Programme Assurance Specialist at MultiChoice

The MultiChoice Group is a broad-based multinational media and entertainment group headquartered in South Africa, Dubai and Netherlands with principal operations in pay television, video entertainment, advertising and content security serving rapidly growing base of 13.5 million households. Eminent brands within the group include DSTV, GOTv, SuperSport, M-net, DSTVnow, Showmax and Europe based content security leader Irdeto. Key areas of operations are:

• Storytelling ranging from content creation, production and aggregation including the best global general entertainment, sport and eminent African content library, delivered to customers
• Pay Television: direct-to-home satellite and digital terrestrial television services;
• SVOD: subscription video on demand services across multiple online platforms with a focus on library and local content in developing markets, and
• Advertising: providing dynamic media solutions; handling commercial airtime, on-air sponsorships, content integration, and online sales across a variety of 130+ channel brands on linear TV, VOD, social media, and digital platforms.

The group’s strength lies in its focus on local language and culture, its entrepreneurial spirit and the quality of its workforce. MultiChoice Group (MCG) has a successful history of identifying trends early, adapting them for the markets in which it operates and leveraging them to maximum advantage. The group generates revenues primarily through subscription model, with a growing contribution from advertising revenue. Its key objectives are to:

• Expand Pay TV, SVOD subscriber base and advertising sales
• Focus on investment and technology
• Maintain a local approach
• Provide quality service
• Attract innovative and motivated employees

Key Performance Objectives
Tasks
Operational delivery
Planning:

• Contribute to the development of the Internal Audit Plan, and translation into operational plans for each of the programmes or projects.
• Conduct operational/Technical planning.
• Implement practically, the GIA methodology in execution of assurance work.

Perform programme and project assurance reviews focused on the assessment of the following areas:

• Risk management - provide an objective and independent review of specific risks that could adversely impact the project’s successful completion, and an assessment of the organisation’s actions to mitigate those risks.
• Design and ensure operating effectiveness of the programme’s governance framework.
• Design and ensure operating effectiveness of structures and controls to facilitate management of organisational resources in order to successfully complete projects.
• Design user access security and segregation of duties processes and solutions (e.g. design, testing, implementation and support).
• Design and ensure operational effectiveness of key delivery processes such as: data migration, testing, cutover, training and change management.
• Review of system documentation to ensure adequacy of controls in line with requirements and its testing adequacy.
• Provide assessment against predefined set of success criteria and good practices.

Programme specific:

• Assist in the creation of the Assurance Plan for the transformation programme.
• Coaching team members and reviewing their work.
• Driving continuous feedback on reviews and within the program.
• Maintain relationships across the programme, IPA and IAS.
• Provide feedback on the programme to ERM and IAS on a regular basis.
• Provide feedback to the programme on observations noted or improvements made/required.
• Encourage and include IAS - IT team in conversations that will impact them going forward.
• Understand area of review assigned to the incumbent – ongoing/continuous assurance and deep dive areas.
• Compile assurance approach/Ways of Working for specific review area
• Perform reviews for adequacy and effectiveness (and if requested, compilation of detailed reports on the areas of review)
• Periodic reporting on observations identified in incumbent’s areas of review (based on adequacy, effectiveness or continuous monitoring) that will form part of the programme’s Pulse Report. Report frequency to be determined but includes and is not limited to weekly, monthly, quarterly, into different forums.
• Peer Review of team members’ observations before they are included in the mandated reporting
• Quality reviews of all packs prepared for submission into various governance committees.

Key activities within the IAS team:

• Provide operational support to the IA staff and management
• Perform quality reviews
• Conduct coaching and mentoring of staff
• Conduct Assurance planning and practical use of project management practices to manage the assurance work
• Participate in various governance forums
• Execute fieldwork

Stakeholder Management

• Proactively build and maintain effective business relationships with all internal and external stakeholders, to become a credible and trusted advisor and business partner.
• Represent the internal audit function to internal or external customers.
• Facilitate engagement and information sharing sessions amongst peers and stakeholders to achieve synergies across business areas, as well as the wider Group.
• Ensure thorough understanding of the business environment, strategy, challenges and risks as well as prevailing legislation, to ensure GIA strategy and service offerings are aligned.
• In collaboration with management, define what value Internal Audit can offer the BUs/Group and what KPIs to monitor and reflect on a monthly basis.

Assessments and reviews

Provide a broad range of outputs focused on business transformation programmes to assess, recommend, and deliver assurance services related to processes, risks, controls, principles, and methodologies that establish program and/or project successes. These typically are:

• Project Risk Assessments, Audits, and Health-Checks
• Pre, Post, & Go-Live Assessments
• Project Governance Reviews
• Project Quality Assurance
• Program/Project Management Office (PMO) Implementation and Delivery
• PMO Effectiveness Assessments
• Benefits Realization Assessments
• Project Management Training
• Program and Project Management Oversight
• Audit programmes
• Regular reporting input to the governance bodies such as programme committees, audit committees
• Continuous inputs into improvement to the Independent Programme Assurance process

Qualifications

• A relevant tertiary qualification is essential, i.e. BA or BS Management Information Systems, Computer Science, Engineering or BCom Internal Auditing
• Accreditation is essential such i.e. CISA, CIA, CRISK, CA(SA)
• MCom Computer Auditing or another masters or post graduate degree will be advantegous
• Project Management certification is advantageous, i.e. Prince2, PMBOK, Agile, Project Management

Professional (PMP), Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT) or equivalent
Experience

• 5- 8 years experience in Program/Project Management, Assurance and/or Consulting experience
• IT Audit experience is advantageous

Behavioural Competencies

• Strategic ability
• Business acumen
• Innovative thinking
• Building relationships, collaborating and influencing others
• Customer focus
• Managing complexity
• Holistic and critical/analytical thinking
• Results oriented with a strong deadline focus
• Flexible and open to change and innovation
• Strong conflict management skills
• Strong negotiation and problem-solving skills
• Strong attention to detail
• Ability to work independently
• Conflict Resolution
• Decision Making
• Critical Appraisal
• Coaching

Technical Competencies

• Understand the business environment and processes
• Understand stakeholder needs and value-add
• Programme/project assurance
• Risk assurance and management
• Quality assurance
• Continuous improvement
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office tools
• Report-writing skill
• Knowledge of progamme management frameworks e.g. PMI, Agile, Prince 2, MSP etc.
• Knowledge of IT frameworks e.g. COBIT, ITIL etc.