Job Summary

Specific Role Purpose:

• The purpose of this role is to execute on performance and analytical processes that enables management of the Channel Infrastructure and Change business performance to achieve financial and non-financial goals, forecasting the impact of actual performance, identifying the key value drivers and understanding the actions required to bridge between forecast and actuals. Tracking the performance of initiatives.  This role is responsible for developing financial models (as and when required) that tracks the performance of current partners and assesses the commercial viability of new partnerships against a firm framework.   Information gathering for market analytics and insights around best practice, efficiencies and competitor and market trends. In addition, this role is responsible for managing the overall financial planning cycle process for Channel Infrastructure and Change.  
• The Finance Manager provides tactical and practice leadership in the end-to-end financial management of business, including deep dive analytics, generating management reports, statutory compliance, scaling automated financial processes to crafting financial solutions aligned to business financial health and growth objectives within his/her function of the BU.  
• The Finance Manager of the business enables achieving the operational objectives of the business by building an agile finance enablement to transform, to bring stewardship, financial integrity & insights to the current state of the business & its future possibilities to deliver on the new operating model and to achieve the business strategy objectives set by Absa Africa United for RBB.  
• The Finance Manager co-creates Finance capabilities required to lead to exponential growth and business effectiveness.

Job Description

Commercial Finance Execution Accountabilities 

• Responsible for tactical and practical finance operations relevant to optimize the function to enable business to achieve growth and profitability objectives.
• Ensure that the CFO is appraised of key financial issues that need to be raised with executive leadership to enable integrity and timely management the BU.
• Creating unprecedented, seamless customer experiences via finance BU enablement.
• Embrace our distinctive brand aspiration and infuse in business.
• Identification and innovating global best operating practices to optimize the function.
• Drive continuous process efficiency, financial rigor and controls. Pioneer and implement Finance best practices, digital solutions and effective change enablement. Contribute to building a scalable, digitally-led business.
• Deliver on tactical solutions to achieve cost management objectives.
• Adopt what’s ‘best for absa’ approach in finance practices.
• Take an eco-system view of business, that is, geography, customer, channel and product in consulting with business.
• Book of work contribution: Build innovative finance business case and benefits tracking’s’ solutions to ensure alignment of core business with future business objectives to appropriately inform management decisions.
• Influence optimal and compliant control environment within business unit that appropriately balances risk appetites and customer demand with the need to grow to achieve the financial ambitions and balance sheet aspirations of RBB.
• Contribute to the effectiveness of the core finance processes for RBB Finance (annual planning, forecasting, spend trajectory and reporting).
• Contribute to innovative performance measurement solutions and partner with the business leaders to evaluate their productivity, enable wise resource allocation, and drive intelligent scenario planning.
• Influence a commercial leadership context by presenting business performance in the context of profitability analysis and markets/segments/customers/products to help drive financial growth. Drive the themes of customer value and revenue.
• Influence integration of Treasury, Risk, and Finance from a BU perspective.
• Influence the build of a leading global payments hub, where applicable.
• Maintain stewardship and excellence which drives performance and sustainable growth through preservation of financial integrity.
• Be an active force for good in society through business execution.
• Contribute to BCM & cybersecurity processes relevant to the BU and finance execution.

Financial Reporting Accountabilities

• Build trust in the finance function through the creation of a single source of financial information which is corroborated by related management information sources.
• Develop innovative easy to comprehend progress reports for leaders on their strategic agenda, short-term and long-term plans and investments, operational success metrics, efficiencies, risks and mitigations.
• Embed the correct governance and control frameworks across the Finance team, as well as for proactively addressing any deficiencies and exceptions.
• Critically assess underlying operational and financial performance in the context of key underlying business drivers and provide leadership with commercial insight into performance.
• Seek advanced modelling and analysis capability to provide actionable intelligence, beyond data within the function.
• Develop finance narratives and insights driving business; and build pioneering new propositions.
• Ensure appropriate, quality and timeous delivery of accurate financial and non-financial management information to support business objectives and expectations, including appropriate financial and non-financial metrics, valid and insightful comments and packaging the information in a relevant and appropriate manner.
• Deliver reporting reflecting deep commercial, holistic understanding, coherency, clarity, and contextualisation. Tell the story with passion and conviction.
• Provide thought-leadership, insight, influence and challenge on evolving stakeholder information requirements and reporting processes to deliver analytics.
• Align to processes around month-end, year-end and planning cycles across the RBB finance community and BU based on the requirements from Group. Prepare for all cycles in advance and ensure adequate engagement with the relevant finance and BU teams.
• Manage the production of regular, high quality, standardised financial and non-financial reporting and analytics to Business and Finance; and focus on effective collaborative stakeholder hand-offs in the production.
• Have regular feedback review sessions with key stakeholders to obtain feedback on current outputs produced and to understand requirements for any new requirements.
• Regularly review all outputs produced by the team to ensure that they are still relevant and consistent with stakeholder requirements.
• Proactively challenge the team to identify areas in which the content, presentation or delivery of the outputs delivered by the team can be improved or made more efficient.

People Investment Accountabilities

• Peer responsibility: Coach, inspire, engage, mentor and develop finance and business savvy leaders.
• Play to our A-Game culture of Culture of inclusivity, diversity, entrepreneurship, and ownership.
• Network with finance colleagues across GFD and create awareness of challenges, opportunities and issues and encourage collaboration
• Focus on Finance skills evolution and remaining relevant.
• Embrace the value of finance partnership in Big Data, Advanced Analytics, mergers and acquisitions, and partnerships into the core of our business.
• Influence industry thought leadership to create industry benchmark standards.
• Help build BU leadership capability by influencing deep understanding of income statement, balance sheet, margin returns, variance analysis, capital and liquidity requirements, revenues, assets, liabilities and capital, expenses, headcount analytics and other key ratios through relevant engagement.

Role / Person Specification

• Minimum B-degree (NQF level no.7) Desired Post Graduate Degree (NQF level no.8+), CA (SA) or CIMA or MBA qualification preferred.
• 4+ years professional financial management experience
• 4+ years Banking Experience at a management level

Knowledge and skills:

• Experience in executing finance processes.
• Experience in commercial innovation environments
• Broad Finance including strategic, commercial, legal, risk and operational aspects
• Understanding of the financial services sector within a professional business environment
• Knowledge of building collaborative work environments

Education

• Postgraduate Degrees and Professional Qualifications: Financial Sciences (Required)