Finance Manager

Job Purpose To establish, lead and progressively stabilize the Finance & Accounting function from the ground up in a manufacturing environment undergoing financial and systems restructuring. The Finance Manager is responsible for building reliable accounting discipline, ensuring the integrity of the General Ledger and financial records, strengthening documentation and internal controls, producing accurate financial statements and statutory/tax outputs, and developing the finance team and systems in a controlled manner. The role requires a hands-on manager who can work with imperfect legacy information, investigate problems before making conclusions, and build a sustainable finance function rather than merely operate an existing one. 1. Finance Function Establishment & Leadership Take ownership of establishing and operating the Finance & Accounting function according to the approved organization structure and transformation plan. Set clear responsibilities, work allocation, review levels and accountability across the finance team. Build disciplined month-end routines, documentation standards, reconciliations and financial-control practices. Prioritize critical finance risks and stabilize the function progressively without disrupting ongoing business operations. Develop the finance team through coaching, review and practical on-the-job guidance. 2. General Ledger & Accounting Integrity Own the integrity, completeness and accuracy of the General Ledger and accounting records. Ensure journal entries are properly supported, reviewed, authorized and posted according to the approved Chart of Accounts and accounting policies. Review account reconciliations, supporting schedules and unusual balances and ensure timely resolution of identified issues. Maintain disciplined period closing procedures and ensure transactions are recorded in the appropriate accounting periods. Ensure the accounting structure remains consistent and controlled as the business and ERP environment develop. 3. Financial Statements, Closing & Statutory Reporting Lead monthly and year-end closing activities and ensure timely preparation of reliable financial statements. Review Balance Sheet, Income Statement and Cash Flow outputs for consistency, completeness and reasonableness. Ensure major balances are supported by reconciliations, schedules and appropriate evidence. Coordinate statutory financial reporting requirements with external auditors and relevant advisors. Provide management with clear explanations of significant financial movements, risks and unresolved issues. 4. Legacy Data, Opening Balances & Financial Cleanup Lead the controlled review and validation of opening balances and legacy accounting information transferred into the new finance environment. Use original documents, reconciliations and reliable source evidence to validate financial data where historical systems or records cannot be fully relied upon. Investigate significant differences and identify root causes before deciding whether correction, reconstruction or other action is required. Document unresolved historical issues, financial risks and required corrective actions and escalate them appropriately. Prevent unverified historical data from contaminating the integrity of the new accounting environment. 5. ERP & Finance Systems Development Own Finance requirements and controls during the phased development of the ERP environment. Ensure the General Ledger is stabilized before supporting controlled activation and integration of additional ERP modules. Participate in ERP rehabilitation, data migration, mapping, testing, module activation and process-improvement projects. Validate that new modules and interfaces integrate correctly with the General Ledger and do not create duplication, conflicting records or uncontrolled entries. Ensure appropriate finance controls, approvals and audit trails are embedded in system implementation. 6. Internal Controls & Documentation Establish and enforce practical financial controls covering documentation, approvals, authorization, recording and reconciliation. Ensure financial transactions are supported by complete and valid documentation before accounting treatment is finalized. Identify control weaknesses and recurring documentation failures and recommend corrective actions. Coordinate with other departments to improve the quality and timeliness of documents and financial inputs received by Finance. Maintain appropriate segregation of duties and escalation mechanisms within the available organization structure. 7. Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Banks & Treasury Control Oversee accounting and control of customer, supplier and bank transactions and ensure regular reconciliations. Monitor significant receivable and payable balances, aging, overdue items and unusual transactions and escalate material risks. Maintain visibility over short-term cash requirements, commitments, bank facilities and liquidity risks. Support management in improving cash discipline, working-capital visibility and financing decisions. Coordinate with banks and relevant external parties within delegated authority. Critical Role Boundaries The Finance Manager owns the Finance & Accounting function, accounting integrity, financial controls, statutory financial reporting and Finance-side implementation of approved systems and processes. The Finance Manager participates in restructuring and ERP/system design projects but is not expected to independently replace the organizational restructuring consultant, ERP architect or operational process owner. Operational departments remain accountable for the accuracy and completeness of their source documents and operational data; Finance validates financial treatment and control rather than becoming the operational data owner. Inventory physical custody remains with Warehouse Management; independent inventory financial control, reconciliation and valuation remain within Finance/Costing. During the current build-up stage, the Finance Manager is expected to be hands-on and may directly review work that would later be delegated as the team matures. Desired Candidate Profile

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance or Commerce with Accounting specialization. Professional Qualification: CMA, CPA, ACCA or equivalent is preferred but not mandatory where practical manufacturing finance experience is strong.

Experience

Approximately 8 12 years of progressive Finance/Accounting experience, including at least 3 years in a supervisory or managerial capacity. Manufacturing

Experience

Strong preference for candidates with direct factory/manufacturing experience and practical exposure to inventory, costing, production-related accounting and working-capital issues. Build/Transformation

Experience

Strong preference for experience establishing, restructuring or significantly improving a finance function, accounting system, ERP environment or Chart of Accounts. Technical Foundation: Strong General Ledger, closing, financial statements, reconciliations, internal controls, tax/audit coordination and accounting-documentation discipline. Systems: Strong Excel and practical ERP experience; ability to understand data migration, mapping, integration and control issues. Management Capability: Able to lead old and new team members, objectively assess capability, preserve useful operational knowledge and introduce stronger standards without unnecessary disruption. Problem-Solving Style: Evidence-based, investigative and structured; does not rush to rebuild or discard data before understanding root causes. Personality: Hands-on, calm under pressure, firm on financial integrity, diplomatic with stakeholders, able to challenge unsupported assumptions and capable of building credibility through evidence rather than authority alone. Core KPIs Month-End Closing Timeliness Financial Statement Accuracy & Timeliness General Ledger Reconciliation Completion % Unreconciled / Unsupported Balance Reduction Journal Entry Documentation & Approval Compliance % Audit Adjustment / Repeat Finding Rate Tax & Statutory Filing Timeliness Accounts Receivable / Payable Reconciliation Compliance % Bank Reconciliation Completion & Accuracy % Inventory-to-GL Reconciliation Accuracy % Budget Preparation & Reporting Timeliness Budget Variance Investigation Completion % ERP / Finance Implementation Milestone Completion Finance Team Development & Review Compliance Corrective Action Closure Rate for Finance Control Gaps