Country Controller

Job Description:

Job Title: Country Controller

Corporate Title: Assistant Vice President

Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

Company Overview:

At Bank of America, we are guided by a common purpose to help make financial lives better through the power of every connection. Responsible Growth is how we run our company and how we deliver for our clients, teammates, communities, and shareholders every day. One of the keys to driving Responsible Growth is being a great place to work for our teammates around the world.

We’re devoted to being a diverse and inclusive workplace for everyone. We hire individuals with a broad range of backgrounds and experiences and invest heavily in our teammates and their families by offering competitive benefits to support their physical, emotional, and financial well-being. Bank of America believes both in the importance of working together and offering flexibility to our employees. We use a multi-faceted approach for flexibility, depending on the various roles in our organization.

The Team:

The South Africa finance team consists of 4 people including this role and has existed for many years with the team itself being experienced in South African broker dealers as well working with international teams. The SA team fits into the global financial control team reporting into the UK, however differing from the UK as the SA finance team is responsible for full CFO functions including but not limited to tax, treasury, broker dealer middle office, regulatory reporting and accounts payable.

Responsibilities:

Daily:

• Review P&L reporting on a daily basis

• Liaising with Middle Office function offshore

• Review of Estimate to Actual (E2A) commentary, follow up and resolution of E2A issues.

• Review Bank reconciliations

• Review and approval of payments/transfers

• Funding cost calculation and submission

• Liquidity management including ensuring exchange control requirements are adhered to

Month end close process:

• Posting of journals relating to month-end close in Oracle

• Cost centre reallocation processes

• Liaising with operations and offshore finance teams in clearing intercompany breaks

• Ownership of funding journal processing

• Substantiation of trading inventory balances, unsettled open position balances,  

• Completion of quarterly returns for US Federal Reserve

• Preparation and submission of capital adequacy returns to regulators

• PnL Variance analysis and presentation

Annual/Bi-Annual:

• Preparation of Annual financial statements

• Preparation of all annual tax returns/provisional tax returns

• Preparation of the capital forecast

Legal entity reporting:

• Preparation of ad hoc reports required by the management committee and board

• Calculation and submission of various taxes on a monthly/Bi-Annual/Annual basis

Balance sheet reconciliations:

• Ensure that monthly balance sheet substantiation processes strictly adhered to establish and maintain best in class processes for accounts under control.

Other functions:

• Project work – ad-hoc projects mainly around process improvement forms a key part of the work requirement.

• Cover for other finance functions when required

What we are looking for:

• Qualified Chartered Accountant

• Proven working experience of IFRS and Tax knowledge

• Goal driven and proactive in dealing with matters; must display level of urgency in getting things done

• Good team player – able to work well within a small team

• High proficiency in Microsoft Excel (Good knowledge on Pivot tables, V lookups, etc essential)

• Adaptable and willingness of assist with duties not necessarily falling within the Finance ambit (i.e. BEE verification processes, contracts reviews and custody, etc)

• Energetic, enthusiastic and looking to build a career within Finance in the FS space

• JSE regulatory reporting experience is desirable

• A good understanding of accounting systems. Experience of Oracle and SAP an advantage

• Prior experience in using BDA advantageous

• Ability to interact and articulate with senior staff locally and offshore

• Thrives under pressure with strict adherence to deadlines

• Confident communication and interpersonal skills

• Excellent analytical skills– able to interpret financial data and decipher impact on the business decision-making process

Bank of America:

Good conduct and sound judgment is crucial to our long-term success. It’s important that all employees in the organisation understand the expected standards of conduct and how we manage conduct risk. Individual accountability and an ownership mind-set are the cornerstones of our Code of Conduct and are at the heart of managing risk well.

We are an equal opportunities employer and ensure that no applicant is subject to less favourable treatment on the grounds of sex, gender identity or gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, race, religion or belief, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity, socio-economic background, responsibility for dependants or physical or mental disability. The Bank selects candidates for interview based on their skills, qualifications, and experience.

We strive to ensure that our recruitment processes are accessible for all candidates and encourage any candidates to tell us about any adjustment requirements.