Reporting to: Finance Executive

Location: Johannesburg, Gauteng

Finlar Fine Foods is a trusted contract manufacturing partner within the food industry, producing high-quality food products on behalf of leading customers and brands. As part of the Libstar Operations, Finlar benefits from the strength, standards and shared values of a larger food group, while remaining focused on operational excellence, food safety, innovation and reliable customer service.

Our people play a central role in delivering quality every day. We are committed to building capable teams, creating a safe and respectful working environment, and living the Libstar values of Accountability, Agile, Consumer Inspired, Performance Driven and Champions for Good.

We are recruiting a Management Accountant on a permanent basis to support the Finance function in Johannesburg. The role will work closely with the Finance management team to provide practical, consistent and hands-on people support across the Johannesburg operation, however supporting the Cape town team with certain functions. This opportunity is suited to an experienced management accountant who is confident and experienced in a food manufacturing environment, can manage a high-pressured environment with accurate costings and analysis to support the commercial and operational teams.

Purpose of the Role

The role is responsible for managing product costing, management accounting and operational finance processes, ensuring accurate cost information, disciplined stock governance and meaningful financial insight to support pricing, analysis of efficiencies to support commercial and operational decision-making. Further to ensure that accurate cost and pricing data is maintained, supports budgeting, drives collaboration across departments and provides critical financial insights to improve profitability and operational efficiency.

The Management accountant is responsible for standard costing, purchase-price and material-usage variance analysis, product and customer margin insight, stock governance, pricing support and continuous improvement of costing processes within SYSPRO. The role works closely with Operations, Procurement, Commercial and Finance and leads production administrators to ensure reliable source data, strong controls and timely reporting

Key Responsibilities

Product Costing and Standard Cost Management

• Maintain accurate product costing models and costing files
• Review, understand and verify standard costs in Syspro and improve processes to update timeously
• Develop a detailed understanding of production processes, recipes (Bills of material), yields, labour and overhead drivers
• Ensure costing assumptions are supported by reliable operational and procurement information

Purchase Price, Material Usage and Variance Management

• Lead regular material, purchase-price and manufacturing variance reviews, identify root causes and agree corrective actions.
• Translate operational variances into clear financial impact and business insights

Pricing, Margin and Commercial Support

• Prepare accurate costing and procurement information for customer pricing revies and negotiations, with complete and accurate history of changes
• Analyse product, customer and channel margins highlighting risks and opportunities
• Provide financial input into pricing, make-or-buy, product-mix and profitability decisions

Stock Governance and Inventory Control

• Strengthen stock governance, including controls over on-hold, obsolete, slow-moving and second-grade stock and ensure variances are investigated and resolved
• Maintain disciplined stock reporting, reconciliation and provision processes
• Support initiatives to reduce waste, obsolete stock and financial exposure

Cost Reduction and Operational Improvement

• Provide financial support to cost-reduction, waste reduction and efficiency initiatives and lead measurement
• Validate baselines, savings, cost avoidance and sustainability of benefits
• Develop reporting that links operational drivers such as yield, labour, waste and volume to financial performance
• Idendify opportunities for improved margin and operational efficiency

Systems, Controls and Process Improvement

• Drive continuous improvement in Syspro costing and related financial processes
• Establish clear job sign-off, approval and control procedures for costing and production information
• Maintain strong audit trails, reconciliations and supporting documentation
• Supporting automation, simplification and improved reporting reliability

Planning, Reporting and Business Insight

• Support annual budgets, forecasts and financial planning processes
• Provide timely analysis of material variances, cost drivers and profitability
• Prepare ad-hoc analysis and business cases as requested by finance leadership

Team Leadership and Development

• Lead, coach and develop Production Administrators in Johannesburg
• Set clear responsibilities, objectives, controls and deadlines for the team to enable them to operate independently and confidently
• Ensure accurate, timely and well-documented production and costing information

Audit, Compliance and Cross-Functional Support

• Maintain audit-ready costing, stock and production records
• Support internal and external audit requirements and resolve findings within agreed timelines
• Work collaboratively with Operations, Procurement and Commercial and the wider Finance team
• Demonstrate integrity, confidentiality and sound financial judgement

Minimum Requirements

• CIMA qualified and registered.
• Five years plus experience in manufacturing, FMCG or a similarly complex operational environment.
• Experience on Syspro will be advantageous
• Strong reporting, analytical and Microsoft Office capability, intermediate / advanced level
• Valid driver’s license and own reliable transport, with willingness to travel when required.
• Monthly stock take attendance.

Measures of Success

• Clean audit results with no major findings.
• Accurate stock count records reflect accuracy and completeness of counts and minimizing write-offs.
• Accurate and timely management reporting.
• Strong alignment with the Finance Executive, Commercial and Operational heads.
• A positive, accountable and high-performing workplace culture aligned with our True North.

Application

Please submit your CV together with a short motivation explaining why you are suited to this role to: Jan Hendrik van Rensburg on jvr@finlar.co.za
Closing date: 15 September 2026
If you have not received a response within two weeks of the closing date, please consider your application unsuccessful.

Note:
To consider any application for employment, we will have to process your personal information. The Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 (POPIA), provides that when one processes another’s personal information, such collection, retention, dissemination, and use of that person’s personal information must be done in a lawful and transparent manner.

To give effect to the above, we are required to provide you with information regarding the processing of your personal information. This information is recorded under the HR Processing Notice, which can be accessed and viewed on the Company website at https://www.libstar.co.za/legal/.