Audit and Tax Manager – Auditing/Accounting Company – Tableview, Cape Town

About the Job:

This is a management position. The Audit and Tax Manager runs the audit, annual financial statements and tax teams, supervises and reviews their work, and closes out file reviews so that engagements reach the Practice Partner ready for sign off. The measure of the role is what the team delivers, not what the manager produces personally.

The role carries the day to day management of the practice alongside the Practice Partner. That includes work allocation and capacity planning, timesheet and work in progress review, performance management of team members, and contributing to management meetings with insight on delivery, recoveries and risk.

There will be occasions, mainly where a matter is urgent and no team member is available, when the manager must complete a file personally from start to finish. Demonstrated ability to do that, across audit, annual financial statements and tax, is an important requirement.

The Practice Partner retains the audit opinion and all responsibilities attaching to a Registered Auditor. This role is accountable for the state of the file when it reaches the Partner.

This is a small firm. The manager is close to the work and close to the people, and cannot manage from a distance

Requirements:

• Completed SAICA or SAIPA training contract served in public practice, with material audit exposure
• Minimum 3 years’ post-articles experience, including at least 2 years in an audit environment
• Proven supervisory/management experience, having managed at least 3 staff, allocated work and been accountable for their delivery
• Demonstrated file review experience, including reviewing others’ work, raising and closing review points, and explaining the review process
• Ability to complete an audit, annual financial statements and tax file personally from start to finish when required
• BCom in Accounting or an equivalent recognised qualification at NQF Level 7 or higher
• Practical working knowledge of the IFRS for SMEs Accounting Standard and International Standards on Auditing (ISA), not merely theoretical knowledge
• Practical knowledge of the full South African tax compliance process, including income tax, VAT and payroll taxes, sufficient to guide and review a tax team
• Hands-on SARS eFiling experience
• Comfortable managing timesheets, work in progress, budgets, recoveries and performance reviews
• Valid driver’s licence and own reliable transport, as the office is in Sunningdale and client visits are required
• Clear criminal and credit record; verification checks will be conducted with the candidate’s written consent
• South African citizenship, permanent residence or a valid work permit
• Proficiency in Draftworx or CaseWare, SARS eFiling and e@syFile, Microsoft 365 and strong Excel skills

Advantageous:

• Professional registration as CA(SA), AGA(SA), PA(SA) or Professional Accountant (SA).
• Registration as a tax practitioner with SARS through a recognised controlling body in terms of section 240 of the Tax Administration Act 28 of 2011
• Registration, or eligibility to register, as a Registered Auditor with the IRBA; the firm will support a suitable candidate through the process
• Experience managing staff in a small practice, combining technical review and administration
• Experience with non-profit organisations, public benefit organisations and section 18A donation certificates
• Experience with trusts and the Trust Property Control Act 57 of 1988
• Public sector or Public Finance Management Act 1 of 1999 audit exposure
• Afrikaans in addition to English
• Experience with Xero, Sage Business Cloud, Pastel, QuickBooks, CIPC e-services and practice management/time-recording software such as Greatsoft

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Manage, supervise and develop the audit, annual financial statements and tax teams as the day-to-day management point
• Allocate work across teams and plan capacity against the annual audit, AFS, CIPC and SARS deadline calendar, anticipating deadline pressure rather than reacting to it
• Set and confirm clear expectations for each job, including scope, budget, deadline and required file standard
• Conduct regular team check-ins, monitor work in progress and maintain visibility of each team member’s workload and job status
• Conduct formal performance reviews jointly with HR and the Office Manager, prepare supporting assessments and address performance concerns early, constructively and in writing
• Identify skills gaps and address them through coaching, stretching assignments and structured on-the-job training
• Support trainee accountants throughout their training contracts, including assessments and logbook sign-off within the firm’s training accreditation limits
• Manage leave planning to ensure adequate staffing during deadline periods
• Contribute to recruitment through screening, technical assessments and interviews
• Perform detailed reviews of working papers, annual financial statements, tax computations and returns, documenting all reviews on file
• Raise review points clearly, follow them through to resolution and close them out, remaining responsible for any outstanding review point until cleared
• Coach staff through review points rather than simply correcting errors, ensuring recurring issues are prevented
• Ensure files adequately support their conclusions before Practice Partner review, avoiding unnecessary rework
• Track partner-level review points and use them to guide team training and improve standard working papers
• Ensure files are complete, assembled and archived within 60 days of the report date
• Direct and supervise statutory audits in accordance with ISA, including ISA 315 (Revised 2019) risk assessment, ISA 320 materiality, ISA 330 responses to assessed risks and ISA 230 documentation
• Approve audit planning, materiality and audit approaches before fieldwork and escalate higher-risk matters to the Practice Partner
• Determine the appropriate assurance requirement under the Companies Act 71 of 2008 and Companies Regulations 2011, including calculating the public interest score and determining audit versus independent review requirements
• Supervise independent review engagements in accordance with ISRE 2400 (Revised)
• Identify potential reportable irregularities and immediately report them to the Practice Partner for consideration under section 45 of the Auditing Profession Act 26 of 2005
• Draft auditor’s reports, management letters and communications with those charged with governance in accordance with ISA 260 and ISA 265
• Personally plan, execute and finalise urgent engagements where no team member is available
• Manage engagements across private companies, non-profit companies, public benefit organisations, trusts, sports associations and, where applicable, entities subject to the Public Finance Management Act 1 of 1999
• Review annual financial statements for presentation, disclosure, casting and cross-referencing, and resolve technical queries raised by the AFS team
• Guide the team on deferred tax, related-party disclosures, going concern, revenue recognition, leases, financial instruments and provisions under IFRS for SMEs and full IFRS where required
• Personally compile financial statements where urgent matters require it and no team member is available
• Ensure directors’ reports, going-concern assessments and solvency and liquidity considerations under section 4 of the Companies Act 71 of 2008 are properly supported on file
• Guide and review the corporate, trust and individual tax compliance cycle, including ITR14, ITR12, ITR12T, IRP6, VAT201 and EMP201 submissions and the timing/process on eFiling
• Review income tax computations, including section 11(a) deductibility read with section 23 of the Income Tax Act 58 of 1962, capital versus revenue classification, capital gains tax under the Eighth Schedule, section 23H prepayments and capital allowances
• Direct SARS verifications, audits, objections and appeals under Chapter 9 of the Tax Administration Act 28 of 2011, including DISP01 processes, remission of penalties and section 164 suspension of payment applications, ensuring the technical position is settled before filing
• Guide the team on VAT matters under the Value-Added Tax Act 89 of 1991, including the enterprise definition, denied input tax, deemed supplies and apportionment
• Oversee payroll tax compliance, including PAYE, SDL, UIF, the Employment Tax Incentive Act 26 of 2013 and fringe benefits under the Seventh Schedule to the Income Tax Act 58 of 1962
• Oversee public benefit organisation approvals under sections 30 and 18A of the Income Tax Act 58 of 1962, including section 18A audit certificate requirements
• Monitor the tax deadline calendar across the client base and ensure submissions are not missed or penalised due to oversight
• Personally handle urgent tax matters where no team member is available
• Review weekly timesheets for completeness, accuracy and productive time, addressing unrecorded or incorrectly recorded time
• Monitor work in progress by job, identify overruns early and raise scope changes with the Practice Partner before costs become unrecoverable
• Report to the Practice Partner on job status, recoveries, productivity and capacity, and prepare the delivery component of the management pack
• Attend management meetings and provide insight into performance figures, risks and required changes rather than simply reporting status
• Maintain and improve the firm’s standard working papers, templates and file review checklists
• Support the Office Manager with billing queries arising from managed jobs and resolve queries promptly to prevent invoicing delays
• Own a client portfolio and act as the day-to-day contact for financial managers, directors, trustees and management committees
• Attend audit committee, finance committee and board meetings where required and present findings clearly to non-financial stakeholders
• Draft engagement letters and complete client acceptance and continuance procedures
• Handle client complaints and delivery issues at manager level and escalate matters to the Practice Partner only where necessary
• Apply the firm’s system of quality management in accordance with ISQM 1 and ISQM 2, including engagement quality reviews where required
• Apply the IRBA Code of Professional Conduct for Registered Auditors and SAICA Code of Professional Conduct, particularly independence requirements, and document threats and safeguards
• Perform customer due diligence and maintain records in accordance with the Financial Intelligence Centre Act 38 of 2001 and the firm’s Risk Management and Compliance Programme
• Handle client and personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013
• Oversee client compliance with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission, including annual returns, beneficial ownership filings and changes in directorship
• Demonstrate strong supervision and review by thoroughly reviewing and documenting work, raising clear review points and ensuring they are closed out
• Manage teams effectively by allocating work appropriately, holding staff accountable and addressing underperformance early
• Develop junior staff and trainees so that their independent capability improves over time
• Apply sound technical judgement to unfamiliar accounting, audit and tax matters and support conclusions with appropriate reasoning and authority
• Take ownership of deadlines and capacity, identifying slipping deadlines or capacity gaps before they become problems
• Maintain accurate administrative records, including timesheets, WIP and job budgets, and monitor recoveries
• Communicate technical matters clearly to directors, trustees, volunteer treasurers and other non-financial stakeholders, both verbally and in writing
• Personally deliver quality work under pressure when urgent files require completion and no other team member is available
• Maintain integrity and independence by recognising ethical or independence threats, raising them appropriately and maintaining professional positions under client pressure

Should you meet the above requirements, we urge you to apply by forwarding your CV along with any supporting documents to jason@glass-house.co.za