Group Accountant - Cape Town at Stonehage Fleming

Description    
OVERALL PURPOSE 

• Reporting to the Financial Accounting Manager the Group Accountant will be responsible for the complete month end close process of several international entities across the Group. Including the preparation of financial records under IFRS, financial statements, preparing and submitting relevant tax filings and providing financial information to stakeholders across the Group, enabling them to make budgeting and investments decisions

 Key Responsibilities    
PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Complete bank reconciliations for the bank accounts of specific Group entities on a weekly and monthly basis to ensure that the cash records are correct
• Liaise with the billing team to ensure that they have completed the billing, WIP accruals, bad debt provisions and income split journals for assigned Group entities each month
• Liaise with the accounts payable team to ensure that expenses, prepayments and fixed assets additions are booked correctly each month
• Check that the AP team has posted expenses to the correct department versus budget
• Prepare the monthly accruals and provision journals
• Prepare month payroll journals for assigned entities
• Completion of IFRS 16 lease accounting journals for relevant entities
• Preparing the monthly profit and loss, and balance sheet reports
• Preparing the supporting balance sheet reconciliations for all the balance sheet balances
• Ensure that the intercompany balances are reconciled and settled timeously 
• Understand and adhere to all financial and accounting regulations and legislation
• Complete VAT and Tax returns, for the appropriate countries' tax authority within the required deadlines
• Assist with the completion of regulatory returns during busy periods and provide data to the regulatory reporting team for monthly regulatory cap updates
• Input into the calculation of local and Group service level agreements
• Preparation of weekly/monthly cash flow forecasts
• Prepare board report packs including financial analysis and commentary
• Prepare year-end statutory financial statements for several entities
• Liaison with auditors
• Respond to adhoc financial queries by gathering and interpreting data

 
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Qualified accountant (SAIPA) 
• Previous IFRS experience
• Good knowledge of different jurisdictional tax requirements is advantageous
• Previous financial services experience
• Regulatory filings experience

COMPETENCIES, SKILLS AND BEHAVIOURS

• Good technical accounting skills
• Good knowledge of different accounting systems — knowledge of Microsoft Business Central in advantageous
• Strong Excel skills (knowledge of macros, Power Pivot and Power BI would be an advantage)
• Experience in preparing financial statements on Caseware
• Very good attention to detail and an organised logical approach is essential
• Proactive and solutions oriented
• Ability to work effectively under pressure and to meet tight deadlines
• Strong interpersonal skills with ability to build effective working relationships and influence change
• Team player