Business Partner: Finance - IT at Old Mutual iWYZE

Purpose of the Job    

The Business Partner: Finance - IT role reports into the Chief Infromation Officer (CIO) and will ensure the implementation of financial policies, procedures and practices at a divisional tactical level and to provide guidance and support to EXCO and management in dealing with all aspects of finance in accordance with such policies and procedures whilst also achieving operational goals and objectives

Critical objectives and responsibilities:

Implement financial policies, procedures and practices.

• Accountable for strategy implementation through integrating various financial and functional activities and ensuring adherence to an operational framework of policies and procedures in order to optimise service delivery.
• Compare and analyse financial data, and produce detailed reports identifying trends, discrepancies and inconsistencies.
• Challenge, guide and support the business areas in compiling business plan and forecasts.
• Perform analysis in business areas and provide insights to management on how to improve financial performance.
• On a monthly basis assess business performance against budget/ forecasts and guide business in implementing appropriate initiatives to meet budgets.
• Identify financial implications of business practices and implement appropriate solutions.
• Identify financial risks in business areas and work with business to implement effective controls.
• Develop customer solutions (process, product, systems) to address changing service requirements, implement customer centric strategies and ensure customer satisfaction.
• Identify trends in business and financial implications.
• Provide general commercial advice to business areas.
• Provide link between business and finance areas.
• Review systems from a financial perspective.
• Analyse and review Ad-hoc reinsurance queries related to management reporting from stakeholders within Old Mutual Insure.
• Optimise departmental performance through targeted business intelligence to ensure that it becomes the primary way of driving performance and execution.
• Proactively engage with business to ensure accurate reporting for reinsurance values captured on the system and processed into the accounting system.
• Review and vet manual transactions calculated and processed for reinsurance.
• Collaborate with the actuarial team to ensure the reserving figures are accurate and are correctly reported in the management accounts.

Delivery to ensure customer satisfaction

• Establish productive operational relationships with key stakeholders     in the various channels and administrative teams.
• Develop work routines in line with operational plans / schedules in order to manage achievement of service delivery goals.
• Share knowledge on, and participate in the creation of new standards, control systems and procedures to maintain service delivery.

Control and governance adherence

• Proactively ensure use of time, of resources, money, materials or equipment is in line with policies and procedures.
• Comply with corporate governance policies, procedures and standards.
• Operate within agreed mandates.

People practices

• Align own behaviour with the organisation culture and values.
• Share and transfer product, process and systems knowledge to colleagues.
• Ensure achievement of own performance objectives.
• Actively share information with other team members regarding successes, issues, trends and ideas.
• Actively participate in own professional development and career path.
• Actively promote a culture of learning and high-performance culture amongst team members.

 Knowledge & skills

• Bachelor’s Degree or Advanced Diploma NQF level 7 in Commerce or equivalent
• 5 - 8 years’ experience in field of financial reporting
• 2 - 3 years’ experience in working on Oracle FM
• Technically sound insurance knowledge preferably from an insurance or financial services background.

Competency Descriptors

• Organization and Attention to Detail: The extent to which one systematically employs a standard system of organization in work process and related resources and an overall concern for integrating all aspects of the task, situation and/or work-related problem
• Financial Administration: The provision of effective financial processes in the organization.  
• Results Orientation: Consistently delivers required business results; sets and achieves achievable, yet aggressive, goals; consistently complies with quality standards and meets deadlines; maintains focus on organizational goals
• Reporting and interpretation: Prepares accurate reports to satisfy risk reporting requirements, with relevant interpretation of analysis for business users.
• Decision making and problem solving: The extent to which an individual is able to recognize and analyse a problem and/or a difficult situation and develop an appropriate and results-oriented course of action
• Internal Control: Ensures that adequate control guidelines are in place to protect the assets and resources of the organization.
• Teamwork and Cooperation: Cooperates with others to accomplish common goals; works with employees within and across his/her department to achieve shared goals; values the contributions of others
• Planning Skills: Establishing a clear course of action, involving others as appropriate, managing activities and monitoring results to accomplish a specific goal.
• Stakeholder engagement and management: Recognizes the importance of relationships as a fundamental business resource and makes attempts to build and maintain solid working relationships with others

Shortlisted candidates will be subjected to the following statutory checks:

• ITC
• Criminal
• References
• Qualifications