Manager Reporting GFR (EE) at Barclays Africa Group Limited

Job description

An opportunity has become available. We are looking for an individual to actively manage the process of financial reporting to internal and external stakeholders of the Group to ensure that financial reporting is performed accurately and timeously and complies with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), JSE Limited listing requirements and the Companies Act as well as specific requirements as communicated by analysts, the Group Audit and Compliance Committee and the Board of Directors for Barclays Africa Group Limited and Absa Bank Limited.

Accountability: Stakeholder engagement

• Attend to queries from Fitch, Moody's, external auditors, Barclays, financial analysts and the JSE Limited by requesting information from the relevant team members and reviewing the responses for accuracy and validity
• Liaise with auditors regarding the review of financial statements and ensure that comments raised by auditors are being dealt with adequately. Meet with auditors to discuss audit budgets and possible fee overruns to be presented to the financial controller.
• Update and/or review the relevant sections of the quarterly communication to business units.
• Ensure that the activities of the team meets the needs of all key stakeholders.

Accountability: Internal reporting

• Check the accuracy between the Exco report, GACC report, Board report, Segment report, the financial results booklet as well as the financial statements.

Accountability: External reporting

• Ensure compliance to the Group's accounting policies, the Companies Act and King III.
• Engage with the chairmen of the relevant sub-committees and ensure that all their queries and concerns are addressed in terms of the reports prepared by the team.
• Review and sign off external market reports for half year end year-end.
• Design of reports - meet with graphic designers and discuss ideas for the design of the external reports, discuss with the Financial Controller and Group Marketing, provide feedback to designers and ensure that corrections have been made as requested, send skeleton booklet to typesetters/designers in order to apply the designs and proof-read to confirm consistency throughout the document.
• Segment Reports - Bank and Group consolidated - review segment report and confirm that all structure changes and other changes are incorporated as instructed, follow up on any queries/issues raised. e.g. queries on results where segments do not agree with actuals for the current year or prior year, review disclosures to verify that it is in line with changes in accounting standards, review the restatements file, comparing the prior year/period figures reported and current database figures and analyzing and understanding restatements/reclassifications, review ratio calculations per segment, assessing these for reasonability and inclusion in the segment report disclosures for review and signoff by the segments, review the segment disclosures (market and (geographical) for inclusion in the booklet and financial statements.
• Review web forms needed for external market reports prior to release to ensure that all the relevant disclosure requirements are included in the web forms and that the necessary checks and validations are in place to ensure accurate submission by business units.
• Assist in preparing reports to the GACC and the Board with regards to restatements of prior period numbers.
• Ensure that the Group keeps up to date with content that is presented in external market reports of other South African Banks and/or other leading international players.
• Prepare recommendations to the financial controller and the Group Audit and Compliance Committee on how these reports can be better presented based in research conducted, change in regulatory/industry requirements and changes to the business of the Group.
• Request additional roll up structures in Analyst to meet reporting & disclosure requirements for Barclays Africa Group Limited purposes.
• Review and approve restatements by checking the technical accounting requirements and the accuracy of the numbers and journals.
• Confirming accuracy of disclosures through analysis and comparison to other reports within the team. Review all components of external reports to ensure reasonability, validity, accuracy and consistency across all. Ensure that financial information in other reports (included in the integrated report) agrees to financial information as reported in other external reports.
• Check for the completeness, accuracy and presentation of external reports and other documentation. Ensure that the responsible team members take full responsibility of all aspects of their relevant area of responsibility.

Accountability: Team leadership and development

• With the support from HR, interview and recruit direct reports.
• Motivate employees in the team and ensure that their efforts are recognized.
• Ensure that poor performance is addressed through the Absa Performance
• Accelerator Programme and that continued poor performance is adequately dealt with.
• Approve leave requests for direct reports and ensure that the team manages the leave effectively.
• Lead a team of financial specialists to achieve accurate and timeous financial reporting through continuous people development and mentoring activities.
• Ensure the development of a high-performing team through embedding formal
• Performance Development and informal coaching.
• Establish and maintain a succession plan for the team members using the formal
• Talent Management process for identified talent and an informal process for remaining roles.
• Act as first level escalation point for grievances raised in the team.
• Manage resource requirements and motivate additional requirements where needed.
• Address training requirements which includes Microsoft Office, IFRS, soft skills and report writing.
• Diversity: manage and ensure that every team member is treated with respect in terms of culture and religion
• Do quarterly PD health checks with staff and ensure that they are meeting their required level of performance.
• Allocation of tasks and responsibilities within the team, based on staff's expertise, capacity and knowledge.

Accountability: Monitoring, review and control

• Approval of general ledger accounts and exco codes to ensure compliance to the
• Group's accounting policies
• Review the mapping changes submitted by business units before working day -5 and assess whether changes/requests are reasonable.
• Review web forms (supplementary schedules) submitted by team members to ensure that it adheres to the required format and that it addresses all disclosure requirements to all relevant stakeholders.
• Review and approve changes to the Exco master (Analyst).
• Constantly review and improve processes to limit manual invention, dependence on key staff members and potential for error and misstatement.
• Refresh SOX documentation and ensure that team members adhere to all SOX controls. Take part in SOX refresh workshops and formulation of key risks and controls for the Group Financial Reporting Risk and Control Assessment. Review and maintain SOX process documentation for the Reporting team.
• Assist with the updating of user and working guides
• Review note specifications including mapping of notes and challenge team members' understanding of exco codes and processes.
• Ensure that documentation is retained and filed in terms of the Group’s retention policy.
• ·Review numbers and ensure that these are supported by numbers in Analyst/HF ensure that supporting documentation accompanies the numbers which are not supported by the aforementioned databases.

Education and Experience Required

• NQF Level 7: Honours/Master’s Degree
• B. Comm (Accounting Science)
• Honours in Accounting Science
• Certificate in the Theory of Accounting
• Diploma in Auditing
• Chartered Accountant CA(SA) or international equivalent
• 3 year articles at an audit firm
• 3 - 5 years post-articles experience

Strictly EE candidates only