Senior Financial Analyst

Introduction

We are recruiting for a SENIOR FINANCIAL ANALYST for our client based in Elandsfontein.

PURPOSE

The Financial Analyst plays a critical role in supporting financial planning, performance tracking, cost control, and profitability analysis for both manufacturing operations and sales & distribution activities. This role ensures decision-makers across production, logistics, and sales are equipped with timely and accurate financial insights to drive efficiency and growth.

To undertake financial feasibility analysis, evaluations or business projects and advise on the optimisation of resources and profitability of projects. To furthermore conduct special studies to analyse financial actions and prepare recommendations for policy, procedure, control or action. The role includes budgeting, forecasting, reporting, and providing insights that support strategic planning and performance management.

KEY PERFORMANCE AREAS

•           Daily Accounting, Expense Control & Business Partnering

•           Financial Planning and Forecasting

•           Revenue & Sales Performance Analysis

•           Pricing & Margin Management

•           Logistics & Distribution Cost Analysis

•           Customer & Product Profitability Analysis

•           Sales Commission Management & Control

•           Management Reporting and Performance Analysis

•           Financial Modelling and Business Case Support

•           Budgeting and Cost Management

•           Strategic and Operational Support

•           Data Analysis and Visualization

•           Process Improvement and Efficiency

•           Compliance and Financial Controls

•           Stakeholder Management

•           People Management

Duties & Responsibilities

Daily Accounting, Expense Control & Business Partnering

To ensure accurate daily financial accounting and effective business partnering by maintaining correct journal allocations, monitoring expenses, and managing purchase requisition approvals. This KPA supports financial integrity and provides timely insights to business unit managers, enabling effective decision-making and cost control.

• Ensure all daily journal entries are correctly captured and allocated to the appropriate accounts and cost centres.

• Review and monitor operating expenses, ensuring alignment to budgets and correct classification.

• Validate and approve Purchase Requisitions (PRs) in line with policy and budgetary control.

• Partner with business unit managers to provide financial insights, highlight variances, and support decision-making.

• Resolve accounting queries promptly and maintain accurate audit trails.

• Journal Accuracy Rate (%): Percentage of journals processed without error or rework.

• PR Approval Turnaround Time: Average time taken to approve or escalate PRs within policy timelines.

• Expense Tracking Accuracy (%): Alignment of actual vs. allocated expenses to the correct accounts/cost centres.

• Variance Resolution Time: Average time to investigate and resolve business unit queries.

• Stakeholder Satisfaction Score: Feedback from business unit managers on finance support and responsiveness.

FINANCIAL PLANNING & FORECASTING

To support strategic decision-making by producing accurate and insightful financial forecasts and long-term plans.

• Develop financial forecasts using historical data, market trends, and input from key stakeholders. Align financial planning with business objectives.

• Develop monthly, quarterly, and annual forecasts.

•           Support strategic and operational planning cycles.

•           Incorporate scenario and sensitivity analysis.

•           Collaborate with business units to gather inputs and validate assumptions.

•           Forecast accuracy (% deviation from actuals)

•           Timeliness of forecast submissions

•           Number of forecasting errors or re-forecasts

•           Alignment of forecast with strategic targets

REVENUE & SALES PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS

To provide clear, data-driven insights into sales activities, enabling the business to track performance against targets, identify revenue opportunities, and make informed sales strategy decisions.

Analyse and monitor sales trends across product lines, regions, channels, and customers. Prepare regular sales performance dashboards and reports, highlighting key trends, growth areas, and underperformance. Partner with the sales team to support performance improvement initiatives and pipeline management.

•           Track daily/weekly/monthly sales vs. targets.

•           Analyse revenue by region, product, customer segment.

•           Prepare sales performance reports and dashboards for senior management.

•           Identify sales trends and potential opportunities for growth or corrective action.

•           Collaborate with the sales team to assess sales pipeline and conversion rates.

•           Revenue Growth (%): Actual sales growth compared to previous periods.

•           Sales Variance (%): Deviation of actual sales vs. forecasted sales.

•           Sales Performance vs. Targets (%): Performance against sales targets and quotas.

PRICING & MARGIN MANAGEMENT

To ensure pricing strategies maximize profitability while maintaining market competitiveness, and to safeguard margins across all product and customer segments.

Monitor pricing models and analyse the impact of pricing decisions on gross margins. Evaluate pricing deviations, promotional pricing, and customer-specific deals. Support price simulation, discount controls, and margin optimization across the product portfolio.

•           Track product pricing and assess its impact on overall margins.

•           Analyse price elasticity and recommend pricing adjustments.

•           Monitor gross margin trends by product and customer.

•           Collaborate with sales and marketing teams to implement pricing changes and review their impact.

•           Gross Margin (%): Margin percentage by product or customer.

•           Pricing Accuracy (%): Alignment of actual prices with approved price lists.

•           Margin Improvement (%): Changes in margin due to pricing adjustments.

LOGISTICS & DISTRIBUTION COST ANALYSIS

To control and optimize logistics-related expenses, improving cost-efficiency in warehousing, transportation, and distribution without compromising service levels.

Analyse freight costs, warehousing fees, third-party logistics charges, and delivery costs across channels. Calculate cost-to-serve per customer or region and identify improvement opportunities. Support logistics strategy with financial insights.

•           Analyse logistics costs, including transportation, warehousing, and freight.

•           Assess cost-to-serve by customer segment and distribution channel.

•           Collaborate with logistics and supply chain teams to identify cost-saving opportunities.

•           Recommend strategies for optimizing transportation and distribution efficiency.

•           Cost-to-Serve (%): Distribution costs as a percentage of revenue.

•           Logistics Cost per Unit: Transportation and warehousing cost per unit sold.

•           On-time Delivery (%): Percentage of deliveries made on time.

CUSTOMER & PRODUCT PROFITABILITY ANALYSIS

To identify high- and low-margin customers and products, enabling smarter sales strategies, portfolio management, and cost optimization efforts.

Conduct detailed profitability analyses by customer, product, and channel. Factor in direct costs, trade spend, and cost-to-serve to determine true contribution margins. Support management decisions on customer retention, product mix, and pricing adjustments.

•           Analyse the profitability of individual customers, products, and regions.

•           Identify underperforming customers or products and suggest corrective actions.

•           Support pricing and discount strategies by providing insights into profitability.

•           Monitor product life cy