Junior Accountant

Purpose of Position :

The Junior Accountant supports the Finance team with the day-to-day accounting and processing of financial information. The role is responsible for maintaining sound administrative and accounting processes, ensuring transactions are accurately recorded, reconciled and reported on time, and supporting compliance with the entity's internal financial controls.

Main Responsibilities

Operational – Banking & Cash Management:

- Bank processing function including bank reconciliations.

- Cash management, including assisting with cash-flow management, cash flow forecasting and reporting.

Operational – General Ledger & Reconciliations:

- Preparation of general ledger and balance sheet reconciliations for review and approval.

- Prepaid expenses and operating expense accruals.

- Deferred revenue and deferred cost control and reconciliation.

- Revenue and cost matching and accounting in terms of IFRS.

- Intercompany management and reconciliations.

- Driving project accounting (actual vs. budget) in the BU / service offering lines.

- Prepare monthly journals (accruals, prepayments, reclassifications and corrections) in Maconomy, with supporting documentation.

- Reconcile suspense and clearing accounts, and clear long-outstanding items.

- Assist with the expected credit loss (ECL) provision calculation.

Operational – Payroll & Employee Costs:

- Processing of the payroll journal.

- Booking and administration of T&Es where applicable.

- Reconcile payroll control accounts (PAYE, UIF, SDL, medical aid, provident fund) and clear them monthly.

Operational – Fixed Assets:

- Administer and manage the entire fixed asset function.

- Maintain the fixed asset registers.

- Calculate and prepare journals for monthly depreciation and reconcile the fixed asset register to the general ledger.

- Assist with the annual fixed asset verification.

Operational – Tax:

- VAT 201 returns, VAT reconciliations and payments.

Operational – Month-end Reporting:

- Accurate and timeous monthly reporting to Group, including interims and final reporting (OneStream / corporate reporting and specific Group requirements).

- Monthly Flash, Actuals and Forecast submissions on OneStream.

- Preparation of regular and ad hoc financial information for the CEO, CFO, Finance Executive and Financial Manager.

- Assist with the month-end close process, ensuring all close tasks are completed in line with the month-end timetable.

- Perform monthly variance analysis on the income statement and balance sheet and investigate unusual movements.

- Prepare balance sheet and income statement schedules supporting the monthly OneStream submission.

- Reconcile intercompany balances with group entities and resolve differences before the reporting deadlines.

Operational -Budgets & Forecast:

- Assist in preparing annual budgets and long-term forecasts for the respective service lines.

- Preparation, co-ordination and consolidation of the monthly forecast.

Operational – Audit, Year-end & Statutory:

- Half-year and year-end audit pack preparation

- Assist with internal and external audits.

- Prepare supporting schedules and respond to auditor queries during the interim and year-end audits.

- Keep financial records, filing and audit trails in line with company policy and retention requirements.

Operational – Business Partnering & Process Improvement:

- Liaise with other areas of finance, including Group Finance, in relation to processing of transactions and reconciliations.

- Ongoing interaction with the service lines to ensure operational and financial interlock.

- Ad-hoc reporting and other requests from the service lines

- Identify opportunities to improve and automate processes in Maconomy and Excel.

- Cover for other finance team members during leave periods.

- Special projects, ad-hoc assignments and ad-hoc financial duties.

Risk Management & Compliance:

- Responsibility for compliance with ITGCs and IFRCs for the entity, including:

- Ensuring a Risk and Control Matrix (RACM) for all material (both quantitative and qualitative) account balances and processes is in place and updated regularly.

- Regular reporting processes are established where the RACM is discussed, monitored, and updated where and when appropriate.

- Ensuring allocated IFRC CSAs are adhered to monthly, and that all allocated CSA questionnaires are responded to timeously.

- Ensure that remediation activities have been implemented for all "No" answers and that these are tracked and monitored.

- Ensure that there is no "unwarranted reliance" on IT systems by reviewing ITGCs and IT remediation activities.

- Establish (or assist in establishing) proper monitoring and reporting protocols relating to the financial control environment.

- Ensuring finance policies and procedures are complied with, and providing input to establish, maintain and update finance policies and procedures.

- Understand and adhere to financial regulations and legislation.

- Prepare evidence and documentation for IFRC CSA testing.

Required Capabilities

- Assertive, with good verbal and written communication skills.

- Ability to communicate and interact at all levels of the organisation, including Executive Management.

- Team player, with the ability to work independently / highly autonomous.

- Attention to detail and a high level of accuracy.

- Deadline driven, with the ability to work under pressure and perform tasks within strict deadlines.

- Fast thinker with problem-solving capabilities.

- Critical evaluation and analytical thinking.

- Must be able to show initiative.

- Results driven.

- Planning and organisation.

- Inspire confidence with team members and colleagues.

- High degree of business acumen.

Required Experience

- 1-3 years’ hands-on experience working in a finance department.

- Good accounting knowledge.

- Advanced reconciliation knowledge.

- Must have Maconomy ERP experience.

- Must have OneStream experience.

- Microsoft Office proficient

Minimum Educational Qualifications

- Minimum Bachelor of Commerce (B Com) degree in Accounting, Finance or similar.