IT Finance Manager (CPT) at Santam Insurance

The role

• An IT Finance Manager opportunity exists within Santam on a permanent basis. The role is to be based in Cape Town, Western Cape. 
• The Santam environment is a complex one and this role extends beyond Santam to both our subsidiaries and Sanlam. The incumbent will play a key role in the financial planning, budgeting and reporting of the Group IT costs and budgets.

What will you do?

• The role requires a person who can interact act at many levels from Junior management to Manco members and CIOs, from IT suppliers to internal Group divisions. The ability to build strong working business relationships is key to the role.  

What will make you successful in this role?

• The incumbent will be responsible for the day to financial management operations in the Santam Technology Services (STS) Finance department.

Monthly financial management of the STS BAU financial position includes:

• Monthly reporting of the financial position against the budget across all STS cost centres in the Income Statement.
• Monthly consolidation of the Balance Sheet reconciliations specific to STS for review and sign off.  
• Management and reconciliation of the personnel and headcount across all STS cost centres for both permanent and contract resources.
• Analyze trends in expense bases relative to expectations and provide insight into cost optimization and innovation.

STS Finance Build/update a budget and billing models for  specific IT service (e.g. Robotics, Desktop, Guidewire Platform, etc.) by:

• Calculating the total cost of IT Service across the Santam Group
• Determine the appropriate cost drivers per service to enable transparency of costs across the group.
• Assist all STS Manco, BCM’s and Development managers with the commercial and service agreements of software purchases for multiple business areas within the group network.
• Assist STS with preparation and review of all IT-related business cases, including financial modelling
• Provide in-depth data and analytical recommendations
• Conduct data and analytical deep dives and presentations with relevant stakeholders
• Translate financial information into non-financial IT stakeholders

Qualifications and experience

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting or relevant Degree.  
• Qualified CA (SA) is perferable
• Minimum of 8 – 10  years of experience in financial management, with expertise in budgeting, forecasting, analysis and reporting
• Good and proven business acumen.
• Proven track record of maintaining a strong analytical focus.

Knowledge

• Technical accounting and reporting skills -  regulatory requirements, taxation and VAT, budgeting, planning and forecasting
• In depth understanding of Data and cost modelling
• In depth understanding of IT infrastructure, systems and products
• Insurance knowledge would be a strong recommendation
• Working knowledge of of power BI or Qclick or any other reporting tools advantageous.

Other Competencies

• Strategic Planning: plays a key role in strategic planning and decision-making processes, aligning financial goals with the company's overall strategy.
• Risk Management: Overseeing risk management and ensuring compliance with financial regulations and standards.
• Leadership and Team Development: Leading and developing the finance team, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and professional growth.
• Stakeholder Communication: Enhancing communication with external stakeholders, including investors, auditors, and regulatory bodies.
• Innovation and Technology: Leveraging new technologies and financial tools to improve efficiency and drive innovation within the finance department.

Skills

• Advanced MS Excel
• A solid understanding of IT operations
• Strong cost accounting ability
• Stakeholder management and influencing skills
• Great interpersonal, organisational and planning skills
• Ability to work in a complex and dynamic environment
• Accuracy and attention to detail
• Experienced at engaging at a senior and executive level
• Results orientated, pro-active and deadline-driven
• Capacity to operate under extreme pressure
• Strong quality and client service orientation
• Ability to drive decisions and work independently
• Strong research and learning orientation
• Strong analysis skills
• Conceptual flexibility and ability to understand the context and bigger picture
• Communicate complex concepts in easy to understand manner
• Produce creative solutions to business problems
• Building networks and good relationships