Financial Manager: Client Portfolio (Professional Services)

The Person:

• CA (SA) or an equivalent professional Accounting qualification is strongly preferred.
• Extensive Senior-Level Financial Management and Technical Accounting experience.
• Professional services or accounting practice experience would be ideal; suitably experienced commercial candidates will also be considered.
• Experience managing the financial requirements of complex groups or multiple legal entities.
• Strong technical understanding of acquisitions, rebates, goodwill, loans and interest.
• Proven experience across day-to-day accounting, banking, payments and financial controls.
• Strong knowledge of monthly management accounts, balance sheet reconciliations and annual financial statements.
• Advanced proficiency in Xero.
• Experience preparing annual financial statements using CaseWare.
• Sound understanding of statutory, tax and regulatory requirements.
• Strong commercial judgement and advisory capability.
• Proven ability to manage senior client relationships and complex financial queries.
• Leadership or team-management experience.
• Highly organised, accountable and able to manage multiple clients and deadlines.

What you will be doing:

• Act as the primary point of contact for a large and complex client group.
• Build a trusted relationship with the client and develop a thorough understanding of its operations, structure and financial requirements.
• Take ownership of the client groupâs day-to-day accounting and financial management requirements.
• Maintain accurate and fully reconciled accounting records across the relevant entities.
• Review complex accounting transactions involving acquisitions, rebates, goodwill, loans and interest.
• Oversee banking, payments, cash flow and financial controls.
• Prepare and review monthly management accounts and financial reports.
• Identify financial risks, irregularities and areas requiring corrective action.
• Prepare or co-ordinate annual financial statements using CaseWare.
• Ensure accounting records maintained in Xero are accurate, current and audit-ready.
• Co-ordinate with tax, annual financial statements, statutory and other specialist departments to ensure all client requirements are delivered accurately and on time.
• Manage complex client queries and provide clear, commercially relevant financial guidance.
• Monitor compliance deadlines and ensure all statutory obligations are met.
• Manage additional client portfolios and assignments as required.
• Identify opportunities to improve processes, controls and financial reporting.
• Contribute to the development and leadership of accounting staff.
• Operate with a high level of independence, escalating only genuinely complex or strategic matters.

Key Competencies:

• Advanced technical accounting ability.
• Senior-level client relationship management.
• Commercial and strategic thinking.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Sound judgement and problem-solving ability.
• Ownership and accountability.
• Leadership and people-development capability.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and demanding deadlines.
• Professional, confident and clear communication.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced financial professional who wants more than a traditional Financial Manager role. The successful candidate will take ownership of a commercially significant client relationship, contribute to the broader firm and have substantial room to grow into senior leadership.