Staff Accountant (BBS865)

About the role

We're looking for a Staff Accountant to run the monthly accounting cycle for a simulated portfolio of small, owner-managed clients, from payroll and the client's monthly information pack through to reconciled books, the management report, and the VAT and payroll returns. Your work becomes the training data and workflow designs that a cutting-edge AI accounting system learns from. This is a long-term, permanent role working directly with the founder and an AI partner at the frontier of AI development in accounting. The work here goes beyond standard month-end execution. You will run each simulated client's month to a professional standard, but you will also document the steps, decisions, and judgments behind your work so an AI system can learn from them. That means designing and testing the workflows the AI follows, not just producing the outputs. If you have hands-on month-end experience, a working knowledge of South African VAT and payroll compliance, and a genuine interest in making accounting work teachable to a machine, this role is a strong fit. Why You'll Want to Join You will be paid in USD (bi-monthly: every 15th and 30th) Paid Time Off in accordance with company policy Observance of Holidays per company guidelines 100% remote setup so you can work wherever you're most productive Own a simulated client portfolio and work alongside an AI partner from day one Long-term, permanent role at the cutting edge of AI development in accounting where your judgment directly shapes the AI that accountants will use What You'll Work On The Monthly Accounting Cycle Check that the client's payroll instructions are complete, process the payroll, and confirm the tax payment date Prepare the EMP201 covering PAYE, SDL, and UIF, tie it to the payroll summary, and prepare the payment Receive the client's monthly pack including bank and card statements, asset register, stock, creditors, debtors, bad debts, sales summary, and petty cash, and check that every file is present and covers the right month Capture and code bank and card transactions and post stock, depreciation, payroll, creditor, and debtor journals Reconcile bank and card accounts to the statements and keep loan and owner's loan schedules current Draft the monthly management report including income statement, balance sheet, gross profit analysis, and a short written commentary Prepare the VAT working and VAT201 return every second month and prepare the payment Clear AI partner review notes, save final versions, and close the month Quality Control and File Management Spot what does not look right in the pack including old content carried into new files, changed bank file layouts, and supplier names spelled differently File every document for the period it belongs to, not the month it was produced Handle requests to simulated client management and bookkeepers to obtain missing or unclear records Flag turnover above the R2.3m VAT registration threshold when a client is not registered Building AI for Accounting Run each simulated month to a professional standard so it serves as high-quality training data Record the steps, decisions, and judgments behind your work in a way that can be taught to an AI model Design and refine the monthly workflows the AI follows, step by step Test the AI against your own work, identify where it goes wrong, and help fix it Use AI models day to day to capture and code transactions, draft reports, and check your own work, and apply sound judgment about when their output is correct What You Bring BCom in Accounting, National Diploma in Accounting, or equivalent 0 to 2 years in an accounting practice or finance team including completed articles or a learnership in progress Hands-on experience running month-ends including capture, bank reconciliations, journals, and management reports Working knowledge of South African VAT, PAYE, SDL, and UIF, and the EMP201 and VAT201 returns Confident with double entry; you can post journals and explain why a bank reconciliation does not balance Strong Excel skills including lookups, pivot tables, and cleaning up CSV files with irregular layouts Detail-oriented and deadline-driven; tax dates and payday do not move Clear, polite written English for client requests and review responses Genuine interest in AI and in breaking accounting work into clear, teachable steps Comfortable working with AI models and able to check and challenge what they produce Nice to Have Experience with Eureka, Sage, Xero, or a similar accounting system Experience with Sage Pastel Payroll, Sage VIP, or SimplePay SARS eFiling experience Registered as a trainee with SAIPA or SAICA, or working towards it Exposure to small-business clients with stock such as retail, veterinary, or medical practices How to Apply Please include: Your updated resume A short Loom video (1 to 2 minutes) introducing yourself, describing your month-end accounting experience, and walking through a month-end you have run from the client pack through to the final management report and reconciled books Only candidates who submit a Loom video will be moved to the next step of the hiring process. If you are a detail-oriented staff accountant with hands-on month-end experience, a working knowledge of South African VAT and payroll compliance, and a genuine interest in shaping how AI learns to do accounting work, this role gives you the ownership, the AI partner, and the direct impact to do your best work. Application Process Overview Our comprehensive selection process ensures we find the right fit for both you and our clients: Initial Application - Submit your application and complete our prequalifying questions Video Introduction - Record an video introduction to showcase your communication skills and work experience Role-Specific Assessment - Complete a homework assignment tailored to the position (if applicable) Recruitment Interview - Initial screening with our talent team Executive Interview - Meet with senior leadership to discuss role alignment Client Interview - Final interview with the client team you'd be supporting Background & Reference Check - Professional reference verification Job Offer - Successful candidates receive a formal offer to join the team Each stage is designed to evaluate your fit for the role while giving you insights into our company culture and expectations. We'll keep you informed throughout the process and provide feedback at each step. Originally posted on Himalayas