

• Experience as the sole finance resource within a business unit.

• Experience within a distribution, trading, wholesale, logistics, or supply chain environment.

• Experience supporting finance process improvement or automation initiatives.

Knowledge & Expertise

• Strong understanding of financial accounting principles and bookkeeping practices.

• Good knowledge of Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Treasury, and General Ledger accounting.

• Understanding of inventory accounting and costing principles.

• Knowledge of VAT and statutory compliance requirements.

• Understanding of month-end close and financial reporting processes.

• Strong understanding of internal financial controls and accounting policies.

• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills.

• Experience with accounting or ERP systems such as SAP, Business Central, Sage, Pastel, or similar.

Key Competencies

• Strong analytical and numerical ability.

• Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy.

• Strong reconciliation and problem-solving skills.

• Advanced Excel capability.

• Excellent organisational and planning skills.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.

• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.

• High levels of integrity, confidentiality, and accountability.

• Proactive and solutions-oriented approach.

• Ability to identify discrepancies, investigate issues, and drive them to resolution.

• Commitment to continuous improvement and operational excellence.

Why Join Manuchar?

At Manuchar / MITSSA (Manuchar International Trade Services South Africa), reliability, integrity, and partnership are at the heart of everything we do.

We believe that our success is driven by people who take ownership, deliver exceptional service, and build trusted relationships with colleagues, customers, suppliers, and partners.

As part of our team, you will have the opportunity to work within a dynamic international business environment, contribute to a growing organisation, and play an important role in maintaining the financial integrity and sustainability of our South African operations.

Our Expectations

You are expected to be an ambassador for Manuchar / MITSSA (Manuchar International Trade Services South Africa) by living, breathing, and promoting our values in everything you do.

Maintaining our strong reputation requires every employee to conduct themselves in an ethical, respectful, safe, socially responsible, and environmentally responsible manner.

We expect our people to demonstrate:

• Exceptional Service Delivery – Be creative, proactive, and innovative in delivering solutions.

• Integrity & Mutual Respect – Act with honesty, integrity, professionalism, and respect towards all stakeholders.

• Reliability & Partnership – Take ownership, deliver on commitments, and build strong, trusted relationships.

If you are a detail-oriented and driven accounting professional looking to grow your career within a leading multinational organisation, we would like to hear from you.

Apply now and become part of Manuchar South Africa — a global business built on reliability, partnership, and sustainable growth.