Management Accountant

Company:
RCL Foods

Functions:
Commercial

Job Type Classification:
Permanent

Location - Town / City:
Westville

Job Description:
RCL FOODS is a deeply rooted South African food manufacturer that produces some of the country’s most-loved brands: Yum Yum peanut butter, Nola mayonnaise, Ouma rusks, and Sellati sugar, just to name a few. At the heart of our culture and strategy is our Purpose – WE GROW WHAT MATTERS – which encapsulates our belief in collectively doing that little more to create a positive impact that matters. RCL FOODS is seeking a versatile and commercially astute Management Accountant to join our Speciality team. We are looking for a strong decision-maker with innovative thinking and a passion for unlocking strategic value. The purpose of the role is to provide accurate, timely and commercially insightful financial information that supports operational decision-making, financial planning, cost control and performance improvement. The Management Accountant partners closely with Commercial, Operations and other functional stakeholders to strengthen financial governance, understand and challenge business performance, identify value-creation opportunities and support delivery of the Speciality strategy. The role is accountable for maintaining strong financial controls while translating financial and operational information into meaningful insights and actions that improve profitability, cash flow and operational performance.

Minimum Requirements:
Preferably a CIMA or CA(SA) qualification. 3 to 5 years of management accounting experience, including commercial costing and exposure to processing or manufacturing environments. SAP experience is preferred, together with advanced Excel capability and exposure to Power BI or equivalent reporting tools. Good knowledge of FMCG or manufacturing environment. Ability to interact at a senior level (Appropriate interpersonal skills and diplomacy) Valid driver’s licence

Duties & Responsibilities:
Financial Reporting • Prepare accurate and timely monthly management accounts and financial reports in line with reporting deadlines. • Drive the operational month-end reporting process, ensuring completeness and accuracy of financial results. • Analyse actual performance against budget, forecast and prior periods, ensuring material variances are appropriately investigated and explained. • Prepare weekly and monthly performance dashboards, management reports and supporting commentary. • Ensure financial information is consistent, reliable and supported by appropriate reconciliations and documentation. • Review material financial movements and unusual transactions prior to finalisation of results. • Support month-end, year-end and ad hoc financial reporting requirements. Financial Analysis and Performance Insight • Analyse financial and operational performance to identify key business drivers, trends, risks and opportunities. • Evaluate revenue, volume, margin, costs, profitability and key operational performance indicators to understand underlying business performance. • Translate financial and operational data into clear commercial insights and actionable recommendations for management. • Perform scenario modelling, sensitivity analysis and financial evaluations to support operational and strategic decision-making. Budgeting and Forecasting • Coordinate the annual business planning, budgeting and quarterly forecasting processes in line with required timelines and guidelines. • Partner with operational and functional stakeholders to develop robust, realistic and commercially supported budgets and forecasts. • Maintain and continuously improve forecasting models and tools to support accurate and efficient planning. • Develop and validate key financial and operational assumptions, ensuring alignment with expected business performance and strategic priorities. • Analyse actual performance against budget and forecast, identify emerging risks and opportunities, and recommend appropriate corrective actions. Cost Management and Control • Monitor and analyse operational costs, identifying key cost drivers, variances, risks and opportunities. • Partner with Operations and cost centre owners to manage expenditure and strengthen cost ownership. • Review cost allocations, overhead recoveries and other cost movements to ensure accurate financial reporting. • Identify and support sustainable cost-saving, productivity and efficiency opportunities. • Analyse manufacturing cost performance and provide insight into areas impacting profitability. • Provide stakeholders with clear, relevant and timely financial information to support effective cost management. • Challenge expenditure and cost trends where performance falls outside expected parameters. Business Partnering and Commercial Insight • Act as a trusted financial business partner to Operations, Commercial and other functional stakeholders. • Build a strong understanding of operational processes, key business drivers and the broader value chain. • Translate financial information into clear commercial insights that support operational and strategic decision-making. • Constructively challenge business performance, assumptions and proposed actions where appropriate. • Provide guidance on the financial implications of operational and commercial decisions. Stock Control • Own and manage the end-to-end month-end stock count process, ensuring accurate and timely completion. • Plan and coordinate stock count activities with Operations and relevant stakeholders, ensuring clear responsibilities and adherence to agreed timelines. • Ensure appropriate stock count controls and procedures are applied and continuously assess their effectiveness. • Review and validate stock count results, reconciliations and supporting documentation prior to finalisation. • Investigate stock variances, identify root causes and drive corrective actions with accountable stakeholders. • Ensure stock adjustments and financial entries arising from stock counts are accurate, appropriately supported and processed timeously. CAPEX Management • Own the CAPEX management and governance process within the area of responsibility, ensuring adherence to the applicable Limits of Authority. • Review CAPEX applications prior to submission and provide appropriate commercial and business-case challenge. • Evaluate proposed investments using appropriate financial measures, including return on investment, payback and other financial assessments where applicable. • Ensure capital investment proposals are supported by robust assumptions and align with operational requirements and strategic priorities. • Maintain visibility of the CAPEX pipeline and support management in prioritising investment requirements. • Monitor actual, committed and forecast CAPEX expenditure against approved plans and budgets. • Review CAPEX cash-flow phasing and challenge timing assumptions where required. • Coordinate post-implementation reviews and assess actual benefits against approved business cases. • Support the timely capitalisation and financial closure of completed capital projects. • Complete CAPEX reporting in accordance with required timelines and governance requirements. Reporting, Data and Systems • Develop and maintain effective financial and operational dashboards, trackers and reporting tools to support business performance management. • Ensure reporting data is accurate, complete, consistent and delivered within agreed timelines. • Continuously improve and standardise reporting processes to enhance efficiency, accuracy and usability. • Identify and implement opportunities to automate manual reporting and financial processes. • Support financial system implementations, enhancements and testing to ensure business and reporting requirements are appropriately addressed. • Leverage SAP, Power BI, Excel and other available technology to improve reporting, analysis and decision support. Governance, Risk and Audit • Ensure adherence to relevant accounting standards, internal financial policies, governance requirements and Limits of Authority. • Maintain effective financial controls across areas of responsibility. • Act as a financial gatekeeper by appropriately challenging incomplete, inaccurate or unsupported financial transactions and workflows. • Ensure financial transactions and approvals are supported by appropriate documentation and comply with applicable governance requirements. • Identify, report and escalate significant financial control weaknesses or recurring areas of non-compliance. • Support internal and external audit processes through timely, accurate and complete financial information and supporting documentation. • Track audit findings and agreed corrective actions to resolution. • Contribute to the continuous strengthening of the financial control environment. Projects and Change Support • Provide financial and Commercial support to strategic, operational and system-related projects. #LI-AR1