Financial Accountant (Full Function, Xero, FMCG) at Ashton Personnel in Ormonde
Ashton Personnel · Ormonde, Johannesburg, Gauteng
Overview
Ashton Personnel is looking for a Financial Accountant with full function experience and strong Xero skills to join an FMCG company in Ormonde, Johannesburg. You will handle everything from creditors and debtors to VAT, payroll compliance, and management accounts. If you have at least 5 years in a similar role and enjoy working with stock based businesses, this could be a great next step for you.
About the role
Ashton Personnel is recruiting a Financial Accountant for a full function role based in Ormonde, Johannesburg. This is a permanent position within the FMCG sector, so you will be working with physical stock and the financial processes that go with it. The company uses Xero as its accounting system, and you will be responsible for the full accounting function up to trial balance and management accounts.
Key duties include:
- Managing creditors: capture invoices, reconcile statements, prepare payment runs, maintain age analysis
- Overseeing debtors: invoicing, collections, reconciliations, credit limits
- Bank and cash: weekly reconciliations, cash flow forecasting, petty cash
- Inventory: coordinate stock counts, reconcile stock to general ledger, post monthly journals
- VAT and tax: prepare and submit VAT201 returns, support provisional tax, manage SARS queries
- Payroll compliance: submit EMP201 and EMP501, manage UIF, SDL, COIDA, oversee payroll provider
- Month end and reporting: deliver reconciled trial balance and management accounts by the 10th working day
- Year end and audit: prepare year end packs, liaise with external accountants
- Xero and controls: maintain chart of accounts, enforce controls, supervise capturing staff
Application notes: No specific application instructions were provided in the job ad, so make sure your CV is up to date and clearly shows your Xero experience and FMCG background.
Requirements
- SAIPA qualification
- 5 or more years of full function accounting experience up to trial balance and management accounts
- 2 or more years of hands on Xero experience, end to end and not just capturing
- 3 or more years working in FMCG, wholesale, or distribution with physical stock
- Proven VAT201 submission experience via SARS eFiling
- Advanced Excel skills including pivot tables, lookups, and reconciliations
- Clear credit and criminal record
- Advantageous: CIMA, ACCA, or CA(SA) designation
- Advantageous: Xero Advisor Certification
- Advantageous: Registered tax practitioner with SAIPA or SAIT
- Advantageous: Export experience with zero rating, SARS Customs, and foreign currency
- Advantageous: Prior migration experience onto Xero or new accounting systems
- Advantageous: Payroll experience with SimplePay, Sage Payroll, or similar
- Advantageous: Supervisory experience with junior finance staff
Responsibilities
- Capture supplier invoices, reconcile statements, prepare payment runs, and maintain creditor age analysis
- Oversee invoicing, manage collections, reconcile debtor statements, and control credit limits
- Perform weekly bank reconciliations, cash flow forecasting, and petty cash management
- Coordinate stock counts, reconcile stock to the general ledger, and post monthly journals
- Prepare and submit VAT201 returns, support provisional tax, and manage SARS queries
- Submit EMP201 and EMP501, manage UIF, SDL, COIDA, and oversee the payroll provider
- Deliver a reconciled trial balance and management accounts by the 10th working day of each month
- Prepare year end packs and liaise with external accountants during audits
- Maintain the chart of accounts in Xero, enforce financial controls, and supervise capturing staff
Job details
- Organisation
- Ashton Personnel
- Location
- Ormonde, Johannesburg, Gauteng
- Job type
- Full time
- Experience level
- Senior (5+ years)
- Education
- Diploma
- Category
- Accounting & Finance
- Application Method
- Apply manually
Success Guide
This role is a great fit if you have solid Xero experience and have worked with stock in an FMCG or distribution environment. When you apply, make sure your CV clearly shows your hands on Xero work, not just capturing, and gives examples of VAT201 submissions you have done via SARS eFiling. The company wants someone who can take ownership of the full function up to management accounts, so highlight any time you have prepared trial balances or managed month end deadlines. If you have supervised junior staff or been involved in moving onto a new accounting system, that is a bonus worth mentioning. Also be ready to talk about how you handle tight deadlines, especially the 10th working day reporting requirement. Good luck with your application.
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