OB DESCRIPTION

Function / Title: Accounts Clerk (Debtors and Creditors) Department: Finance
Reports to: Head of Finance

Job Purpose:
To perform all relevant duties of debtor and creditor accounting procedures and controls, plus deliver key objectives and goals. Establish and maintain required business processes and procedures mitigating business risk.

Key responsibilities:

Financial Operations: Invoicing

Ensure correct, timely and complete checking of all booking confirmations (target: all bookings received on the day to be checked by the end of the day).
- Check clients' details are loaded correctly (name, room type, number of clients).
- Check that the booking is loaded under the correct agent, that the agent's reference number is in the booking.
- Check that the services are loaded correctly (correct supplier, correct date, correct supplier, and agent rates).
Follow up with the consultants or database department if any information loaded into the booking is incorrect.
Post debtor invoices to ledger accounts (target: all bookings for which the agent has credit facilities are invoiced on travel date; pre-payment bookings are invoiced 45 days prior to travel date).
- Double check that all information in the booking is still correct.
- Check that the clients' details have not changed in the booking.
- Double check that the services loaded in the booking are still correct, compared to the confirmation signed off.
- Invoice the booking and email the invoice to the agent.
- Ensure that the invoice is allocated to the correct branch code.
- Check that VAT (Value Added Tax) reflects correctly.
Ensure that booking values match with invoice values.

Financial Operations: Collections

Be aware of credit terms and pre-payment terms on all agent agreements.
Follow up timeously on payments (telephonic and emails). Reminders to be sent to agents on a bi-weekly basis.
Ensure that all invoices are paid as per the stipulated agent/client payment terms, with no overdue balances on the age analysis.
The profitability of the booking should be above margin corridors; if below the corridor or loss-making, escalate and verify if approved.
Follow up and resolve queries received from the agent or any internal queries.
Send accurate and complete statements to the agents.

Financial Operations: Credit Note Compilation

Ensure that all credit notes are authorized and that there are notes in the bookings explaining why they have been created.
Ensure that all invoices are posted to the correct branch.
Ensure correct, timely and complete receipting of agents’ payments in the financial system.
- Payments should be receipted not later than one week after funds arrived in the bank account.
- All payments of one calendar month must be correctly receipted through the TP debtor module latest by the 1st working day of the following month.
- Current and CFC (Customer Foreign Currency) bank statements are to be checked daily.
Ensure that all prepayments are received within the time limit provided and that no risk is entered into.
Agents’ statements to be sent monthly, unless account is in arrears, in which case statements should be sent weekly.
Review debtor balances and aging analysis on a regular basis; no outstanding balances to appear in +90 days.

Financial Operations: Creditors

Organize incoming creditor invoices (both prepayment & account suppliers).
Check invoices for VAT compliance.
Check invoices against vouchers and the contract rates.
Liaise with consultants in case of internal queries and suppliers in case of external queries.
Request missing invoices and supplier statements where required.
Capture invoices to supplier accounts on Tourplan.
Reconcile creditor statements on Tourplan to supplier statements.
Prepare payments to suppliers within agreed/contracted payment terms.
Capture payments in Tourplan once released on banking system.
Submit proof of payments and remittances to suppliers for payments made.
Together with the consultant, liaise with suppliers on credit notes and refunds due.
Ensure credit notes and refunds are captured on the system and paid/offset by the supplier.
Reporting and commentary on outstanding items on creditor age analysis.
Reporting and commentary on any vouchers that have been over-captured on Tourplan.
Organize and file all financial documents produced and received in a timely and organized filing system.

Client / Agent Relationship

Establish good working relationships with agents/clients.
Improve payment/collection terms with agents/clients.
Establish and maintain good working relationships with suppliers.
Perform not only tasks mentioned in the job description, but also direct allocated or extraordinary/adhoc tasks that could arise.
Highlight vouchers that can be closed to the Head of Finance monthly.
Assist on projects in the Finance team in line with roadmap and close out with the Head of Finance.

Reporting

Bi-Weekly age analysis to be forwarded to the Head of Finance and department managers with reasons for amounts being overdue (target: 10h00 on every working Monday).
Understand monthly reports on variances; escalate critical issues to the Head of Finance and department manager.

Human Resources: Teamwork

Support one another as a team by assisting in each other’s duties as needed and directed.
Be able to embrace diversity and work effectively in that environment.
Partake in annual performance appraisals.
Be free to demand training whenever the need arises.

Additional Responsibilities

Stay updated about new agents and products and establish invoicing strategy based on agent’s and company’s needs at an early stage.
Improve knowledge about processes, especially within the Finance Department but also in all other departments of the company.

Sundry Areas

Perform not only tasks mentioned in the job description, but also direct allocated or extraordinary tasks that could arise.
At the discretion of management, assistance might be required during peak seasons to assist the creditors' team with capturing across both business units.