Specialist Financial System at Sasol

Purpose of Job

• To provide specialist SAP ERP Finance and Controlling system enablement, support and governance that keeps financial processes stable, integrated and controlled. Reporting to the Manager Integration and Systems, the role acts as the functional specialist for SAP FI/CO and works independently on complex incidents, enhancements and control matters within approved priorities and governance. The role supports SAP FI/CO functionality, connected ERP modules and interfaces, finance master data, period-end processing, budgeting and forecasting, access and authorisation, SOX controls, system changes, testing, reporting and continuous improvement. It reviews finance information and SAP outputs to support risk mitigation and compliance with company and regulatory financial control requirements.

Key Accountabilities

• SAP ERP FI/CO support: Provide end-user and specialist support across FI/CO and related modules. Log incidents, analyse system and finance impacts, coordinate resolution and track delivery. Own complex functional investigations through to resolution and escalate material operational, control or delivery risks to the Manager Integration and Systems.
• ERP integration: Assess the FI/CO impact of changes in MM, SD, payroll, supply chain, BCM and interfaces. Identify effects on postings, master data, controls and reporting.
• Requirements and SAP specifications: Interpret financial accounting and controlling requirements and translate them into functional SAP specifications, change requests and enhancements. Challenge requirements where appropriate, assess cross-process and control impacts, and recommend fit-for-purpose standard solutions for approval.
• SAP finance master data: Govern GL accounts, cost centres, profit centres, cost elements, hierarchies and allocation cycles. Execute changes only after the required forms, approvals and procedures are complete.
• Month-end and year-end: Coordinate SAP period opening and closing to the approved schedule, resolve system issues affecting close, and support carry-forward of GL, customer and vendor balances.
• Budgeting and forecasting: Create SAP budget and forecast versions and support copies, escalations, exchange-rate translations and cost-allocation cycles against approved timelines.
• Access, authorisation and SOX: Provide guidance on SAP roles and transactions, support access-risk remediation, control period reopening, and prepare park-and-post, GL master-data and period-control evidence for sign-off.
• SAP change governance: Define and present SAP changes through the approved forum and record approved requests in the designated service-management platform. Provide the Manager Integration and Systems with clear impact, risk, effort and dependency assessments to support prioritisation and approval.
• Testing and deployment: Coordinate UAT, obtain business sign-off, assess financial impacts and validate FI/CO master and reference data during cut-over.
• Reporting and improvement: Analyse SAP and connected-system data flows, generate reports and reconciliations, identify better ways of enabling finance transactions, and drive standard solutions.
• Training and stakeholder support: Prepare step-by-step SAP guides, deliver training, transfer knowledge and provide regular feedback on incidents, enhancements and risks. Build sustainable backup capability, maintain functional documentation and contribute specialist input to team planning, service reviews and continuous-improvement priorities.

Formal Education

• Relevant 3–4 year university degree in Finance, Accounting, Information Systems or a related field. A postgraduate qualification will be advantageous.

Minimum Experience

• 6+ years’ relevant experience in SAP-enabled finance processes, including substantial hands-on FI/CO support, integration, controls, testing and period-end operations.

Technical Experience

• Significant hands-on SAP ERP finance systems experience across FI/CO, including General Ledger, Asset Accounting, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Banking, Cost Centre Accounting, Profit Centre Accounting, CO-PA, allocations and planning versions.
• Practical experience supporting SAP Project Systems and Investment Management finance processes, finance master data and integration with MM, SD, payroll, supply chain, banking and connected reporting or planning applications.
• Strong understanding of finance processes, month-end and year-end close, budgeting, forecasting, reconciliations, reporting cycles, SOX controls and audit evidence.
• Ability to translate finance requirements into functional specifications, controlled changes, testing, data validation and deployment activities.
• Root-cause analysis of complex SAP finance incidents, including posting logic, interfaces, batch processing, master data, configuration and downstream reporting impacts.
• Working knowledge of SAP finance reporting and integrations with platforms such as BW and OneStream, including reconciliation and data-integrity controls across systems.
• Incident management, data-flow analysis, reporting, reconciliation and process documentation.

Certification and Professional Membership

• SAP FI/CO certification will be advantageous. A relevant finance or accounting professional qualification will also be advantageous.

Required Competencies

• Analytics: Ability to interpret SAP and finance data, identify trends, reconcile information and convert findings into practical business insight.
• Data management: Understanding of finance master data, data quality, governance, hierarchies, reference data and data integrity across integrated systems.
• Tech savvy: Strong working knowledge of SAP finance functionality, connected reporting platforms and relevant Microsoft tools, with the ability to apply emerging technology appropriately.
• Financial management: Strong understanding of finance processes, reporting structures, controls, period-end activities, budgeting and forecasting requirements.
• Critical reasoning and problem solving: Ability to analyse complex system and process issues, identify root causes and develop practical, sustainable solutions.
• Integration: Ability to connect finance processes, SAP modules, data, interfaces, reporting platforms and stakeholders.
• Collaboration: Ability to work effectively with Finance, IM, business teams, governance functions, auditors and delivery partners.
• Communication: Ability to explain SAP issues, risks, data logic and recommendations clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Self-mastery: Takes accountability for delivery, professional judgement, learning, documentation and continuous improvement.
• Ability to influence stakeholders, challenge requirements constructively and provide clear recommendations to the Manager Integration and Systems.