Accountant: Distribution Centre - DHL

This position involves the management of financial systems, procedures, and controls to provide accurate and reliable information, safeguarding assets, interpreting financial and operational information to facilitate appropriate action, implementing, monitoring, and controlling the budget, ensuring accurate and timeous submission of monthly financial information, providing financial and commercial support, directing functions such as forecast/budgeting, management accounting, and activity based accounting, appraising operating results, directing, co-ordinating, and planning work activities of the team, and managing resources to optimize customer service.

Key areas of responsibility include:

• Ensure appropriate systems, procedures and controls are in place and that these are complied with.  This includes input on SOP's for all process's ensuring adequate internal controls and audit trail.
• Accountability for all audits, ensuring appropriate management comments and corrective action.
• Implementation and control of the ABC system, including the extraction, interpretation and reaction to management information.
• Complete/prepare monthly operational reports for manco informational requirements.  This involves primarily the investigation, interpretation and communication of results.
• Co-ordinate and monitor performance against budgets and monthly LE's.
• Identify budge and LE variances and investigate the causes.  This includes communication with responsible manco officials and co-ordination and follow-up of action plans to rectify them.
• Capex control including maintenance of the fixed asset register and regular physical verification.
• Co-ordinate of source documentation for all financial accounting input required by Head Office including ensuring appropriate authorization.
• Regular independent review of GL control account reconciliations.
• Management of Credit return process, particularly the implementation and management of an appropriate system to ensure timeous clearance of credit claims requested.
• Coordinate SLA submissions and commentaries on performance.
• Co-ordinate all payrolls related inputs including staff loans, leave records and overtime.
• Provide functional support to manco members on operational & financial issues/reporting.
• Provide key Financial input to all DC projects, including a post-implementation evaluation against stated objectives.
• Provide financial and commercial support to division.
• Plan, direct and control the division's overall financial Plans, Policies, Internal Controls, Accounting Practices and relationships.
• Direct Functions such as Forecast/Budgeting, Management Accounting and Statistical data and procedures for the maintenance and preparation of its financial/commercial reports.

• Appraises operating results in terms of Costs, Budgets, Operating Policies, Trends and increases profit opportunities.
• Consolidation and review of financial performance - Balance sheet and cash flow on a monthly basis in accordance with GAAP and SA reporting standards.
• Review of full year forecast for submission to Corporate, including variance and sensitivity reporting.
• Salaries and Wages controls and processing.
• Review of fixed asset and capital expenditure approval.
• Review of all balance sheets reconciliation's to ensure accurate reporting and avoidance of unanticipated costs.
• Preparation of half year and year end statutory reporting packs for Corporate submission.
• VAT, Company tax, Deferred tax and regulatory and stat pack reporting as necessary.
• Annual budget preparation.
• Dotted line responsibility for all Depot accountants.
• Development of Management reporting to Operations - Benchmarking analysis/ABC/profitability analysis by principal.
• Optimisation of working capital and cash flow management.
• Assess adequacy and implementation of Financial controls in line with Corporate guidelines.
• Work with the Business Unit management to develop strategic commercial opportunities to enhance profitability.
• Maintain and enhance decision-making through the provision and use of first class financial information based on strong internal control environment and costing systems.
• Initial preparation of PRB documentation of contract acquisitions, capex and other commercial opportunities as well as the management of post approval process including back checks.
• Support FD through coordination and control of annual budget and quarterly forecast process.
• Review and challenge of local financial performance, directing and assisting in ensuring performance to budget and forecast.
• Determination and implementation of performance analyses and reporting processes.
• Accuracy and integrity of BU GL ensuring timeous and regular review and clearing of Balance sheet reconciliation items.
• Supervision of cost control and transaction processing within the business and in particular the accuracy and integrity of the Oracle process –PO and JV’s etc.
• Ensure a sound and effective relationship and interface with the central finance team, and in particular Shared Services.
• Ensure compliance with all Group and local deadlines and requirements.
• Operational financial management and implementation of business unit operational cost control processes and in particular ABC.
• Revenue management ensuring timeous and accurate billing of clients and appropriate follow up of outstanding payments in support of Shared services.
• Management of the development and succession of financial personnel within the DC structures.
• Provide direction and advice to the senior management team in relation to risk, commercial contracts, approval of business opportunities and general approach to maximising financial performance.
• Ensure Compliance will all local statutory accounting rules and requirements.
• Interpretation of financial and interrelated operational information
• Submitting monthly financial information accurately and timeously to meet deadlines
• Project Management
• Continuous Improvement
• Vendor Management
• Staff discipline and adherence
• Providing management of the Distribution Centre with the appropriate level of Financial and Administrative skills and support.
• To act as a link between the financial/administrative processes and operational functions.

Skills & Competencies

• Relationship management/cultural appreciation
• Impact and influence
• Negotiation skills
• Acquisition appraisal and management
• Project Management
• Team Development
• Strong business and financial acumen and excellent team dynamics.                                            
• Must be able to work with and communicate to all the role players, Internal & External Customers, Principles, Tranship operations
• Sound Interpersonal skills, strong analytical ability
• Effective communication skills
• Ability to influence and negotiate at all levels
• Achievement drive and initiative
• Administrative knowledge skills
• Computer knowledge skills
• Distribution knowledge skills
• Logistics knowledge skills
• Operational knowledge skills
• Quality knowledge skills
• Security knowledge skills
• Service delivery and operational knowledge skills

Qualifications & Experience

• Achievement of operational performance as defined by customer contract and KPI's
• Resolution of queries to orders and waybills    
• High level of communication    
• Perform administrative tasks in line with the Standard Operating Procedures and safe working practices
• De-briefing of drivers on return from deliveries
• Ability to work under pressure
• Matric / Grade 12 Certificate    
• Charted Management Accountant/ Diploma in Cost and Management Accounting
• B. Com with Management / Cost Accounting experience in an operational environment
• Expected Educational Qualification – CA