Finance Analyst

Who are we?

SOLEVO is a leading distributor of chemicals and inputs for specific industrial and agricultural segments in Africa. SOLEVO assists African farmers and Industries succeed by providing them with a full range of fertilizers, seeds, crop protection products and industrial chemicals they need with a guaranteed quality and good value. With over 75 years at the frontier of economic growth and transformation across Africa, we deliver critical raw materials and expertise to the continent’s high GDP-contributing life sciences and industrials sectors. Rolfes Holding is part of Solevo Group Company.

What are we looking for?

We are seeking an experienced and talented Financial Analyst that will partner with the Cluster Finance and operational/commercial teams to provide high-quality financial analysis, forecasting and decision support

What do we expect from the candidate?

The role is intended to move beyond simply reporting historical results. The Financial Analyst will understand the drivers behind performance, identify risks and opportunities, challenge the business constructively, and translate financial and operational information into clear actions for management.

The key responsibilities:

Business performance analysis:

• Analyse monthly financial and operational performance against budget, forecast and prior periods.

• Provide detailed variance analysis explaining what happened, why it happened and what management can do about it.

• Analyse:

o Revenue and volume performance

o Gross profit and gross-margin %

o Price, volume and mix

o Customer and product profitability

o Sales-channel performance

o Cost performance and operating leverage

o EBITDA performance

• Identify emerging risks and opportunities and quantify their potential P&L and cash impact.

• Develop concise management insights and recommendations for CFO and cluster leadership.

• Demand and seasonality analysis.

Budgeting and forecasting:

• Support the annual budget and periodic forecasting processes.

• Work closely with Sales, Commercial, Operations and Finance to develop robust assumptions.

• Maintain rolling forecasts for the cluster.

• Analyse deviations between actual results, forecast and budget.

• Challenge assumptions and ensure forecasts appropriately reflect current trading conditions.

• Support scenario modelling and sensitivity analysis.

• Assist with OPEX and CAPEX planning.

Commercial finance and decision support:

• Act as a finance partner to commercial and operational management.

• Evaluate pricing decisions, new products, customer opportunities and commercial initiatives.

• Develop financial models and business cases to support investment decisions.

• Assess profitability by customer, product, channel and business segment.

• Monitor actual performance of approved initiatives against the original business case.

• Provide rapid ad-hoc analysis to management when commercial decisions are required.

Working capital and cash:

• Analyse and monitor inventory, receivables and payables.

• Track working-capital performance and identify opportunities to release cash.

• Analyse slow-moving and excess inventory.

• Support inventory optimisation by connecting stock levels to sales forecasts and demand.

• Review customer collections and overdue-debt trends with the relevant teams.

• Highlight working-capital risks and opportunities through management reporting.

• Translate changes in working capital into cash-flow implications.

Management reporting and business intelligence:

• Prepare clear monthly performance packs and dashboards.

• Develop KPIs that provide early warning of changes in business performance.

• Improve the quality, consistency and usefulness of management reporting.

• Work with Finance and IT to improve data accuracy and reporting processes.

• Use ERP and analytical tools to extract, interrogate and reconcile financial and operational data.

• Support continuous improvement and greater automation of reporting.

Project evaluation:

• Prepare and critically review business cases for projects.

• Assess investment proposals using appropriate measures such as:

o ROI

o Payback

o NPV

o IRR

o Incremental EBITDA and cash flow

• Perform sensitivity and scenario analysis.

• Track approved projects against actual expenditure and benefits realised.

• Assist management with post-investment reviews.

Month-end and financial performance support:

• Work closely with Financial Accounting to ensure management information accurately reflects business performance.

• Review monthly results for unusual movements and potential reporting issues.

• Ensure management reporting reconciles appropriately to financial reporting.

• Assist in identifying accruals, provisions and other adjustments where required.

• Support decision-making without duplicating the core Financial Accounting function.

If you possess…

Must-Have:

• Grade 12 (Matric).

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Management Accounting, Economics or a related discipline.

• Strong financial modelling and analytical capability.

• Advanced Microsoft Excel capability.

• CIMA / CGMA qualification or actively progressing toward qualification; or CA(SA) / ACCA or equivalent relevant professional qualification.

• Experience using ERP and BI/reporting tools.

• 3–5 years' relevant experience in FP&A, commercial finance, management accounting or financial analysis.

• Experience working in a manufacturing.

• Demonstrated exposure to budgeting, forecasting, management reporting and commercial analysis.

• Experience dealing with large datasets and converting them into management insights.

• Strong understanding of the P&L, balance sheet and cash-flow interaction

If you are…

• Adaptable, organized, and capable of managing multiple tasks while maintaining accuracy and professionalism in a fast-paced environment.

Why join Rolfes Holdings Solevo?

• Join a young dynamic team who is leading the chemical distribution on the African continent.

• Enjoy a collaborative, international and agile work environment.

• Be part of a team where freedom, initiative and ‘thinking out of the box’ is key.

• Opportunity to work in a growing versatile environment.

• Competitive compensation package and comprehensive benefits package.

• Explore opportunities for professional growth and advancement.

Then, this job is for you!

How to join us?

If you’re excited about this position, we encourage you to submit your resume detailing your relevant experience and be part of our exciting journey.

What's next ?

If your profile matches our search, you will be contacted by our HR team for a first contact.

Please be informed that we will keep your profile to contact you for future professional opportunities.