Part-Time Bookkeeper

Job description:

About the Role

We are looking for a sharp, proactive part-time bookkeeper to own the financial compliance and reporting for Habitat XR — a Johannesburg-based immersive storytelling and XR production studio — and provide lightweight compliance support across a small group of related entities.

This is an individual role, not an agency brief. We want one person who takes direct ownership of our compliance calendar, flags issues before they become crises, and can grow into a trusted financial thought partner as the business scales. The role is one day per week, in-office in Johannesburg — presence matters to us. We want this person embedded in our team, our culture, and our work, not a voice on the other end of a WhatsApp thread.

We work across ZAR and USD, manage project-based budgets, and operate in a fast-moving creative/tech environment. The right person is comfortable in that ambiguity and brings structure to it rather than being paralysed by it.

One more thing — and this is not a formality: we are a nature and conservation-driven organisation at our core. Everything we build, fund, and produce exists to deepen the relationship between people and the natural world. We want a bookkeeper who genuinely cares about that mission. Not someone who tolerates it as a backdrop, but someone who finds meaning in the idea that their financial rigour is directly helping protect wildlife and wild places. If that resonates with you, you'll fit here. If it doesn't, this probably isn't your environment.

The Group

The primary focus is Habitat XR, with basic compliance support for the following:

Full bookkeeping, reporting, payroll, VAT, and annual compliance

Secondary: The Continuum (Pty) Ltd

Basic compliance only — entity is likely to be wound down in the near term

Secondary: Habitat Nature Connection Foundation (HNCF)

NPO/PBO — no current staff or significant operating costs; compliance filing only

Secondary: Future Impact Investments (Pty) Ltd.

Dormant holding company — SARS and CIPC filings to keep entity active

What You'll Own Monthly

• Bookkeeping and bank reconciliations for Habitat XR
• Payroll processing and payslip distribution
• EMP201 submissions
• VAT preparation and submission
• Monthly management accounts and P&L reporting
• Project-by-project P&L tracking — we run concurrent productions and need clear cost visibility per project
• Multi-currency processing: ZAR and USD invoicing, receipts, and forex revaluation

Annual and Compliance

• ITR14 income tax return (Habitat XR — primary focus; basic filings for other entities)
• EMP501 employer reconciliation
• IRP5 certificates
• Provisional tax (IRP6) — both payments per year
• CIPC annual returns for all active entities
• SARS compliance status across all entities — proactive monitoring
• NPO and PBO annual reporting for HNCF

Proactive Compliance Management

We do not want to chase you. We do not want to find out that a deadline was missed after the fact. You own the compliance calendar. You flag issues early. You bring the conversation to us before a deadline, not after. Every statutory deadline for our entities is predictable in advance; we expect them to be treated that way.

• Maintain and share a rolling compliance calendar for all entities
• Proactively flag upcoming deadlines at least 2 weeks in advance
• Raise any 'bigger conversations' (e.g. potential tax consequences) well before filing deadlines, not after.

What We're Looking For

Non-negotiable

• A genuine passion for nature and conservation — you want your skills to count for something beyond the numbers
• Registered with a South African professional body — SAIPA preferred; SAICA also acceptable
• Valid SARS tax practitioner number
• Proven experience with multi-entity SME bookkeeping
• Hands-on experience with USD/foreign currency transactions in a South African context, including SARS forex treatment
• Proficiency with SARS eFiling
• Clear, proactive communication style — you tell us what's happening before we ask

Strong Advantage

• Experience with NPO/PBO compliance (HNCF is a registered NPO/PBO)
• Familiarity with project-based businesses (production, agency, or similar)
• Experience with Xero, Sage, or similar cloud accounting platforms
• Understanding of SARB reporting requirements for foreign income
• Comfort working with a founder-led business — pragmatic, low-bureaucracy environment

What Good Looks Like in This Role

In 6 months, we should never be surprised by a SARS deadline, a missed submission, or a penalty we didn't see coming. Our project margins should be visible in real time. We should be able to request a tax clearance certificate for any entity and have it available within a working day. And we should have a clear, honest picture of cashflow that helps us make better decisions — not a rearview mirror. Longer term, as the business takes on larger contracts, this role will grow into active budget management: weekly cost recons against project budgets, flagging overruns early, and helping us build a business that doesn't live contract to contract.

Practical Details

Start: As soon as possible — we have a compliance backlog to address

Hours: 1 day/week in-office; may flex up during year-end periods

Rate: Market-related for a qualified individual contractor — please include your rate in your application

Format: Individual contractor invoice arrangement preferred

Tools: We are open to your preferred accounting platform — please specify what you use

How to Apply:

Send a short introduction (not a long CV cover letter — just tell us who you are and what you do), your CV or profile, your hourly or monthly rate, and one or two examples of multi-entity or multi-currency engagements you've managed.

We will shortlist and ask finalists to complete a short paid practical exercise before any offer is made.

Work Location: In person

Company Description

Habitat XR is a multi award-winning, immersive nature production studio focused on using VR, AR, holograms and projection mapping to support NGOs, governments and the private sector through powerful environmental storytelling.

Posted on 30 Mar 15:58, Closing date 29 Apr