Location: Johannesburg
Reporting to: South East Africa LEC Lead
Opening Paragraph:
As Legal Entity Controller you will be responsible for managing accounting, external audit and tax compliance of the legal entities in South Africa (4 legal entities) and working as the key local FS business partner with the Franchise Leadership team to proactively identify and mitigate strategic and transactional accounting and tax risks.
Additionally, you will be overseeing compliance with US GAAP, IFRS, Company’s policies & procedures and/or other local accounting regulations as well as Company accounting policies and be safeguarding the resources of the Company by ensuring compliance with Statutory requirements (no fines/penalties), enforcing internal controls and Company policies, and continuously improving them to ensure smooth operations of the business.
You will be required to travel less than 5% of your time, mainly requiring overnight stays.
What You’ll Do for Us:
Accounting and Reporting
- Manage non-financial reporting to headquarters in Atlanta, including impairment surveys, third party guarantee reports, legal reserves etc.
- Review monthly computation of service fees.
- Prepare monthly legal entity Profit and Loss´ (P&Ls) and narratives and quarterly legal entity balance sheets and narratives.
- Co-ordinate the External Audit with EY, in terms of completion, review and sign-off of the Annual Financial Statements with LEC Lead, OU Finance Director, OU Legal Director and external auditors.
- Organize legal entity board meetings with input from Franchise Finance Manager and Franchise Legal Counsel including the preparation of board packs and accompanying PowerPoint presentations. Working with the company’s appointed external company secretarial service provider to ensure all local statutory requirements are met.
- Ensure items highlighted at monthly/quarterly Balance Sheet Risk and Opportunities meetings are addressed and acted upon within agreed timelines.
- Responsible for interacting as needed with other areas, i.e. Accounting Research, Corporate Treasury, Corporate Tax, Controllers Group, etc.
- Review Accountant in Charge Memoranda (AICs), Standard Practices and Procedures (SPPs), etc. that impact the Coca-Cola business to ensure that the financial statements are being properly reported.
Tax Planning, Mitigation and Compliance
- Proactively work with the OU functions to mitigate all tax risks and support Commercial Finance and Franchise teams in resolving indirect tax issues (excise, customs, VAT, income and PAYE) affecting the system.
- Review significant contracts, agreements and business processes for compliance and tax efficiency.
- Maintain tax tracker and engage the OU and Atlanta corporate tax department on all tax issues arising and progress in resolving them.
- Review of the monthly VAT, deferred tax and corporation tax computations and related journal vouchers for posting into the ledger and prepare/review monthly tax returns and follow up for timely filing with, payment to and reconciliation with e-filing returns as issued by the local Revenue Authority in South Africa.
- Approval of monthly/quarterly general ledger (GL) tax account reconciliations.
- In liaison with LEC Lead and Tax Manager, engage senior tax counsel, external tax advisers and tax authorities and coordinate responses to all tax audits and queries within timelines agreed with or demanded by tax authorities.
- Collaborate with Legal and Company secretarial service providers to ensure compliance with Companies’ Act and other local/secretarial requirements.
- Monthly/periodic review of tax authorities´ statement of accounts for all taxes to ensure payments are correctly allocated and receipt of refunds are confirmed by the revenue authorities.
- Proactively manage work assigned to external advisor to ensure that agreed timelines are met, and quality standards are adhered to within the approved budget.
Operational Control and Compliance
- Coordinate the quarterly Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) certification process with Franchise Finance Director, LEC Lead, Franchise Legal and Franchise General Manager.
- Work with Franchise Finance to ensure proper documentation, communication and implementation of all relevant Company policies and procedures.
- Support internal and external audit process conducted by the Corporate Audit Department and EY, respectively.
Interaction Points
- EY External Auditors – Audit planning, liaison, exchange of information, audit conclusion.
- Genpact team and other IS Process teams – exchange of information, reviews, problem solving
- Corporate Audit Department – Liaison, exchange of information, audit conclusion and management action points if applicable.
- Controllership team – Supervision, allocation of work and problem solving.
- Senior Tax Counsel / Accounting Research Manager / Treasury Services Managers – Problem solving and exchange of information.
- General Ledger Manager / Disbursements Manager / Treasury Supervisor / Accounts Payable Manager – Liaison, exchange of information.
- Franchise General Manager/Franchise Finance Manager/Franchise Legal Counsel – SEC Letter process
- Franchise operations (Legal, HR, Operations, etc.) – Problem solving and multi-functional projects.
- Suppliers / Tax Advisers / Auditors / Tax officials – Exchange of information.
- Bottling Investment Group (BIG) Equity Investment contacts and Equity Investees Finance Managers – Exchange of information.
- Controls and Compliance Manager – Liaison, exchange of information.
Qualifications & Requirements:
- University Degree preferably in Finance, Accounting or related and registered qualified professional Accountant (CA, CPA, ACCA, CIMA, or equivalent).
- 5-10 years’ experience in applied Accounting, preferably gained in a multinational environment.
- External Audit experience with Big 4 Audit Companies.
- Tax Planning and Compliance.
- Strategic Financial Consulting.
- Auditing, Risk Management and Internal Controls (e.g. SOX, Segregation of Duties, etc.).
- US GAAP, IFRS and local GAAP.
- Advanced SAP and Excel skills.
- Treasury appreciation.
- Analytical skills.
- Systems thinking.
Leadership Behaviors
- Drive Innovation
- Collaborate with System, Customers and Key Stakeholders
- Act Like an Owner
- Inspire Others
- Develop Self and Others
Growth Behaviors
- Curious
- Agile
- Empowered
- Inclusive
What We Can Do for You: This highlights the benefits of working at The Coca-Cola Company for this specific role –connecting the overall employer brand value to our purpose, culture and benefits.
- Exposure to colleagues in other part of Africa performing similar duties
- Part of a global Controllership team that interacts with varied teams within Platform Services.
Travel requirements:
We are doing our best to create a seamless candidate experience for you as you apply for roles within the company. Due to the high volume of vacant positions, the recruitment process may take longer than usual and there may be a longer delay between application and interview. We appreciate your patience.
Our Purpose and Growth Culture:
We are taking deliberate action to nurture an inclusive culture that is grounded in our company purpose, to refresh the world and make a difference. We act with a growth mindset, take an expansive approach to what’s possible and believe in continuous learning to improve our business and ourselves. We focus on four key behaviors – curious, empowered, inclusive and agile – and value how we work as much as what we achieve. We believe that our culture is one of the reasons our company continues to thrive after 130+ years. Visit Our Purpose and Vision to learn more about these behaviors and how you can bring them to life in your next role at Coca-Cola.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class. When we collect your personal information as part of a job application or offer of employment, we do so in accordance with industry standards and best practices and in compliance with applicable privacy laws.