Financial Assistant, Cape Town - Ref: 687974-25

Our client currently has an opportunity for a Financial Assistant to assist the Finance Department with accounting functions and to ensure that all bookkeeping functions are carried out correctly, accurately, on a timely basis and within the deadlines required.

Position details:

Accounts Payable
- Prepare purchase invoices (PI) for monthly expenses such as telephone, electricity and any other expenses not going through the Purchase Order (PO) process.
- Allocation of costs to be queried with project managers, business controller and supply chain if it does not look correct. Corrective action to be taken before invoices are posted.
- Creditor invoices to be checked if tax compliant before they are captured.
- VAT: check whether the company can claim the input tax or not.
- Creditor invoices to be posted in the correct period, with the correct GL and correct amounts.
- Matching of invoice to PO’s. Review the information on the PO to ensure the cost allocation is correct i.e. project/job/GL code, VAT is correctly claimed, quantities and amount is correct.
- Any discrepancies with the invoice to the PO needs to be investigated and fixed in the correct manner. Where necessary, report to Senior Financial Accountant.
- Where invoices cannot be captured at month end, Senior Financial Accountant to be advised so that provisions can be raised.
- Vendor reconciliations to be prepared according to the payment terms on Navision (i.e. it could be monthly or as stated on Navision). This is for local creditors.
- Reconcile the vendor statement to the age analysis balance. The creditors age analysis is to be used when reconciling vendors’ statements especially the monthly ones.
- Resolve any reconciling items on the vendor reconciliations on a timely basis.
- Goods received not yet invoiced need to be checked and resolved on a weekly basis.

Capturing of vendor applications and maintaining the vendor data base
- Review the vendor application to ensure that the VAT registration number is correct as per SARS website and that all required supporting documentation is attached before presenting to financial manager for approval
- Approved vendor application to be captured on Navision and Supply Chain department to be provided with the vendor number
- Review the vendor data base on a yearly basis in conjunction with Supply Chain to ensure that all vendors are still current and up to date.

Bank / Cashbook
- Local and foreign bank accounts to be reconciled on a monthly basis
- Banking details to be captured when capturing the vendor application
- Changes to banking details to be provided by vendor and to be accompanied by a letter from their bank (not be older than 3 months)
- Payments to be processed to be supported by the required documentation such as an approved invoice
- Receipts and payments to be applied to invoices on a monthly basis.
- Application of foreign receipts and payments to be applied to ensure foreign differences are calculated within the same month.
- Provide cash flow information as and when required by financial manager
- Bank balances to be communicated to Financial Manager and Project Controller on the 1st of every month.

Petty cash
- Granting of petty cash as required, recording it properly on the petty cash slip and recording it in the petty cash book;
- Maintain all the required documentation and ensure the required approval is obtained.

Month end
- Cut off principles to be followed i.e. the invoices to be captured in the correct period.
- All queries from the Senior Financial Accountant and Financial Manager to be followed up before month end closes and the Financial manager and Senior Financial Accountant are to be informed of progress.
- If a query cannot be resolved before month end, the Senior Financial Accountant to be informed before month end closes.
- Month end journals to be processed, as required.
- Month end deadlines to be strictly adhered to.
- Assigned balance sheet reconciliations to be prepared, signed off and filed within deadline.

Currency rates
- Check Navision on a daily basis to ensure the correct currencies pull through from Float Rates.
- It is especially important that the currency rate be completed for the last day of each calendar month, even if it falls on a weekend or a public holiday.

Year end audit
- Assisting the Financial Manager and Senior Financial Accountant with the year-end by liaising directly with the external auditors on the allocated sections as per job description.
- Assisting with any other ad hoc query from the auditors.

Overall
- Financial controls and processes to be adhered to and any deviations to be reported to the Senior Financial Accountant.
- Adequate supporting documentation to be filed.
Location (country, city): Cape Town

Job Qualifications, Skills & Experience:

Bookkeeping Diploma.
Three to five years’ experience in bookkeeping role.

Company Description:

To date, our client has constructed & delivered 40 vessels to the African continent (countries include South Africa, Zanzibar, Angola, Kenya and many more). Vessel types constructed and delivered to date have included offshore patrol vessels, dredgers, tugs, naval craft and supply vessels.