Senior Business Analyst: Job Grade 12/13: SLS: Finance: Services: Bellville needed at Sanlam Group

What will you do?

• The Senior Business Analyst is a permanent, leadership role within the SLS Finance Services division, part of the Sanlam Life and Savings (SLS) cluster. Serving a broad client base across multiple Sanlam business clusters, the Senior Business Analyst will report to the Senior Finance Manager and lead a team of six business analysts.
• As the operational BA lead for the Finance Systems & Processes team, the incumbent acts as ‘head of operations’, ensuring the SAP Finance solution (including SAP S/4HANA ERP, SAP Insurance Analyzer, and related systems) meets evolving business requirements.
• The role is pivotal in coordinating all business analysis activities, driving delivery on key operational issues, goals, and strategic initiatives, and aligning system capabilities with business needs for over 2,000 end users.

What will make you successful in this role?

The key performance areas of this position include the following:

• Team Leadership and Coordination
• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of six business analysts, fostering a high-performance, collaborative culture.
• Allocate and coordinate BA resources to ensure timely and quality delivery of business analysis activities across multiple projects and operational initiatives.
• Act as ‘head of operations’ for the Finance Systems & Processes team, managing day-to-day operations and driving continuous improvement.

SAP Finance Solution Delivery

• Oversee the business analysis function for the SAP S/4HANA ERP, SAP Insurance Analyzer, and related finance systems, ensuring solutions are efficient, user-centric, and aligned to business requirements.
• Oversee the business analysts’ involvement in planning for and testing SAP system upgrades and other technical system changes.
• Act as the primary bridge between business clients and the SAP Centre of Expertise, translating business needs into clear system requirements and functional specifications.
• Drive delivery on key system enhancements, change initiatives, and process improvements, ensuring optimal use of SAP and supporting technologies.

Stakeholder Engagement and Management

• Engage with business stakeholders across all Sanlam clusters to gather requirements, demonstrate new solutions, and obtain feedback.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with finance process owners, system users, and IT partners.
• Facilitate workshops, training sessions, and communications to ensure alignment and adoption of new solutions.

Incident and Change Request Management

• Manage and coordinate the resolution of incidents, service requests, and change initiatives related to finance systems.
• Ensure timely escalation, tracking, and closure of issues, maintaining high service levels for business clients.
• Collaborate with the SAP CoE, system accountant, process analyst, and support analyst to address and resolve system and process issues.

Quality Assurance and Compliance

• Ensure quality and compliance in business analysis deliverables, including requirements documentation, test cases, and training materials.
• Support user acceptance testing and deployment activities for system changes and new releases.
• Contribute to maintaining a robust control environment and adherence to finance governance standards.

Qualification and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in commerce, Accounting, Finance, Information Systems, or a related field from a recognised institution preferred.
• Professional certification in Business Analysis (e.g., CBAP from IIBA or equivalent) would be advantageous.
• Minimum 6 years’ experience in a business analysis role, with at least 3 years in a senior or team leadership capacity.
• Demonstrable experience with Finance solutions (SAP S/4HANA ERP or similar) in a large, complex organisation would be advantageous.
• Experience in the financial services industry, preferably with exposure to insurance or life and savings sectors would be advantageous.
• Proficiency in business analysis tools and methodologies; advanced skills in MS Office (Excel, Word, Visio) required.

Knowledge and Skills

• Proven leadership and team management skills.
• Expertise in delivering system change via Agile software enhancement lifecycles.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills, with the ability to influence at all organisational levels.
• Ability to manage complexity, drive results, and deliver under pressure.
• Customer-focused, innovative, and resilient approach.
• Quick to understand business operations and technology landscapes.

Personal Attributes

• Manages Complexity
• Collaborates
• Drives Results
• Customer Focus
• Ensures Accountability
• Communicates Effectively
• Being Resilient
• Cultivates Innovation
• Builds Effective Teams
• Business Insight