- Under this engagement, the contractor will provide dedicated financial leadership, day-to-day accounting control, and operational process enhancement for an established industrial supplier serving the automotive and mining sectors. Availability: 24 hours per week, on-site Monday to Thursday, 09:00 to 15:00 at the Paarl office, with quarterly travel to Johannesburg for stock count oversight.
- The primary objective of the role is to directly support the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) by taking complete ownership of day-to-day finance, protecting liquidity through disciplined working capital management, delivering accurate management accounts, and embedding robust operational checks and balances across the organization.
- Initial engagement: 24 hours per week (Monday to Thursday, 09:00 - 15:00)
- Work arrangement: On-site (Paarl office), with required travel to the head office in Johannesburg once per quarter
- Schedule: Fixed part-time schedule (no weekend, public holiday, or December commitments)
- Contract type: Independent Contractor
Scope of Services
Cash Flow Management & Working Capital Oversight
The contractor will:
- Exercise active daily control over accounts receivable (AR) and accounts payable (AP).
- Drive debtor collections systematically to reduce days sales outstanding (DSO) and preserve operational liquidity.
- Manage supplier payment terms and creditor disbursements to optimize working capital cycles.
- Conduct regular bank reconciliations and cash flow forecasting to safeguard daily liquidity.
Financial Accounting & Management Reporting
The contractor will:
- Maintain and reconcile the complete general ledger across all balance sheet and income statement accounts.
- Prepare accurate monthly management accounts, P&L statements, and financial commentary for the CEO.
- Deliver timely insights into gross margins, departmental spending, and inventory holding costs.
- Travel to the Johannesburg head office once per quarter to oversee, reconcile, and audit physical stock counts.
Internal Controls & Process Optimisation
The contractor will:
- Review existing accounting workflows, identifying control gaps and single points of operational failure.
- Design, implement, and enforce robust internal checks and balances across procurement, invoicing, and dispatch.
- Streamline transaction processing using existing ERP and accounting systems to reduce manual interventions.
Tax Compliance & Risk Mitigation
The contractor will:
- Manage South African tax compliance workflows, ensuring precise calculation and reconciliation of input and output VAT.
- Oversee submissions, declarations, and administrative requirements via SARS eFiling.
- Proactively identify, track, and mitigate financial, operational, and commercial risks across supply chain operations.
Cost Control & Commercial Value Creation
The contractor will:
- Scrutinise operational expenditures to identify waste, inefficiencies, and margin erosion.
- Partner with the CEO to evaluate supplier pricing, negotiate favourable commercial terms, and implement cost-saving initiatives.
- Support data-driven commercial decisions tailored to the automotive and mining supply chain landscape.
Deliverables
The contractor will provide:
- Working capital snapshot outlining bank balances, debtor aging status, and priority creditor payment schedules.
- Bank reconciliations and transaction capture updates across active accounts.
- Operational risk and cash flow alert log flagging any overdue accounts, margin dips, or system bottlenecks.
- Monthly management accounts pack (P&L, balance sheet, cash flow summary, and key financial ratios).
- Input and output VAT reconciliation statement and SARS eFiling confirmation receipts.
- Overhead variance analysis detailing cost-control progress against budget.
- Internal control improvement summary noting implemented process fixes and workflow enhancements.
- On-site quarterly Johannesburg physical stock-take reconciliation report, highlighting variances, shrinkage, and valuation adjustments.
Requirements
Required Skills & Experience
The contractor should demonstrate:
- Relevant financial qualification (e.g., BCom Accounting or related degree) OR a minimum of 15 years of progressive, practical accounting experience.
- Demonstrated track record managing full-function general ledgers, reconciliations, and management accounting cycles.
- In-depth, practical understanding of South African tax compliance, specifically VAT reconciliations and SARS eFiling execution.
- Strong commercial acumen gained within industrial supplies, technical manufacturing, automotive, mining, or supply chain distribution.
- High emotional intelligence, calm demeanour, and practical problem-solving style suited to collaborating closely with an entrepreneurial founder/CEO.
- Ability to work on-site at the Paarl office 4 days per week (Monday to Thursday, 09:00 - 15:00) with quarterly travel availability to Johannesburg.
Preferred Experience
Preference will be given to candidates with:
- Advanced expertise in Microsoft Excel (complex formulas, VLOOKUPs, pivot tables, and financial modeling).
- Hands-on experience with South African ERP or accounting suites (e.g., Sage Pastel Partner, Sage Evolution).
- Experience leading physical warehouse stock counts, valuation adjustments, and inventory write-down analyses.