Chief Accountant: Risk and Insurance Management needed at University of Pretoria/Universiteit van Pretoria

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

The incumbent will be responsible for the following but not limited to:

Strategic Management of the Division:

• Accountability and ownership of the University’s Risk and Insurance Management Division;
• Obtain understanding of sectoral challenges and risks;
• Obtain understanding of local and internal insurance trends in consultation with the University insurance Broker;
• Discuss identified risk areas with Deans, Directors and Departmental Heads, as necessary, and recommend actions to address concerns;

Insurance Claims Administration:

• Manage and administer the University’s insurance portfolio;
• Conduct regular meetings and follow-up with the insurance Broker in respect of outstanding claims and submission of claims;
• Coordinate the submission of supporting documents to the insurers;
• Provide management information for Deputy Director: Finance, Director: Finance, Deans and Directors;
• Provide information and support regarding insurance matters/claims to the Faculties, Professional Services and Executive;
• Advise on and ensure compliance with Service Level Agreements for all internal clients and review performance;

Insurance Renewal:

• Identify gaps in insurance cover in consultation with the University insurance Broker;
• Schedule meetings with all stakeholders with regard to the annual insurance renewal and obtain the necessary information requested by the insurance Brokers before the communicated deadlines;
• Prepare and submit the Insurance Renewal proposal for the University for approval by the Executive;

Risk Management:

• Custodian of Department of Finance Risk Register;
• Discuss Finance risks with Department of Finance Divisional Heads and ensure that Risk Register is regularly updated and maintained;
• Suggest control measures to mitigate risks;
• Coordinate and/or perform the audit of internal controls within the Department of Finance, review and suggest control measures;

 Policies and Procedures:

• Serve as Secretariat for Department of Finance Policy Committee – maintain policy list, schedule meetings, edit and finalise policy documents;
• Support Department of Finance policy owners to draft and/or review Finance Policies, ensure alignment with best practice, industry norms and corporate governance standards.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• Relevant Honours degree;
• 7 years of senior financial experience (of which three (3) years in management);
• Relevant work experience with proven experience in and knowledge of, inter alia;
• Insurance management;
• Financial administration;
• ERP systems;
• Financial Management (junior to middle management level) experience in a medium to large organisation;
• Experience in an insurance environment;
• Experience in risk management and/or risk advisory;
• Experience in writing policies and procedures;
• Experience in writing Executive level reports.

ADDED ADVANTAGES AND PREFERENCES:

• Master’s degree/M Tech in Financial Management or Accounting or relevant field;
• Ten (10) years of senior financial experience (of which five (5) years in management);
• Experience in Financial Management in a University environment;
• Experience with PeopleSoft.