Trainee Divisional Financial Manager

About the role: Join Shoprite as a Trainee Divisional Finance Manager, where you will develop strategic financial leadership by engaging in diverse financial management activities tailored to prepare you for a senior DFM role. This dynamic position demands mobility and adaptability, offering unique experiential learning opportunities based on personalised development needs and gap analysis aligned with divisional financial management. You will be responsible for driving operational and strategic financial oversight, including budgeting, financial reporting, planning, analysis, risk mitigation, and loss prevention to support high-growth business objectives. Collaborate across Finance, Administration, Operations, Sales, HR, and IT to ensure robust financial controls and standards, secure company assets, and deliver on divisional profitability targets. This role emphasises continuous improvement through in-depth financial and internal audit analysis, providing a critical platform for advancing your expertise in financial management within Africa's leading retail group renowned for its innovation, career advancement, and commitment to professional growth.

Key Duties

• Provide strategic financial guidance and support to the management team to achieve strategic objectives and drive business growth.
• Deliver comprehensive accounting, commercial, and business insights across Operations, Sales, HR, and IT functions to inform decision-making.
• Oversee the month-end closing process, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and timely completion of all financial reporting.
• Enhance financial reporting frameworks and internal controls to support effective management of business performance.
• Prepare and present detailed monthly management accounts and reports for both the management team and Group Executives.
• Continuously improve financial analysis and reporting processes (including SAP, P&L, departmental reports) to provide value-added insights.
• Implement and monitor cost management initiatives to optimise expenditure in alignment with business activity and financial targets.
• Coordinate and control stock management processes, including regular stocktakes, shrinkage control, and analysis of stock variances.
• Contribute to the management of markdown strategies to ensure alignment with financial and strategic objectives.
• Maintain robust corporate governance by assessing and strengthening the internal control environment across the organisation.

Qualifications

• Relevant financial degree or qualification (essential).
• Chartered Accountant (CA) or Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) qualification (beneficial).
• Minimum of 5 years' experience in a senior financial management role, preferably within retail, manufacturing, or a comparable environment.
• Demonstrated ability to drive financial performance and implement effective financial governance (essential).
• Extensive expertise in financial accounting, budgeting, reporting, and risk management (essential).
• Strong commercial acumen with a broad understanding of business functions beyond finance (essential).
• Proficiency in SAP financial systems (essential).
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail.
• Experience in leading and developing financial teams.
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills to liaise with stakeholders at all levels.