Summary

We are looking for a motivated Junior Property Accountants to join our Finance team in Zanzibar. This role is ideal for a recently qualified accounting graduate or someone who has completed SAICA or SAIPA articles and wants to gain hands-on commercial experience in the property industry.

The successful candidate will maintain accurate accounting records through to the General Ledger and Trial Balance, while supporting accounts payable, accounts receivable, property accounting, and monthly financial reporting. The role offers close exposure to the Head of Finance and a diverse portfolio covering property development, management, rentals, and related operations.

Responsibilities

General Ledger & Accounting

• Perform day-to-day accounting and bookkeeping functions through to Trial Balance
• Process and review general ledger transactions and journals.
•  Ensure transactions are allocated to the correct entity, property, account and cost centre.
• Maintain accurate and complete accounting records.
• Prepare monthly General Ledger reconciliations.
• Prepare and reconcile balance sheet accounts.
• Investigate and clear reconciling and long-outstanding items.
• Assist with month-end closing procedures.
• Review Trial Balances for unusual balances, incorrect allocations and processing errors.
• Maintain supporting schedules for key balance sheet and income statement accounts.
• Assist with preparation of monthly management accounts and financial reports.

Accounts Payable

• Process and verify supplier invoices and credit notes.
• Ensure invoices have appropriate supporting documentation and approvals.
• Allocate expenditure to the correct property, entity and General Ledger account.
• Maintain supplier accounts. 
• Reconcile supplier statements to the accounting records. 
• Investigate and resolve supplier queries and reconciling items. 
• Follow up on missing invoices and supporting documentation. 
• Assist with preparation of supplier payment runs. 
• Ensure expenses are recorded in the correct accounting period. 
• Identify expenses requiring accrual at month-end. 
• Assist with intercompany reconciliations and transactions.

Accounts Receivable & Property Debtors 

• Process tenant, owner and other customer transactions where required. 
• Allocate receipts accurately against customer and tenant accounts. 
• Perform debtor and tenant account reconciliations. 
• Review debtor age analyses and identify overdue accounts. 
• Follow up outstanding amounts and arrears with tenants and customers. 
• Maintain clear notes and follow-up actions on outstanding balances. 
• Investigate unidentified receipts, credit balances and account discrepancies. 
• Issue statements and supporting documentation where required. 
• Assist with rental billing, recoveries, adjustments and other property-related charges. 
• Escalate long-outstanding or disputed accounts appropriately.

Bank & Cash

• Process bank transactions accurately and timeously. 
• Perform monthly bank reconciliations. 
• Investigate unidentified receipts and payments. 
• Ensure transactions are correctly allocated between properties and entities. 
• Assist with credit card, petty cash and other cash reconciliations where applicable.

Property Accounting

• Assist with accounting for a portfolio of managed properties and property-related entities.
• Maintain accurate financial records by property.
• Assist with rental income, recoveries, management fees and property operating expenditure.
• Reconcile tenant accounts, deposits and property-related balances.
• Assist with owner/property statements and financial reporting.
• Ensure property expenses and recoveries are allocated correctly.
• Assist with fixed asset registers and capital expenditure schedules.
• Assist in reconciling intercompany and inter-property transactions.

Month-End & Reporting

• Complete assigned month-end reconciliations within agreed deadlines.
• Prepare supporting schedules for monthly reporting.
• Assist with preparation of monthly Trial Balances and management accounts.
• Analyse General Ledger accounts and investigate unusual movements or balances.
• Assist with variance analysis where required.
• Maintain complete supporting documentation and audit trails.
• Assist with year-end audit requests and supporting schedules.

Financial Controls & Administration

• Maintain organised electronic accounting records and supporting documentation.
• Ensure transactions are supported by appropriate invoices, contracts and approvals.
• Follow established financial policies and internal controls.
• Identify processing errors, unreconciled balances and control weaknesses and bring these to management's attention.
• Assist with improving accounting processes, reconciliations and financial controls.
• Perform other finance-related duties reasonably required by the Finance team. 

Education and Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Financial Accounting, Finance or similar.
• Sound understanding of double-entry bookkeeping and General Ledger accounting.
• Ability to process accounting records through to Trial Balance.
• Good understanding of balance sheet and bank reconciliations.
• Strong Microsoft Excel skills.
• Good written and spoken English.
• High level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Willingness to relocate to Zanzibar and work permanently on-site. 

Requirements

• Recently completed SAICA or SAIPA articles.
• 3 years' post-graduate or commercial accounting experience.
• Previous exposure to property, real estate, rentals or property management.
• Experience with Xero, MDA/MRI, Re-Leased or similar accounting/property 
  management systems.
• Experience with multi-company or multi-property accounting.
• Exposure to foreign currency accounting. 
• Experience with debtor collections or rental arrears.

Characteristics

• Numerically strong and comfortable working with large volumes of transactions.
• Meticulous about reconciliations and supporting documentation.
• Curious when accounts do not reconcile rather than simply carrying differences forward.
• Comfortable following up suppliers, tenants and colleagues for outstanding information.
• Able to work independently while knowing when to escalate an issue.
• Deadline-driven and capable of managing several entities or properties simultaneously.
• Adaptable and comfortable working in a developing, fast-moving business environment.
• Interested in building a career in property finance and accounting.