Finance Business Partner - Relationship Banking at Absa Group Limited (Absa)

Job Summary

Overall Job Purpose:

• Specific Role Purpose: Role will be focused on the reporting and planning of all financial and management information as well as business support within finance with respect to the Commercial Asset Finance Alliance Partners.
• Analysing and reporting of financial information in an accurate, complete and timely manner and providing business with meaningful insights and value-add perspective to enable decision making.
• Preparing Management accounts and relevant board submissions on a monthly and quarterly basis for the external alliance partners.
• Cost control and reporting within the RB Lending finance function.
• Continuously seeking ways to improve operations and provide valuable business insights through financial analysis, performing deep dives and trend analyses.

Job Description

Financial Reporting & Execution Accountabilities

• Serve as a subject matter expert on financial data integrity, accounting and business processes, analysis and reporting for end-to-end Financial Management in business area with special focus on the CAF alliance partners.
• 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.
• Build trust in the finance function through the creation of a single source of financial information which is corroborated by related management information sources and ensuring alignment to the agreed accounting principles, methodologies and underlying data.
• Able to apply the principles within the relevant IFRS standards for financial reporting specifically relating to a lending business such as IFRS 9.
• Cost control and reporting for product related costs (direct and TP costs) within the RB Lending finance function.
• Own the process of delivery of high-quality information for regular and ad-hoc enhanced reporting to agreed requirements, timelines, and standards. Information gathering for market analytics and insights around market share, competitor analysis, specific financial impacts that pertain to market changes.
• Contribute to the effectiveness of Finance processes for RB, RBB and Group Finance (annual planning, forecasting, and reporting).
• Develop and implement control procedures as required as deficiencies or exceptions are identified which support the production of error-free reports. Assess and drive improvement of business accounting practices and policies.
• Understand and integrate Treasury, Risk, and Finance data from a BU perspective, where appropriate.
• Validate all financial and management reporting information for flash results, month end financial results and utilisation and reporting of various key metrics.
• Generate finance narratives and insights driving business.
• Take a commercial view on business and provide contextual insights into performance reports.
• Present financial results to business highlighting performance against plans, prior performance and providing meaningful insights on possible risks and opportunities for the near future.
• Align to processes around month-end, year-end and planning cycles across the RB and 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.
• Act in line with the correct governance and control frameworks across the Finance function, proactively assisting in addressing any deficiencies and exceptions where relevant.
• Ensure that the CFO is appraised of key financial issues and any identified risks & opportunities within the business that may need to be raised with executive leadership to enable timely management within the BU.
• Know BU financial ambitions, growth aspirations and strategy as well as that of RB & RBB to ensure alignment of performance reporting and planning targets.
• Responsible for continuous operational excellence and real-time responsiveness of finance to enable business to achieve growth and profitability objectives.
• Focus on information-driven performance improvement and formulate data into easy access standardised views.
• Maintain stewardship and excellence which assists in driving performance and sustainable growth through the preservation of financial integrity.

Financial Planning Accountabilities

• Assist finance manager in developing processes and controls to ensure that the planning process is effective, supports business strategies and completed within the required timelines with the appropriate level of detail.
• Assist in maintaining the system financial planning product model, capturing and completion of relevant forecasts as required within the required timelines.
• Understand, assist in formulating and review assumptions provided by business to support the forecast.
• Understand and integrate Treasury, Risk, and Finance data from a BU perspective, where appropriate.
• Provide accurate, complete and timeous reporting of the forecast to relevant stakeholders.
• Prepare for all cycles in advance and ensure adequate engagement with the relevant finance and business teams.
• Transform and evolve Finance planning, tracking and control processes as required.
• Perform regular Revised Annual Forecast (RAF’s) during the year as required, identify and track any business risks and opportunities, considering their impact on forecasted projections.

People Investment Accountabilities

• Peer responsibility: Coach, inspire, engage, mentor and develop finance and business savvy leaders.
• 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.
• Ensure deep personal 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 business engagement.

Education & Experience Required:

• CA (SA) qualification preferred.
• 3+ years professional financial management experience.
• Knowledge and skills:
• Experience in executing finance processes.
• Experience in financial reporting, planning & analysis.
• 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.

Closing Date: 7th, June 2022