Who are we?
Ward Distributors has been distributing hardware, plumbing, and sanitary ware into Botswana since 1983, including our own Ward-tech range, through our own operation on the ground, Ansa Botswana.
We're still family-owned, and many of our team have been with us for 10, 15, even 20 years. It's the kind of business where the numbers matter, because real relationships, with customers, suppliers, and each other, depend on getting them right.
Your role in the team
As Finance Manager, you'll own commercial accounting, management reports, cash flow, and inventory cost control for Ward Distributors, across two entities: Ward here in South Africa, and Ansa Botswana across the border. Reporting to Owner, you're the person who keeps working capital tight and margins protected, from the warehouse floor to the trucks that cross into Botswana.
This is a hands-on finance seat, not a back-office one. You'll run the daily cash and banking cycle yourself, lead a small, tenured team through the monthly creditor and debtor cycle, and be the person auditors and the Owner come to when they need the numbers straight. If you want a finance role where you can see exactly how your work keeps the business moving, this is it.
What you will do
- Prepare accurate monthly management accounts, P&L statements, and balance sheets for both Ward and Ansa Botswana
- Manage the daily cash and banking cycle: monitor account movements and incoming forex, capture transactions in Omni, and keep the team informed as payments land
- Manage working capital tightly, overseeing accounts receivable and accounts payable, and driving debtor days down toward the business's target
- Run the monthly creditor payment cycle: review the creditors listing, prioritise and release payments against available funds, and manage COD and casual staff payments
- Lead the annual budgeting process, provide rolling cash and sales forecasts, and put a formal budget in place for supplier payments
- Oversee stock accounting, reconciliations, cycle count audits, and provision for obsolete stock, working closely with the Warehouse Manager to close out variances
- Calculate and analyse landed costs, freight expenses, and warehouse handling fees, and track margin by product, supplier, and customer from a macro perspective - working inputs from Procurement, Logistics and Regional Sales Managers.
- Prepare and submit VAT returns, and ensure full compliance with corporate tax, payroll tax, and import/export duties
- Administer staff loans, credit cards, and drivers' fuel cards, and keep the fixed asset register up to date
- Implement fraud prevention controls across procurement, dispatch, and invoicing systems
- Prepare for and support internal, statutory, and SARS + BUBS audits across both entities, and maintain accurate records in line with the company's document retention requirements
Who we are looking for
You've run a finance function before, not just reported into one. You're comfortable owning the daily
banking and cash cycle yourself, not just reviewing it after the fact, and you don't need to be told twice when a creditor needs chasing or a reconciliation doesn't balance.
You're organised under pressure, especially at month-end, and you can hold your own with auditors, the Owner, and every department that touches your numbers. And you're looking for a business where your judgement on the numbers is trusted, not second-guessed.
What you will need for this role
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or Commerce
- CA, CIMA, ACCA, or an equivalent professional accounting designation is highly desirable
- 5+ years of accounting experience, with at least 2 to 3 years specifically in distribution, wholesale, FMCG, or logistics
- Advanced Excel proficiency and hands-on experience with ERP systems (Omni, Syspro, SAP, Sage, or Oracle)
- Experience managing multi-currency or cross-border accounts, forex payments, and VAT/statutory compliance across more than one jurisdiction is a strong advantage
- Comfortable running the full month-end and audit cycle hands-on, not just reviewing it
Where you will work
You'll be based at our offices, working closely with the warehouse, dispatch, and sales leadership whose numbers you own. This isn't a role you can run remotely: the daily banking cycle and audit-ready record-keeping depend on you being on-site.
Apply now
If you're ready to run the numbers for a business that depends on getting them right, we want to hear from you.
Send your CV to: [email protected].
Applications close: 7 September 2026
Pay: R60 000,00 - R1 169 161,70 per month
Work Location: In person
