Financial Services - Cape Town vs Johannesburg

Financial Services – is Johannesburg still the best place to build a career in Financial Services

Many a budding Financial Services employee has asked the question, which is better for my career, Cape Town or Johannesburg?

Johannesburg traditionally has always had more opportunities in Financial Services than Cape Town due to most of the banking sector headquarters being based there. Traditionally if you wanted to get a foothold into a Financial Services career, a move to Johannesburg was on the cards with the likes ABSA, FNB and Standard Bank. Also the JSE is based in Johannesburg, it seems the logical choice…

But is moving to Johannesburg the best thing for your career?

If we split Financial Services into Banking, Investments and Insurance we have a different picture.

Your well known specialist Investment companies (Investec, Coronation, Allan Gray) and Insurance companies (Alexander Forbes, Old Mutual, Sanlam) are either well represented or have the head offices in Cape Town. There are even a few Banks based in Cape Town such as Capitec. Whilst Retail and Business banking is definitely dominant in Johannesburg (ABSA, FNB, Standard).

If you look at the top performing funds in the market today there is a clear trend on which city leads the Investment side of the Financial Services market.

Bull Awards for 2010

Best Domestic Management Company of the Year: ALLAN GRAY(Cape Town)

Best Offshore Management Company of the Year: INVESTEC(Cape Town)

Best Broad Based Domestic Equity Fund: MARRIOT(Durban)

Best Domestic Fixed Interest Fund: NEDGROUP (Cape Town)

Best Foreign Equity Fund: ALLAN (Cape Town)

Best Offshore Global Equity Fund: RECM(Cape Town)

Best Domestic Asset Allocation Flexible Fund: PSG (Cape Town)

Best Domestic Equity General Fund: MARRIOTT (Durban)

Best Domestic Equity Growth Fund: RMB (Gauteng)

Best Domestic Equity Industrial Fund: CORONATION (Cape Town)

Best Domestic Equity Financial Fund: CORONATION  (Cape Town)

Best Domestic Equity Resources and Basic Industries Fund: OLD MUTUAL (Cape Town)

Best Domestic Smaller Companies Fund: RMB (Gauteng)

Best Domestic Equity Value Fund: NEDGROUP (Cape Town)

Best Domestic Asset Allocation Flexible Fund: PSG Cape Town)

Best Domestic Asset Allocation Prudential Fund: CORONATION (Cape Town)

Best Domestic Fixed-Interest Bond Fund: NEDGROUP (Cape Town)

Best Domestic Fixed-Interest Income Fund: STANLIB (Gauteng)

Best Domestic Real Estate Fund: DISCOVERY (Gauteng)

Best Foreign Fixed-Interest Bond Fund: CORIS CAPITAL (Cape Town)

Best Offshore Europe Equity General Fund: FRANKLIN (Gauteng)

Best Offshore Far East Equity General Fund: ALLAN GRAY (Cape Town)

Best Offshore USA Equity General Fund: FRANKLIN (Gauteng)

Best Offshore Global Fixed-Interest Bond Fund: INVESTEC (Cape Town)

Best Worldwide Asset Allocation Flexible Fund: FLAGSHIP (Cape Town)

Best Foreign Asset Allocation Flexible Fund: ALLAN GRAY (Cape Town)

Best Domestic Asset Allocation Prudential Medium Equity Fund: ABSA (Gauteng)

Best Domestic Asset Allocation Prudential Low Equity Fund: METROPOLITAN (Cape Town)

Best Domestic Asset Allocation Prudential Variable Equity Fund: DOTPORT (Gauteng)

Best Domestic Fixed-Interest Bond Fund: NEDGROUP (BOE) (Cape Town)

Best Foreign Equity General Fund: ALLAN GRAY (Cape Town)

Best Real Estate Fund: STANLIB (Gauteng)

Best Offshore Global Fixed-Interest Bond Fund: INVESTEC (Cape Town)

Best Offshore Global Equity Fund: FRANKLIN (Gauteng)

Cape Town – 22 Gauteng – 10

Taking all of this into account, when making the decision on which is going to be better for your career in Financial Services - Cape Town or Johannesburg, ask yourself if you want to work in Investments or the Banking and make your decision accordingly.

Group Consolidation Finance Manager

Contract Accountants is currently working on the following position.

A well established, Cape Town based company is currently expanding their group finance structure to include a Finance Manager.

Salary: R450k to R550k dependent on experience with a 13th check and other benefits.

The minimum requirements to apply for this position are:
CA with 3 years+ post articles experience
Experience consolidating group accounts
Strong Excel skills
South African citizen

The main duties include:

Monthly management reporting:

-          Overview of monthly reporting including high level review of results, ensuring appropriate queries with subsidiary financial managers are raised and addressed, reviews of the Group consolidation and executive and shareholder reporting with high level analysis where required.

-          Overview of enhancement of reporting templates to satisfy stakeholders’ needs, including playing a key role in the development and implementation of identified consolidation and management reporting software.

-          Challenging subsidiary financial managers (and providing necessary support) to meet and improve on monthly reporting deadlines and the quality of submissions.

Bank reporting:

-          Overview of the collation and/or compilation of reports to send to the Bank(s) in a timely fashion, including covenant ratio analysis of certain key entities as required by the Bank(s) on a monthly and/or quarterly basis, quality control of the management account submissions, understanding of the underlying businesses and how their performance and reporting affects the covenant ratios, and appropriately communicating with and addressing queries from both the Bank(s) and the businesses.

Forecasting:

-          At a head office level Oversight and overall Management of the periodic Group budgeting/forecasting process to ensure timeliness, quality and consistency across the group, as well as review of the roll-up of the group to the holdings level.

-          Oversight of actual to forecast comparisons, querying variances with subsidiary financial managers and driving enhancements to forecasting based on learnings.

Other:

-          Participation in the compilation of the quarterly board packs, as well as compilation of ad hoc reports required by the executive or the business as and when required.

-          Participation in advising/setting group accounting/tax policy where necessary.

-          Assistance with the year-end audit where necessary.

Please email you cv to Ryan De Stadler at Contract Accountants: ryan@ca.co.za

Financial Accountant - Cape Town CBD

I'm looking to identify candidates who fit the below job spec. Should you meet all the criteria, and you are a SA Citizen (in posession of your own, green SA, identity document), then please make contact with me on:
brendon@ca.co.za

Financial Accountant

Reporting directly to Group Financial Manager, the successful applicant will primarily be responsible for:

·         Financial Accounting

o        Managing a compliment of 13 Accountants and Controllers (supervision, guidance & training)

o        Supervision and review of financial accounting processes

o        Balance sheet reconciliations

·         Financial management

o        Overhead Expense budgeting (rental, insurance, subscriptions)

o        Assisting Group Financial Manager in audit process

o        Bank account administration

·         Accounts Receivable

o        Credit management (opening of accounts, CGI, account monitoring)

o        Reporting (debtors ageing, branch debtors, CGI reporting)

o        Collection process

·         Accounts Payable

o        Monthly creditor reconciliations

o        Creditor payments

o        Forex creditors

o        Accruals and provisions

o        Statutory payments  (VAT, PAYE, SDL)

·         Internal controls

o        Implementation, documentation and review of internal controls

·         Ad hoc finance duties

We invite applications from candidates who meet the following minimum criteria:

Qualification:

• Minimum BCompt/BCom degree - COMPLETED

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years similar experience
• Knowledge of AccPac would be an advantage
• Intricate understanding of accounting systems

Required skills:

• Able to work in a structured and methodical manner
• Able to work independently with minimal supervision in an effort to achieve optimal results
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work in a team
• Strong analytical skills and problem solving ability
• Able to follow through on a project from execution to implementation within set timelines
• Aptitude for figures and attention to detail
• Computer literacy required – (MS Excel Intermediate level)

Cost to Company range: R25K – R30K

EE Status: Equity

Gender: No preference

Contact: brendon@ca.co.za

Internal Auditor - Eastern Cape

Reference : 9394

Job Description
International Manufacturing concern requires an Internal Auditor reporting to the Chief Audit Executive based in Port Elizabeth.

The functions performed in this position include:
• Determine the accuracy and validity of financial transactions
• Evaluate financial and operational procedures for adequacy of internal controls and provide advice and guidance on control aspects of new policies, systems, processes and procedures
• Verify the existence of the organizations assets and ensure that proper safeguards are maintained to protect them from loss
• Determine the level of compliance with the organisation’s policies and procedures and statutory laws and regulations
• Investigate financial misconduct
• Facilitate risk assessment to determine and identify the significant risks facing the organization and reviewing and confirming the controls are in place to mitigate the risks down to acceptable levels
• Drawing up internal audit programs to test the controls relating to the various identified risks including operational, business and financial risks
• Determine the effectiveness of the controls or group of controls relating to each of the risks
• Prepare risk management and control deviation reports identifying the specific actions required of management to improve and management/control of the risk
• Assist Management to incorporate risk management into the business practice
• Ascertain the effectiveness and efficiency of the organization in accomplishing its mission and identify operational opportunities for cost savings and increased returns


Requirements:
• A relevant tertiary financial qualification, Pref CIA / CA(SA)
• Previous experience in financial audits
• Computer literacy (particularly Microsoft Office, Teammate)
• Completed articles in an auditing firm
• Two years post articles experience and operational audits would be an advantage
• CA qualification is an added advantage


Skills & attributes required, among others:
• Good governance knowledge, Good audit skills and Analytical thinking skills
• Good systems skills
• Excellent oral, written and interpersonal communication skills
• Planning, project management and organization capabilities
• Negotiation skills

The incumbent will be required to travel regularly domestically and occasionally, internationally.


Preference will be given to previously disadvantaged groups. Suitably qualified applicants are invited to submit their CV’s to Yolanda Vermeulen on yolanda@ca.co.za / 041 3993107 

Consultant: Yolanda Vermeulen

http://www.ca.co.za/job/9394/internal-auditor