Data Manager at Santam Insurance

Job description

The Corporate Services, Financial Management division has a position available for a Data Steward. This position will be based in Cape Town and will report to the Manager: Business Optimisation.

The purpose of this role is to support the Financial Management functions in terms of all data elements, both content and metadata. The role requires an individual to assist with the management and oversight of data to help provide users with high-quality data that is easily accessible in a consistent manner.

JOB DESCRIPTION

• Setting data strategy:
• Provide strategy for data – Construct and present a strategy for enhancing the value and consistency of the data within the domain of stewardship or expanding the domain of stewardship. Data strategy for finance to be aligned to group data strategy and framework.
• Provide required architecture for achieving data strategy objectives.
• Data governance:
• High-level policies and procedures including assisting in the co-ordination and implementation thereof across the business;
• The security policies as determined through the data governance initiatives;
• Financial Management representative on “Central Data Governance Forum”;
• Support on all data governance elements on existing and new projects including driving the change or new requirements into the respective business units e.g. Project Storm/Regulatory project.
• Driving outcomes of data strategy into respective teams in Financial Management – i.e. empowering the teams to adopt the culture of data governance and relevant processes.
• Data management across the organisation:
• Act as the liaison between the IT department and financial management business unit;
• Data co-ordination functions together with other data stewards across the business, tracking the movement of relevant data across the business, as well as data corrections, understanding and enforcing internal rules on how data should be input and how data can be used from all relevant perspectives;
• Mediating data usage issues – Provide mediation and arbitration services between users or user groups in cases where there are disagreements or identified data issues within the domain of stewardship;
• Serve as the central voice representing the various stakeholder perspectives within the domain of stewardship;
• Coordinating stewards – Act as a communication node and mediator between stewards of the same data entity within different domains of stewardship
• Data quality management:
• Maintains agreed upon definitions and formats and identifies data quality issues and ensures that the business users adhere to specified standards - the Steward is the driver, co-ordinator and liaison between enabler (IT) and business but ownership of ensuring data quality including data definitions, etc. will be with each business owner;
• Data lifecycle management and retention policies;
• Financial management driver for data management/quality via MDM - the data steward will drive the inputs and outcome of these measures with the respective data owners in Financial Management and be a key liaison/interface with IT.
• Auditing usage of data throughout domain of stewardship –Track and report on data quality compliance throughout the data’s lifespan within the domain of stewardship;
• Testing of Data – Test acceptability of data changes for usage within the domain of stewardship.
• Data access:
• Planning, implementing and managing the sourcing of data assets relevant to the domain of stewardship (Project Storm Database, Financial data on BI and other databases, etc.);
• Approve requests for access to the data or the data combined with other information that may have increase access restrictions;
• Serve as the central contact for requests to replicate the data or a subset of the data and provide approval or rejection for requests;
• Providing Method(s) of access – Design and implement data delivery methods ‘that meet or exceed defined performance requirements within the domain of stewardship’;
• Empowering Financial Management teams to understand how and what processes to follow around the database sourcing and management.
• Subject matter expert:
• Supporting User Community Questions/Inquiries – Provide a central contact for user community questions/inquiries relating to stewarded data within the domain of stewardship;
• Construct and provide necessary training on the stewarded data as needed or upon request;
• Opening Projects initiating changes to data – Initiate projects related to changes in the data or data model that must be implemented technically. This task may involve the creation of Initiation Phase of deliverables and providing the business justification for the project(s) associated with the change in the data;
• Serve as the central voice representing the enterprise use, policies and decisions around the stewarded data;
• Maintaining data flows – Construct and maintain information flow diagrams relating to the stewarded data within the domain of stewardship. Document transformations and business rules implemented within the domain of stewardship.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Relevant Bachelor’s degree
• Minimum of +5 years with data management, data governance, data stewardship or business architecture experience
• Minimum +2 year in data governance role or business architecture role with a focus on financial reporting/ significant exposure to data management

SKILLS

• Advanced Microsoft Excel Skills
• Intermediate skill in data knowledge (SQL queries)
• Understanding of metadata structure
• Excellent communication and organisational skills
• Strong change management skills
• Advanced multi-tasking skills and time management skills
• Strong technical knowledge and understanding of reference data elements, processes, and organisational support models is preferred
• Ability to work across diverse teams
• Experience with data profiling as it relates to system usability, quality, and current usage
• Good analytic skills and demonstrated ability to effectively troubleshoot and provide solutions
• Proven ability to manage priorities and timelines
• Provide project estimates and work-breakdown schedules
• Strong influential and relationship building skills
• Responsive, able to work under pressure with a strong sense of urgency
• Responsible, conscientious, organised, self-motivated and to work with limited supervision
• Accounting and financial reporting skills an advantage 

COMPETENCIES

• Delivering results and meeting stakeholder expectations
• Attention to detail
• Planning and organizing
• Analysing
• Adapting and responding to change
• Coping with pressure and setbacks
• Working with people and managing diverse stakeholders
• Initiating and Driving Action
• Persuading  and Influencing
• Presenting and communicating information