Commercial Analyst

Introduction

Location:   Sandton, Johannesburg

Vacancy:   Permanent | R20,000–R25,000 CTC per month, depending on experience

Seniority:   Mid-level

Overview

This position provides commercial finance, contract administration and analysis within a logistics and cargo-services environment. The role supports pricing, customer billing, supplier cost control, receivables, profitability analysis and cash-flow reporting, working closely with Finance and Operations. The analyst prepares recommendations and supporting transactions but does not independently approve contracts, credit facilities or payments.

Duties & Responsibilities

Maintain accurate customer contract registers, including rates, service levels, renewal dates, escalation clauses, payment terms and commercial risks.

•  Review contract pricing and amendments against approved rates, anticipated costs and target margins; identify loss-making contracts and opportunities for cost recovery.

•  Validate completed services and supporting documents, prepare or review invoices and credit notes, and identify unbilled revenue or billing discrepancies.

•  Monitor debtor ageing, collections, disputed invoices and payment trends; support account reconciliations and escalation of overdue balances.

•  Check supplier invoices against contracts, agreed tariffs, purchase orders and service evidence; prepare payment packs and reconcile supplier statements.

•  Analyse operating costs, including transport, warehousing, fuel, handling, demurrage and subcontractor charges where applicable, and flag avoidable costs.

•  Prepare profitability, margin and variance reports by customer, contract, service or route; support budgets and rolling revenue, cost and cash-flow forecasts.

•  Develop management dashboards and commercial review packs covering billing, collections, payables, margins, risks and corrective actions.

•  Coordinate with Finance, Sales, Operations and Procurement to resolve contract, billing and cost-allocation exceptions.

•  Maintain accurate Sage/ERP records and reporting files, comply with VAT and internal financial controls, and support audits and process improvements.

Desired Experience & Qualification

Degree or diploma in Finance, Accounting, Commerce, Economics, Supply Chain or a related discipline.

•  Approximately 3+ years of relevant commercial analysis, contract finance, logistics finance or financial analysis experience preferred.

•  Experience with customer billing, contracts, supplier invoices, payment packs, receivables, margin analysis and cost recovery.

•  Understanding of pricing, profitability, budgeting, forecasting, working capital and financial controls.

•  Strong Excel capability, including pivot tables, lookups, advanced formulas and/or dashboards; Sage or comparable ERP experience.

•  Ability to prepare accurate commercial models, management reports and forecasts.

•  Knowledge of logistics, transportation, cargo handling, distribution, warehousing or project-based service businesses is advantageous.

•  Strong analytical judgement, accuracy, problem-solving, communication, stakeholder engagement and confidentiality.