Finance Lead - Inventory & Stock Optimisation

Finance Lead - Inventory & Stock Optimisation

Cape Town

, a leading South African online retailer, is looking for a highly talented
Finance Lead:
Inventory & Stock Optimisation to join our
Head Office in
Cape Town.

We are a young, dynamic, hyper-growth company looking for smart, creative, hardworking people with integrity to join us. We offer a market-related, Total Remuneration Package which allows full flexibility according to your needs, a great work environment and a promise that you won’t be bored as long as you are prepared for a challenge and want to build something great.

This position reports to:
Head of Finance:
General

Purpose of the role:

The Finance Lead:
Inventory and Stock Optimisation is responsible for the full financial ownership of inventory across Takealot's 1P and 3P businesses. This includes maintaining accurate stock valuations and reconciled positions, managing system integrations into the accounting environment, driving automation and process overhauls, and acting as the primary Finance business partner to the commercial heads of Retail and Marketplace. The role requires an equal balance of deep technical accounting rigour and commercial, AI-driven strategic thinking.

Key Responsibilities:

• Full financial ownership of inventory across 1P (retail-owned stock) and 3P (marketplace and consignment stock positioning)
• Maintain accurate, timely, and reconciled stock positions across all warehouses, fulfilment centres, and in-transit nodes
• Manage and report on stock cost — including landed cost, cost of sales, provisions, and write-downs
• Own the month-end inventory close process: ensure completeness, accuracy, and speed of reporting with zero tolerance for late or incorrect numbers
• Ensure correct accounting treatment of all inventory movements and associated costs in line with IFRS, with specific application of IAS 2 (Inventories)
• Maintain and continuously improve internal controls over the full inventory cycle

WACP Management and Valuation

• Manage, maintain, and update Weighted Average Cost Price (WACP) calculations to ensure inventory is accurately valued at all times
• Own the WACP automation project end-to-end: design, development, testing, and implementation of automated WACP calculation processes
• Investigate and resolve WACP discrepancies and ensure alignment between operational stock systems and the accounting ledger
• Maintain fully documented WACP calculation models with audit-ready supporting workings
• Own fully landed cost prices and associated costs related to imported goods

System Integrations and Reconciliations

• Manage and oversee the stock integration between operational systems and the accounting system, ensuring accurate and timely posting of all stock transactions
• Investigate and resolve failed or erroneous stock integrations — identify root causes and implement corrective measures to prevent recurrence
• Work with IT, Data, and Operations teams to improve data quality and system integration architecture across all inventory touchpoints
• Build and maintain automated reconciliation frameworks that flag exceptions in real time, without reliance on a fully integrated ERP

Stock Loss and Shrinkage

• Identify, quantify, and investigate stock losses across the fulfilment network
• Build robust loss-attribution frameworks — distinguish between theft, damage, system error, and process failure
• Perform and review shrinkage and obsolescence provision calculations; ensure all provisions are adequately supported, documented, and correctly recorded
• Partner with Operations and Logistics to drive root cause resolution and financial recovery
• Track shrinkage trends and surface financial risk to leadership before it becomes a P&L problem
• 1P and 3P Stock Positioning
• Support Retail and Marketplace teams with the financial implications of stock positioning decisions — open-to-buy, liquidation, aged inventory, and excess stock
• Provide financial modelling and scenario analysis to guide stock optimisation trade-offs: holding cost vs. markdown risk vs. stockout cost
• Monitor and report on slow-moving, aged, and excess inventory — drive commercial conversations with Buyers and Category Managers
• Support budgeting and forecasting…