DIRECTOR: FINANCE

This senior management position of Director: Finance is based at the Department of Public Works' Durban Regional Office, where the incumbent will be responsible for providing strategic financial leadership and ensuring robust financial governance across the region. The role sits within the Senior Management Service and carries an all-inclusive remuneration package arranged in line with SMS rules. It is a multifaceted portfolio that combines budget planning, financial accounting, reporting, property revenue management, audit readiness and direct people management, making it a demanding but central role in supporting the department's regional service delivery.

To be considered, applicants must hold a South African Qualifications Authority-recognised qualification at NQF level 7 in Financial Accounting, Financial Management, Auditing or a closely related field, together with at least five years' experience at a middle or senior managerial level working with accrual-based accounting principles. A thorough working knowledge of the Public Finance Management Act, Public Service Regulations, National Treasury directives, the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, the Estimates of National Expenditure, preferential procurement policy, the government supply chain management framework, government budgeting systems, and financial prescripts such as GAAP and GRAP is essential. The successful candidate will also need strong planning, problem-solving, interpersonal, diplomatic, research, report-writing, numerical, communication and analytical thinking skills, as well as the ability to work under strict timeframes and manage staff effectively.

The core duties cover several broad areas. The Director will manage the implementation and monitoring of financial guidelines, processes and strategies, including researching developments in professional standards and legislation, identifying financial trends, and recommending improvements to policies and procedures. This includes providing advice across various forums, developing support tools, and ensuring compliance with applicable directives. A significant part of the role involves managing the regional budget and planning function: undertaking research on budget matters, collating budget inputs, analysing Medium-Term Expenditure Framework data, monitoring fund transfers from National Treasury, allocating budgets to components, conducting quarterly reviews, aligning operational plans with strategic objectives, and reporting regularly on budget and cash flow.

In addition, the Director will oversee financial accounting and reporting services, managing accounts receivable and payable, coordinating interim and annual financial statements, supervising bookkeeping, checking allocation journals, reconciling control accounts, processing invoice payments within thirty days in line with Treasury Regulations, and using dashboards to resolve supplier queries. The role also includes managing property payments and revenues, implementing the property expenditure management system, maintaining the Property Asset Register, authorising creditor payments and the customer master file, and handling litigation relating to property finances. Maintaining sound financial governance is a priority, with responsibility for preventing irregular, fruitless and unauthorised expenditure, keeping updated registers of losses and damaged assets, implementing audit plans, ensuring source documents are safeguarded, and responding accurately to the Auditor-General. Finally, the Director will manage the directorate itself by establishing internal controls, maintaining discipline, managing performance and development, communicating effectively, developing operational plans, compiling administrative reports, serving on task teams, quality checking outputs, and monitoring the directorate's budget.

Applications are subject to the public service recruitment process: applicants must complete the prescribed Z83 form and submit it with a detailed CV, and certified copies of qualifications are not required at the application stage. Only shortlisted candidates will need to provide certified documents before the interview, and those documents must not be older than six months. This is a high-exposure role requiring impeccable financial probity and the ability to drive clean audit outcomes.