Analyst: Costing

Purpose
To analyse the company's cost expenditure, budget and profitability in order to determine the actual cost of producing goods and services and identify ways to increase efficiency and reduce waste. To develop, implement and manage a fully costed, activity-based financial evaluation model to assess the profitability of products and services, and to perform target costing, product costing, service pricing and profitability analysis. To identify key operational drivers that influence cost increase/decrease of services rendered. To calculate profit margins and recommend ways to minimise costs. To provide accurate costing rates and guidelines for bottom-up costing to be used in the costing of services and also to support optimal decision making when considering capital and other investment opportunities. To provide the organisation with costing information and reports that support business decisions and strategies. To analyse cost expenditures and purchases within the organisation, and to review goods and services, record data, and make recommendations about cost efficiency and financially feasible cost options. To develop and implement documented costing guidelines, policies and processes to ensure consistency of approach and methodology. To monitor and ensure compliance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), PFMA, National Treasury Regulations and other relevant legislation, as well as Finance policies and processes governing financial administration.

Activity-based Costing (ABC)
Develop, implement and manage a fully costed, activity-based financial evaluation model to assess the profitability of products and services, and to perform target costing, product costing, service pricing and profitability analysis. Review and further develop the activity-based costing model to enable: Costing of activities and processes, process analysis – primary and secondary, value analysis of processes. Ensure changes in business processes are integrated into the costing model. Ensure that the assumptions used in the tariff structure reflect revenue earned in activity-based costing results. Analyze cost expenditures and purchases within the organization, and review goods and services, record data, and make recommendations about cost efficiency and financially feasible cost options. Assign overhead and indirect costs to products and services based on specific activities and cost drivers. Analyze development costs and prepare regular reports comparing standard costs to actual production costs. Provide estimates of new and proposed product costs. Provide management with reports that specify and compare factors that affect prices and the profitability of products and services. Produce and enhance costing and business reports that support optimal decision making which include the extraction, processing, manipulation and cleaning of data, to produce profitability by region, sector, and customer. Project profit margins for upcoming quarters and analyze trends of highs and lows. Prepare cost forecasts for monthly, quarterly and annual operating schedules. Analyze month-end and year-end reports to identify and recommend cost effective improvements. Ensure that reports produced for financial planning exercises, benefits for projects, and other ad hoc requirements, adequately integrate operational and financial information and can be relied upon for decision-making purposes. Identify opportunities for changes in system usage or departmental processes that will deliver efficiency gains. Develop and implement documented costing guidelines, policies and processes to ensure consistency of approach and methodology in areas such as the transfer pricing process, determination of costing rates and bottom-up costing schedules, allocation of costs and the updating of operational master data. Perform ad hoc costing requests.

Maintenance of Costing Model
Perform financial evaluation modelling to provide accurate costing, and to assess the profitability of products and services. Preparing general ledger cost centers/departmental structure and resource drivers. Prepare and balance cost imports. Ensure correct allocation of new accounts/departments. Prepare activity structures, volumetric data and cost drivers for various views. Import required data and run the costing model. Balance and test the costing model. Prepare monthly costing reports.

Profitability Analysis and Research
Perform various profitability analyses and assessments: Customer profitability, channel profitability, product/service profitability. Conduct research of significant sites' asset movements and costing methodology.

Permission
Assist in the planning and preparation of the permission. Assist in preparation of the required reports.

Financial Analysis and Forecasting
Conduct analysis and forecasting: Economic analysis and forecasting, traffic movements data statistical analysis and forecasting. Compile financial benchmarks through data collection, calculation, reporting and analysis. Conduct financial analysis by reviewing and analyzing flash reports and management accounts on a monthly basis. Document business processes to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the function. Ensure compliance to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), PFMA and all relevant legislation, as well as the Finance policies and processes governing cost accounting.

Internal and External Audits
Prepare audit requests and information required. Assist with internal and external audit queries and clearance of audit findings.

Management Reports
Address reporting requirements by developing report requirements, and ensure reports are developed in the applicable systems as required. Investigate problematic areas in the monthly actual expenses and take corrective action. Analyze the monthly revenue reports. Analyze monthly income statement. Update quarterly financial information for internal and external stakeholders. Analyze and investigate problematic areas in the quarterly actual expenses. Coordinate and update the National Treasury financial report. Ensure monthly financial reports tie/balance to the source (ERP) to enable effective financial reporting, including: Income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement, actual vs budget detail expenses per month, detailed revenue per month, fixed assets per category, budget income statements, detailed expenses vs total budget, detailed revenue vs total budget.

Assist in the Budgeting Process
Participate in budget planning and prepare reports for various departments across ATNS. Assist to drive the annual budgeting process across the organization, communicate the budgeting policies and guidelines to be followed by cost centre managers, and assist them in collating their budgets: Actively assist managers in using the budget system for developing budgets as well as monthly departmental expense reports, ensuring compliance with budgeting policies and procedures. Assist cost centre managers with budget queries and provide relevant advice. Assist in the capture and import of the approved budgets. Monitor and ensure the accuracy of the approved budget and the budget in the system.

Interested applicants are requested to register their CVs and apply on https://atns.ci.hr/ by no later than 20 February 2025.

If you have not been contacted within 3 weeks of the closing date of this advert, please accept that your application was unsuccessful.

ATNS is an equal opportunity employer that strives to achieve a diverse workforce broadly representative of our people. This position will be filled in line with the objectives of ATNS' Employment Equity Plan and therefore candidates from designated groups, as per the Employment Equity Act of 1998, are encouraged to apply.

Minimum Qualifications:

• B. Com Accounting degree with cost accounting major

Minimum Years of Experience:

• Minimum 5 years' experience in accounting, with direct exposure to all aspects of finance of which at least 3 years should be at a management level.
• Expertise in activity-based costing in regard to fixed and variable costs.