Regional Business Partner

Job Purpose

This role is responsible for providing accurate financial information and insights through on-going, cross-functional engagement enabling informed financial decisions. The position will report to the Regional Financial Manager and support them by working with various closely related variables, spanning across different functional areas which requires an understanding of organisational processes, procedures, standards and controls.

Key Accountabilities and Outputs

Business Partnering

• Improving the impact and understanding of financial reporting on business performance

• Providing analysis and delivering insight that links financial reports to business strategies

• Support the Regional Finance manager by providing financial information and analysis on

• Volume and Revenue

• Variable Cost Performance

• Bills of Materials improvement

• Fixed Cost Performance

• Variance analysis versus PY and Budget/Forecasts

• Corrective actions

• Engaging with Line Management to improve Finance understanding of the business, including cost and value drivers.

• Support Regional FM in annual budgeting and forecasting processes by supporting cost centre owners to make informed financial decisions

• Support and deliver periodic re-forecasts ensuring that latest operational drivers are understood and considered and highlight risks and opportunities

• Value-adding finance input to support the region in the translation of strategic objectives into KPI's, financial targets and forecasts

• Support cost centre owners to make informed financial decisions for initiatives aligned to the organisation's operating plans

• Build and maintain financial models which accurately forecast project and business performance

• Support and drive governance and control in the business

• Preparation of weekly and monthly income statements and other financial reports together with commentary explaining variances.

• Active involvement in monthly stock counts and reconciliations

• Accountable for monthly reconciliation of assigned GL accounts

• Supporting the Regional Financial Manager with any work or project in line with the strategic finance teams' overall goals.

• Adherence to the health, safety and environmental standards

• Ensure adherence to site safety standards as head of Safety, Health and Environmental Committee

• Ensure compliance to all relevant legislation

General

• Conversant with relevant business information, policies, processes and procedures

• Maintains expected performance standards

• While Job Descriptions are written up for the purpose of a basic outline of the work and responsibilities associated with the Job, the Company encourages and expects all employees from time to time, to assist with work that may not be a direct part of their job description.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelors Degree (3 years) / NQF level 7 (Essential)

• Upto 3 years' experience (Operational Execution)

• MS Excel, SAP

Key Qualities

Critical Success Factors

• Understanding of Management Accounting, Revenue, Standard Costing, Variance Analysis and Bills of Materials, Variable and Fixed Costs

• Advanced Excel

• Experience in FMCG environment within Finance an advantage

• Business Partner experience

• Engagement

Communication

• Routine communication with customers or clients

Problem Solving

• Proactive identification of problems that are concrete and procedural, troubleshoot and apply solutions in line with guidelines provided or escalate more complex problems to superiors, providing information required to solve problems.

Relationships Maintained

• Others outside of own work area but inside the organisation

Behavioural Competencies

Analytical Thinking

• Able to take a complex task and breaking it down into manageable parts in a logical, detailed way.

• Thinks of multiple explanations or alternatives to a problem

• Able to identify the information needed to solve a problem effectively

• Performs tasks accurately and thoroughly, making adjustments to ensure needs are met

• Considers business priorities when making decisions or analysing the costs and benefits of various alternative solutions.

Continuous Improvement

• Increases performance expectations when success has been achieved

• Seeks out sources of information, including trade associations, "best practice" companies, customers, peers, subordinates, etc.

• Finds ways to fast-adapt improvement ideas to work processes

• Proactively seeks out resources, alliances, etc., needed to quickly introduce improvements

Accountability