PKF Cape Town is recruiting for a Financial Manager on behalf of one of our clients that are in the legal practice environment.
Requirements:
- Registered CA(SA).
- 5 years' experience working in a legal practice.
- Must have attorney trust-account experience.
- "Can do" attitude.
- Takes responsibility for own work and the work of the team.
- Strong leadership skills.
- Deadline driven.
- Able to lead a team (daily, weekly and monthly tasks).
- Strong organisational skills.
- Hands on in the daily business operations.
- Ability to work with various individuals as reporting into a large board of directors.
- Play a key role in the system of internal control.
- A willingness to coach team members where necessary.
- Sets an example for the team.
Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Prepare management reporting pack.
- Investigate anomalies in the monthly results through analytical review.
- Communicate management to the board (via email and/or directors meeting).
- Continual improvement to the reporting pack for better and simplified interpretation by the board of directors.
- Address any questions/queries received from the board.
- The management report includes other monthly and quarterly reports to the marketing and IT departments.
- Weekly cash flow forecasting of the business bank accounts across all entities (this is especially important for salary, vat, PAYE and bond payments).
- Liaise with the trust bookkeepers for trust-to-business transfers (fees) at critical times of the month.
- Monthly review of intercompany loan accounts.
- Perform an oversight role in the system of internal control.
- Review and update the existing system of internal control.
- Ensure adequate segregation of duties.
- Communicate weaknesses in system of internal control to the board of directors.
- Perform an oversight role in the system of internal control (Review of various recons, done in conjunction with the group accountant).
- Calculate the "salary" for directors based on the value per profit share.
- Ensure that the salaries are accurately recorded in pastel payroll.
- Calculate the quarterly profit share attributable to each qualifying director and ensure accurately recorded in pastel payroll.
- Prepare monthly journal entries to account for directors remuneration.
- Prepare reconciliation of the emoluments per pastel payroll and the general legers.
- Reconcile directors loan accounts.
- Assistance in the preparation of accounting records for the accountants of each director.
- Monitor the annual departmental calendar for annual deadlines e.g. Insurance renewal or fidelity fund certificates.
- Prepare monthly deliverables for each team member at the start of the month and monitor progress to ensure timeous reporting.
- Trouble shoot roadblocks in department's ability to meet deliverables set at the start of the month.
- This includes planning of annual leave of the various team members to ensure that all the tasks are covered in the event that someone is on leave.
- Ensure knowledgeable with the requirements of the Attorney's Act so that you can ensure compliance with these requirements for the purpose of the annual audit.
- Provide oversight to the trust bookkeepers.
- Review of the key trust reports at month end.
- Continual training and development of the department.
- Ad hoc outsourced training sessions e.g. excel, tax, etc.
- Schedule and attend monthly M3 meeting (a collaboration between IT, HR and Finance).
- Prepare agenda and report matters arising to the board of directors.
- Continual monitoring of the need for ad hoc projects to ensure the effective running of the department.
- Prepare/roll forward salary workings.
- Prepare summary of existing CTC for each pod and communicate to the line manager/reporting director.
- Ensure market research conducted with the regards to SA and competitors increases.
- Document and update workings based on the feedback received from the line manager/reporting director.
- Ensure increases are communicated to the board.
- Quantify and communicate the net effect of the revised salaries to the board of directors (cash flow).
- Prepare, at a minimum the annual COST budget per department (e.g. marketing, HR, IT)/top 5 expense lines.
- Calculate and update the overhead allocation for all back office expenses.
- Ensure all statutory records are kept up to date (especially with the appointment of new directors).
- This includes ensuring that all trust deeds and LOA are kept up to date at the Master.
- Ensure compliance with the requirements of the Income Tax Act and Vat Act in terms of reporting and payment deadlines.
- Coordinate with the auditors (performing corporate tax compliance work) regarding the submission of provisional tax payments for all group entities, including the calculation of any provisional tax payable.
- Preform the tax computations for both income and deferred tax and provide journal entries to the auditors and independent drafter.
- Maintain and nurture relationship with business bankers.
- Ensure the compliance with credit requirements, specifically around overdraft and bond facilities.
- Ensure that banking systems are kept up to date and that users regularly update their passwords (system of internal control).
- Monthly meetings to discuss projects and improvements to be made accounting system.
- Approval of changes to the accounting system set up (including chart of account).
- Ensure expenses are recorded accurately in the correct accounting period, at the correct amount and with the correct vat treatment.
- Ensure supplier details on accounts are correct.
- Regular meetings with key suppliers to negotiate terms and agree to SLA.
- Negotiate terms with suppliers for effective management of the cash flow.
- Schedule and plan the annual audit with the appointed auditors (taking into account the deadlines specifically around the Law Society).
- Ensure budgets are prepared and agreed in advance.
- Prepare working papers and reconciliations for the annual audit.
- Liaise with IT for access to the drive and accounting packages.
- Plan, budget and review of the annual financial statements with the independent drafter.
- Review of attorney trust audit reports.
Please note that all applications will be shared to the client for review. Should you not receive feedback regarding your application within two weeks, please consider your application unsuccessful.
