Finance Manager - Property Management

About

We are a leading real estate services company that combines global standards with specialised local knowledge to deliver high-performance solutions for our clients.

We advise property owners and occupiers across the property lifecycle, including property management, leasing, valuations, transactions and strategic advisory services. Our focus is on delivering quality, building strong client relationships and creating lasting value.

Why choose us

At JHI, you will be part of a forward-thinking environment where initiative, collaboration and high performance are valued.

You will work alongside experienced property professionals, have exposure to diverse property portfolios and clients, and have opportunities to grow your career within a dynamic real estate environment.

About the role

We are looking for an experienced Finance Manager with a strong background in property management finance to join our team.

This is a specialist property finance role. The successful candidate will be responsible for managing the financial performance, reporting and financial controls relating to property portfolios, while partnering closely with Property Management, Asset Management, clients and other stakeholders.

You will oversee the Client Portfolio Financial function and play an important role in ensuring accurate reporting, effective financial management and meaningful financial insight for property owners and the business.

Importantly, this is not a general corporate finance role. Previous hands-on finance experience within the property management industry is a non-negotiable requirement.

What you will bring

Inherent requirements – non-negotiable

• BCom Accounting Degree or equivalent relevant financial qualification.
• Minimum of 5 years' relevant finance experience.
• Demonstrable finance experience within the property management industry.
• Experience managing or supporting the financial performance of commercial property portfolios.
• Strong understanding of property income, tenant recoveries, operating expenditure, budgeting and portfolio financial reporting.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills.
• Strong financial reporting and analytical capabilities.
• Experience engaging with Property Managers, Asset Managers, clients and/or property owners.
• A relevant professional accounting designation or membership would be advantageous, including CA(SA), CIMA/CGMA, SAIPA or an equivalent recognised professional accounting qualification.
• Candidates who are currently completing a relevant professional qualification may also be considered.

Please note: Candidates without relevant property management finance experience will not be considered for this position.

Additional experience and knowledge

The successful candidate should demonstrate experience across a number of the following areas:

• Management accounts and financial reporting.
• Property portfolio budgeting and forecasting.
• Tenant billing, recoveries and income management.
• Debtors and creditors management.
• General ledger management and reconciliations.
• Cash flow management.
• Property operating expenditure and cost management.
• Capital expenditure management.
• Management fees, commissions and recoveries.
• Financial implications of leases and property-related agreements.
• VAT, income tax and statutory financial reporting.
• Audit preparation and responding to audit queries.
• Financial policies, controls and compliance.
• Variance analysis and financial performance reporting.
• Client and landlord financial reporting.
• Financial systems and process improvement.

Experience working with SAP and property management/accounting systems such as MDA, MRI or similar platforms would be advantageous.

What you will be doing

Property portfolio financial management

You will take responsibility for the effective financial management of assigned property portfolios, including:

• Preparing and reviewing monthly management accounts.
• Managing forecasts and financial projections.
• Preparing financial reporting for management, clients, Finco, Exco and Board reporting where required.
• Managing and reviewing general ledger activity.
• Overseeing debtors and creditors.
• Monitoring property income, including management fees, tenant recoveries, commissions and other income.
• Managing monthly statutory reporting requirements.
• Monitoring cash flow and financial performance.
• Preparing and managing property and portfolio budgets.
• Analysing actual performance against budget and forecast.
• Investigating and explaining financial variances.
• Identifying financial risks, overspending, underspending and emerging trends.
• Providing proactive financial feedback and insight to Property Management and clients.

Client and business partnering

Finance plays an important role in supporting both our business and our clients.

You will:

• Partner with Property Managers, Asset Managers and other operational teams.
• Build effective working relationships with property owners and clients.
• Present and explain financial information in a clear and commercially relevant manner.
• Provide financial insight to support property and portfolio decisions.
• Respond proactively to financial queries and identify potential issues before they become problems.
• Support the business in improving the financial performance of property portfolios.

Business unit financial performance

You will assist with the financial management of the business unit through:

• Reviewing cost centre results.
• Managing actual performance against budgets.
• Coordinating financial inputs into the budgeting process.
• Preparing and updating projections.
• Identifying over- and underspending.
• Managing income and balance sheet items relating to the region or portfolio.
• Monitoring and controlling costs.
• Providing clear variance analysis and commentary.

Systems and process improvement

We are continuously looking for opportunities to improve the way we work.

You will contribute by:

• Identifying opportunities to automate financial and reporting processes.
• Improving management fee and portfolio reporting processes.
• Working with the Financial Manager leadership team and CFO on finance-related improvements.
• Providing financial input into system configuration and transaction treatment.
• Supporting SAP, BI tools and other property finance systems.
• Maintaining appropriate financial structures and reporting hierarchies.

Audit, risk and compliance

You will:

• Support internal and external audit processes.
• Respond to and resolve audit queries.
• Implement agreed audit recommendations.
• Prepare monthly compliance schedules.
• Ensure appropriate financial controls are maintained.
• Support compliance with relevant financial policies, procedures and regulatory requirements.

What will make you successful in this role

You are likely to succeed in this position if you:

• Understand the commercial realities of managing property portfolios.
• Can interpret financial information and translate it into meaningful business insight.
• Are comfortable engaging with clients and senior stakeholders.
• Are highly analytical and detail-oriented without losing sight of the bigger picture.
• Take ownership and follow through on financial issues.
• Can manage competing deadlines across multiple portfolios.
• Are confident challenging information where something does not make financial sense.
• Work collaboratively across Finance, Property Management and Asset Management.
• Look for better, more efficient ways of doing things.

Employment Equity

JHI is committed to striving for diversity and equitable representation within our workforce. Preference may therefore be given to suitably qualified candidates in accordance with our Employment Equity Plan.

Persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

If you are an experienced property finance professional looking for an opportunity to combine strong financial management with direct exposure to property portfolios, clients and commercial decision-making, we would like to hear from you.