Finance Business Partner at Rand Merchant Bank

• This role entails tracking financial performance and providing financial information, forecasting and analysis to help guide decision making for specified business units.

Are You Someone Who Can:

• Provide input into the budget and manage and report on budget usage that reflects delivery of planned work within agreed parameters.
• Control expenditure and identify process improvements to contain and reduce costs.
• Build relationships that allow for the managing of expectations; the sharing of knowledge and diverse insights; and the creation of buy-in.
• Engage in cross-functional relationships to obtain and to provide work support.
• Creates solutions to meet customer demands to deliver internal and external customer service excellence through adherence to quality service standards.
• Improve business decisions by providing accurate and reliable business intelligence (information) together with analyzing trends and data.
• Provide regular reports on delivery of services against agreed service level agreements and in terms of overall customer targets.
• Ensure compliance with relevant statutory, legislative, policy and governance requirements in area of accountability.
• Ensure implementation of relevant policies, governance and practice standards across the business.
• Implement and provide input into the development of governance and compliance procedures and processes within area of specialization and identify risks.
• Review monthly cost results for each area within the portfolio and identify instances where there may be issues.
• Communicate issues identified and remediate.
• Review balance sheet analysis i.e., accounts payable/receivable etc. in line with an understanding of the business context.
• Review monthly payroll headcount lists and ensure accuracy is maintained by validating the information with business.
• Communicate any changes to the headcount data to the appropriate payroll function.
• Manage governance around payment processes and ensuring that the appropriate level of approvers is in place.
• Liaise with business on invoices not yet paid and gather supporting evidence to ensure that accruals are raised in the correct financial period.
• Test and review costing model allocations to stakeholders in line with agreed costing principles.
• Understand and communicate implemented changes or proposed changes to costing methodology.
• Analyse, monitor, and communicate monthly SLA charges and recoveries.
• Ensure completeness of strategic reports and timeous delivery thereof.
• Collaborate with cost model team regarding principles and ongoing changes including review of output.
• Monitor and analyse incoming FNB SLA charges (if applicable in your area) and provide details to stakeholders to be able to validate the charges.
• Gain an understanding around drivers or principles of cost allocations.
• Engage in discussions with business, finance areas and other impacted areas on correctness of what has been applied.
• Provide analysis, insights, control over targets, actual performance measures, information management, process simplification and automation to ensure accurate forecasting and delivery of result across full Profit and Loss.
• Be the contact point for business to help interface with local finance on reporting of results, ensuring timely and accurate submissions.
• Ensure monthly GL structure, maintenance and alignment to all stakeholders is adhered to.
• Ensure timelines with reporting team are met.
• Conduct ad hoc reporting and handle audit queries as required.
• Compile and submit monthly reports.
• Highlight strategic and material issues in report by early identification and engagement across finance and business teams.
• Review reports to streamline and propose report enhancements where possible.
• Monitor reporting and discuss strategic issues highlighted by relevant stakeholders.
• Assist in compiling and reviewing relevant management reports sent to relevant stakeholders for business insights.
• Track and analyze performance across the board (year on year and month on month).
• Compile presentations for relevant stakeholders to present.
• Deal with external auditors at year-end regarding any issues and group queries if required.
• Engage internal auditors on potential issues to resolve during audit process or escalate to central level for resolution.
• Ensure ongoing focus on reducing queries, comebacks, and demotions.
• Complete the interims and year end reports timeously and accurately if applicable in the portfolio.
• Engage with relevant stakeholders in the group and present at various Steercos if required.
• Reconcile reporting systems (Essbase) to FirstRand reporting platform (HFM) and promote/provide sign-off.
• Compile and manage consolidated headcount.
• Prepare and interpret running monthly and annual forecasts.
• Conduct budget reallocations based on structural changes within business.
• Compile and ensure adherence to budget guideline documents.
• Hold discussions with stakeholders on proposed budget results for approval.
• Agree on budget deliverables with stakeholders.
• Adhere to budget timelines and ensure communication thereof.

You Will Be The Ideal Candidate If You:

• have a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance
• have 4 to 5 years' Financial Management experience