Cost and Management Accountant

Our Client is an established and well trusted FMCG brand in South Africa, known for our high-quality products and exciting innovations. As they continue on a strong growth trajectory, an exciting opportunity exists for a Cost and Management Accountant to join their Johannesburg team, reporting to the Financial Director.

They are looking for a proactive, forward thinking, dynamic and action-orientated individual to join the JHB team to support the management team to drive costs down and lead innovative process change to create efficiencies.

About the Role

You will be responsible to assist the Demand and Supply team to ensure that all areas are optimised to support a fast growth trajectory. This includes translating the strategic direction of the company into long term business targets (Budget Plans) across all departments and channels, leveraging off current structures and future investments.

Within the context of the Budget Plans, you will partner closely with the Department Heads to improve and control the weekly business forecasting, working closely with them to deliver monthly cost budget targets with the accuracy and insight that reflects our manufacturing reality.

What You Will Do

Finance Planning, Reporting & Cost Management

1. Annual Budget -- July to June

Prepare and manage the annual 12-month budget, with a thorough understanding of the key drivers of profitability.

• Prepare the annual budget from July to June.

• Develop a thorough understanding of fixed and variable costs and the impact of volume changes on profitability.

• Clearly document and report on key assumptions, expected outputs and financial impacts.

• Monitor actual performance against budget and identify variances early.

• Manage spend against plan to ensure adherence to financial targets, with no unexpected financial surprises.

• Proactively identify risks and opportunities and recommend corrective action.

2. Six-Month Profit Forecast -- December to June

Prepare and maintain the rolling six-month profit forecast.

• Prepare the December--June forecast annually.

• Update the forecast based on actual performance, latest business trends and revised assumptions.

• Highlight key movements versus Budget and prior Forecast.

• Clearly communicate the expected impact on EBITDA, cash flow and profitability.

• Identify emerging risks and opportunities early enough for management to take action.

3. Monthly Management Accounts

Prepare accurate and timely monthly management accounts for all companies. The monthly reporting pack should include:

• Income Statement

• Detailed Management Accounts (including transactional cost centre reports)

• Balance Sheet

• Free Cash Flow (FCF)

• Channel Profitability

• SKU Profitability

• Headcount Detail

• Consolidation

The reporting should provide clear insight into business performance, key variances, profitability drivers and areas requiring management attention.

4. Stock Counts & Inventory Management

• Manage and coordinate monthly stock counts.

• Ensure stock count procedures are consistently followed.

• Reconcile physical stock to system records and investigate variances.

• Ensure appropriate inventory controls are in place and adhered to.

• Identify and address stock losses, wastage, obsolete stock and other inventory risks.

• Ensure accurate inventory reporting for month-end and management accounts.

5. Costing & COGS Variance Management

Costing

• Maintain and update product costing regularly.

• Develop and maintain an activity-based costing methodology.

• Ensure standard costs accurately reflect current production inputs and cost drivers.

• Analyse the impact of changes in raw materials, packaging, labour, production volumes and other cost drivers.

• Lead the transition to absorption costing, leveraging Syspro's costing functionality to accurately allocation of product costs.

• Partner with the Supply Chain Syspro Lead to configure and validate Syspro's costing modules, ensuring data integrity throughout and accurate allocation of costs.

Variance Management

• Manage and report on all production variances, including work order, production method, yield and usage variances.

• Report production and variances weekly.

• Investigate the root cause of material variances and ensure corrective actions are implemented promptly.

• Work closely with Production and Supply Chain to reduce waste, inefficiencies and avoidable costs.

• Monitor production performance against standard and identify opportunities to improve gross margin.

• Ensure changes to processes, standards and costing are implemented speedily and accurately. Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Competencies Required:

1. Strong manufacturing costing background, with a solid grasp of how production processes, overheads and inputs translate into product cost.

2. Strong problem solving and analytical skills, including budgeting, forecasting and costing techniques and applications

3. Experience in Supply and Supplier / Market insights

4. High level of business acumen, with a focus on commercial metrics underpinning numbers

5. Action and detail-oriented, with a strong drive for results

6. Focused and able to identify priorities and value-add workstreams

7. Effectively influences the business to make the right strategic and commercial decisions

8. Excellent written and verbal communication skills

9. Excellent functional and technical skills (strategic thinking, advanced Excel and financial modelling, data analysis, PowerPoint.)

10. Strong planning and activity / project management skills

11. Deals with ambiguity with perspective and creativity

12. Innovative and creative

Education and Experience:

1. Relevant tertiary qualification in Finance, Accounting, or Cost and Management Accounting; CIMA or an equivalent costing-focused qualification advantageous.

2. Minimum 8 years' commercial and supply (manufacturing and distribution) experience

3. Previous Syspro experience is highly advantageous.

4. Proven experience in budgeting, forecasting and cost management as well as generating insights and actions from disparate data sets

Personal Characteristics

1. Decisive, accountable and responsible

2. Continuously looking to learn and develop

3. Innovative thinker, future focused and with a positive mindset

4. Self-starter, problem solver, self-reliant, goal orientated, work across barriers

5. Customer centric with strong relationship skills

6. Personal skills (Excellent communication skills, commercial mind-set, attention to detail and accuracy, organizing and prioritizing)

7. Strong value system: honesty, integrity set within strong principles and ethics

Kindly note that by submitting your application for this career opportunity you agree that Guardian Recruiting may use your application for the purpose of the recruitment and selection of the said position and this information may be shared with the relevant stakeholders in the business.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Should you not have heard back within a two-week period, please assume that your application was unsuccessful.