Specialist: Management Accounting

Job Description

Management Reporting Accountabilities

• 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 alignment to the agreed accounting principles, methodologies, and underlying data are correctly applied.
• 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.
• Own the process of delivery of high-quality information for regular and ad-hoc enhanced reporting to agreed requirements, timelines, and standards.
• Validate all 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; and build pioneering new propositions.
• Take a commercial view on business and provide contextual insights into performance reports.
• Prepare financial results for senior stakeholders highlighting performance against plans, prior performance and providing meaningful insights on possible risks and opportunities for the near future
• Interact with the stakeholders to agree minimum quality standards, as well as an agreed method of communicating and resolving any identified quality deficiencies in the reporting process.
• Act in line with the correct governance and control frameworks across the Finance team, as well as for proactively addressing any deficiencies and exceptions.
• Ensure that the CFO is appraised of key financial issues that need to be raised with executive leadership to enable integrity and timely management the BU.
• Know BU financial ambitions and balance sheet aspirations of Everyday Banking Financial in performance reporting.
• Focus on information-driven performance improvement and formulate data into easy access standardised views.
• Maintain stewardship and excellence which drives performance and sustainable growth through preservation of financial integrity.

Financial Planning and Budgeting

• Provide analysis and input on financial planning and budgeting
• Prepare periodic forecast/outlooks, formal STP (Short Term Plan) and RAF (Revised Annual Forecast) as well as STP and RAF capture into the system

Control Environment

• GL Structure clean-up which includes “removing” of un-used cost centres, PLUS ownership of GL Structure in terms of changes (new cost centres, etc.)
• Facilitating the opening of GL accounts
• Mandates maintenance.

Role / Person Specification

• Strong financial reporting skills
• Problem solving and efficiency improving
• Client service drive
• Strong product knowledge
• Strong communication skills
• Analytical and detailed focused
• Knowledge of building collaborative work environments

Competencies: 

• Personal & Interpersonal Skills
• Business Skills
• Technical Knowledge

Education

• Minimum B-degree (NQF level no.7)
• Preferred/Desired Post Graduate Degree (NQF level no.8+), CA (SA) or CIMA or MBA qualification preferred.
• 2+ years post qualification experience (preferably in banking)

EducationBachelor`s Degrees and Advanced Diplomas: Financial Sciences (Required)

xecutive Financial Decision Support

Empowering Africa’s tomorrow, together…one story at a time.

With over 100 years of rich history and strongly positioned as a local bank with regional and international expertise, a career with our family offers the opportunity to be part of this exciting growth journey, to reset our future and shape our destiny as a proudly African group.

Job SummaryThe Senior Cost and Productivity Head will lead the Absa Regional Operations (ARO) cost management and productivity enhancement efforts. This role will focus on identifying and implementing cost-saving opportunities, improving business efficiency, and ensuring accurate cost attribution at product and business levels. Reporting to the ARO CFO, the role demands strategic thinking, analytical excellence, and project management capabilities to drive meaningful financial and operational outcomes.

This position represents a unique opportunity for a high-caliber individual to shape the financial and operational efficiency of the ARO business while contributing significantly to its strategic objectives.

Job Description

Cost Management

• Cost Savings & Execution:
• Identify cost-saving opportunities across ARO.
• Oversee the execution of cost-reduction initiatives to ensure delivery against targets.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to embed a cost-conscious culture.

Benchmarking & Insights:

• Conduct benchmarking exercises to identify areas of over- and under-investment.
• Provide actionable insights and recommendations to improve financial performance.

Cost Planning & Forecasting:

• Lead the annual cost planning and forecasting processes.
• Develop robust cost models to support decision-making.

Cost Accounting & Analysis:

• Ensure accurate monthly cost accounting and variance analysis.
• Deliver insightful cost reports to support business decisions.

Productivity Management

• Productivity Program Oversight:
• Lead ARO’s productivity program to improve efficiency and profitability.
• Assess the commercial viability of proposed productivity initiatives.

 Tracking & Reporting:

• Track the execution and commercial realization of approved productivity initiatives.
• Report regularly on the progress and impact of the program.

Budget Allocation:

• Allocate budgets effectively to maximize efficiency gains.

Cost Attribution & Allocation

• Cost to Do Business:
• Calculate and report the cost of doing business at a product and transaction level.
• Identify and measure key cost drivers.

Cost Allocation:

• Develop and implement cost allocation methodologies to distribute costs between business units and to product levels to enable franchise level profitability reporting.
• Provide insights into the financial impact of cost drivers

Qualification

• Chartered Accountant (CA) or a recognized cost management qualification.

Experience:

• Proven track record of successful cost management and / or achieving efficiency gains.
• Extensive experience in cost planning, forecasting, and financial analysis.
• Demonstrated success in managing complex programs and delivering measurable outcomes.

 Skills:

• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills.
• Proficiency in benchmarking and cost analysis methodologies.
• Advanced project management skills to coordinate across complex, matrixed environments.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.

Personal Attributes:

• High level of integrity and accountability.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Proactive, self-motivated, and results-driven.
• Ability to navigate and influence within a complex organizational structure.

Education

Absa Bank Limited is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. In compliance with the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998, preference will be given to suitable candidates from designated groups whose appointments will contribute towards achievement of equitable demographic representation of our workforce profile and add to the diversity of the Bank.

Absa Bank Limited reserves the right not to make an appointment to the post as advertised

Senior Business Partner Alternative channels

Empowering Africa’s tomorrow, together…one story at a time.

With over 100 years of rich history and strongly positioned as a local bank with regional and international expertise, a career with our family offers the opportunity to be part of this exciting growth journey, to reset our future and shape our destiny as a proudly African group.

Job SummaryThe purpose of the role will be focused on reporting of management information within Everyday Banking Financial Decision Support (FDS). This central team provides continuous decision support for Exco and senior management within Everyday Banking.
This role will manage monthly reporting processes and the end-to-end planning processes from forecasting thought leadership, to planning, monitoring and evaluation throughout the annual financial calendar. This includes focus on business analysis and insights to providing business intelligence to inform and influence leadership decisions, all while reducing financial risk. The incumbent is expected to optimise the process efficiency and improvement. It will further include commercial financial modelling.
The incumbent partners with the CFO and is responsible for end-to-end financial management, including developing forward-thinking analysis, generating management reports, statutory compliance, scaling automated financial processes to crafting financial strategies aligned to business financial health and growth objectives within his/her function of the BU, and ensures that business makes sound financial decisions.

Job Description

Job Description

Commercial Finance Execution Accountabilities

•    Responsible for tactical strategy and the navigation of multiple/complex leadership relevant across his/her function of the BU.

•    Leveraging tactical and practice integration, accountable to optimise the function. Co-accountable with CFO and Executive Head for business growth and profitability.

•    Ensure that the CFO is appraised of key financial issues that need to be raised with executive leadership to enable integrity and timely management the BU.

•    Deliver on our Customer Promise by creating unprecedented, seamless experiences.

•    Embrace our distinctive brand aspiration and infuse in business.

•    Implementation and creating of global best operating practices.

•    Drive continuous process efficiency, financial rigor and controls. Pioneer and implement Finance best practices, digital solutions and effective change enablement. Build a scalable, digitally led business.

•    Drive cost management objectives for function within the BU.

•    Contribute to functional strategy, create a shared purpose and identity for function; one family doing what’s ‘best for absa’.

•    Adopt an eco-system mandate: (geography, customer, channel and product) of business area.

•    Book of work contribution: Partner with leaders on financial decisions and implications of business strategies, investments, trade-offs, efficiency and scale initiatives, including process and systems transformation. Ensure alignment of core business with future business and technology changes and align vendor roadmaps to ensure the achievement thereof.

•    Accountable for ensuring an optimal and compliant control environment within business unit that appropriately balances risk appetites and customer demand with the need to grow to achieve the financial ambitions and balance sheet aspirations of Everyday Banking.

•    Lead all aspects of the core finance processes for Everyday Banking Finance (annual planning, forecasting, spend trajectory and reporting), and partner with the business leaders to evaluate the productivity of operations, enable wise resource allocation, and drive intelligent scenario planning.

•    Stimulate a leadership context of solid understanding of the markets/segments/customers/products to help drive financial growth, performs product and customer profitability analysis to assist with business decisions. Build capability to partner with business to identify opportunities to utilise relevant solutions to innovate new products and services with the intent of driving customer value and revenue.

•    Whenever necessary, participate in negotiations with partners as well as suppliers or contractors within appropriate role scope.

•    Foster strong relationships with business units by establishing a customer service culture within the commercial finance team.

•    Influence integration of Treasury, Risk, and Finance from a BU perspective.

•    Influence the build of a leading global payments hub, where applicable.

•    Maintain stewardship and excellence which drives performance and sustainable growth through preservation of financial integrity.

•    Leverage BU to help shape society by developing innovative solutions to societal challenges; and expand and augment existing capabilities.

Financial Reporting Accountabilities

•    Partner with leaders to define, optimize and monitor progress on their strategic agenda, short-term and long-term plans and investments, operational success metrics, efficiencies, risks and mitigations.

•    Seek advanced modelling and analysis capability to provide actionable intelligence, beyond data within the function.

•    Develop finance narratives and insights driving business; and build pioneering new propositions.

•    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.

•    Deliver reporting reflecting deep commercial, holistic understanding, coherency, clarity, and contextualisation. Tell the story with passion and conviction.

•    Provide thought-leadership, insight, influence and challenge on evolving stakeholder information requirements and reporting processes to deliver analytics.

•    Drive the stakeholder engagement and processes around month-end, year-end and planning cycles across Everyday Banking.  Prepare for all cycles in advance and ensure adequate engagement with the relevant finance and BU teams.

•    Integrate the production of regular, high quality, standardised financial and non-financial reporting and analytics to Business and Finance.

People Investment Accountabilities

•    Coach, inspire, engage, mentor and develop finance and business savvy leaders.

•    Play to our A-Game culture of Culture of inclusivity, diversity, entrepreneurship, and ownership.

•    People Promise will be integral to our business. Focus on Finance skills development and succession.

•    Integrate Big Data and Advanced Analytics into the core of our business.

•    Develop specialised Finance skills to support mergers and acquisitions, and partnership capabilities to drive opportunity.

•    Provide thought leadership to the industry and aim to create industry benchmark standards.

•    Be an enabler of capabilities, talent and service level to fulfil business and functional responsibilities in an innovative efficient manner.

•    Lead the Finance team in obtaining a holistic view of Everyday Banking, whilst ensuring that each direct report maintains an in-depth understanding of his/her own functional area.

•    Regularly engage with the other finance and BU teams regarding the process surrounding demand management, ensuring that adequate controls are in place to ensure effective utilisation of the Finance team’s resources.

•    Embed the correct governance and control frameworks across the Finance team, as well as for proactively addressing any deficiencies and exceptions.

•    Build BU leadership capability by influencing deep 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 engagement. Hold BU managers accountable for ensuring adaptability of the team to changes in external regulatory requirements and business performance outlook.

Knowledge and skills:

•    Experience in business transformation contexts related to exponential business growth

•    Experience in commercial innovation environments

•    Broad Finance including strategic, commercial, legal, risk and operational aspects

•    Ability to build, develop & lead professional level teams 

•    Understanding of the financial services sector within a professional business environment

•    Knowledge of people change management

Education

•    Minimum B-degree (NQF level no.7) Desired Post Graduate Degree (NQF level no.8+), CA (SA) or CIMA or MBA qualification preferred.

Role / Person Specification

•    5+ years professional financial management experience

•    5+ years Banking Experience at a management level

•    Preferred team lead in Finance Function teams or in professional environments

EducationPostgraduate Degrees and Professional Qualifications: Financial Sciences (Required)

Absa Bank Limited is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. In compliance with the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998, preference will be given to suitable candidates from designated groups whose appointments will contribute towards achievement of equitable demographic representation of our workforce profile and add to the diversity of the Bank.

Absa Bank Limited reserves the right not to make an appointment to the post as advertised

Senior Specialist: Finance and Performance

Empowering Africa’s tomorrow, together…one story at a time.

With over 100 years of rich history and strongly positioned as a local bank with regional and international expertise, a career with our family offers the opportunity to be part of this exciting growth journey, to reset our future and shape our destiny as a proudly African group.

Job SummaryTo provide financial leadership and support to the business. Provide guidance from a financial perspective to the business around cost measurement for their business strategic goals. Drive operational understanding of the financial impact of decisions made. Drive the businesses’ financial objectives by providing accurate value add around financial management information and analysis. Drive efficiencies to meet cost savings initiatives.

Job Description

Accountability: Financial Leadership and Support to business 30%

• Provide direction to the business executive committee members (all Infra heads) based on analytical review of the business performance and an understanding of key cost drivers.
• Provide clear direction to business heads on what the business requirements and imperatives are by translating current business performance into actionable business objectives aimed at driving, improving performance.
• Represent the business units to negotiate and secure the costs budget and plans for the business unit and together with the Business ME take accountability to ensure the delivery on the promised business results.
• Negotiate with the various stakeholders on their cost targets set and drive the overall achievement of their performance objectives in the business unit through the performance management function within the required business parameters.
• Drive change proactively aimed at continuous improvement and cost saving initiatives in all areas of the business.
• Management and reporting of the Group recharges and recoveries
• Negotiation and management of Group recharges, and driving of interlocks between Business Units
• Management and finalisation of the Group recharges and recoveries during the planning process

Accountability: Risk Management 10%

• Act as sponsor for the area’s Risk Management Control Framework and manage and ensure compliance of the relevant policies
• Implement areas identified in the review of audit issue/findings logs and ensure adequate attention is given to closure within the agreed timelines by the accountable incumbent within the team.

 Accountability: Financial management and Business Partnering 30%

• Working with business unit heads to define the cost centre structures and rollup/consolidation to effectively manage the businesses’ performance
• Working with business unit heads to determine their performance reporting (financial and non-financial) needs and agree deliverables on an annual basis
• Define and design BU’s management reports
• Ensure “one version of the truth” for all reporting and that management reporting reconciles/agrees to reports produced within other areas of the business
• Review management reports for the different business units and discuss major variances on cost with business unit heads to gain an understanding of the reasons
• Review quality of and provide input into the BU’s Exco pack with a focus on the variances, reasons for variances and overall business performance of the cluster.
• Review transfer pricing arrangements in place for group functions charging to the BU’s and recharges from the cluster to other business areas.
• Lead investigations into cost saving initiatives and make comprehensive recommendations to the business

Accountability: Planning Processes and Stakeholders management 20%

• Preparation and planning of the planning cycle in line with the Group timelines
• Socialising and interlocking the Infra cost drivers with Front Office
• Preparation and consolidation of budget packs, and the arrangement and coordination of the Budget meetings
• Management and the finalisation of the cost shape, through the check and challenge of the Business Unit’s costs.

Accountability: People management 10%

• Talent Retention and performance management
• Coaching and mentoring

Education and Experience Required

• Minimum B-degree (NQF level no.7) Desired Post Graduate Degree (NQF level no.8+), CA (SA) or CIMA or MBA qualification preferred.
• 5+ years professional financial management experience
• 5+ years Banking Experience at a management level
• Preferred team lead in Finance Function teams or in professional environments
• Broad Finance including strategic, commercial, legal, risk and operational aspects
• Ability to build, develop & lead professional level teams
• Understanding of the financial services sector within a professional business environment
• Knowledge of people change management

Knowledge & Skills:

• Banking regulation
• Writing & reporting
• Presentation skills
• Understanding of systems used
• Understanding of relevant legislation
• Understanding of corporate controls and checks
• Excellent organisational skills
• Excellent communication skills
• Relationship management and networking
• Strong performance management and coaching skills
• Ability to think creatively
• Ability to react positively under pressure

EducationPostgraduate Degrees and Professional Qualifications: Financial Sciences (Required)

Absa Bank Limited is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. In compliance with the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998, preference will be given to suitable candidates from designated groups whose appointments will contribute towards achievement of equitable demographic representation of our workforce profile and add to the diversity of the Bank.

Absa Bank Limited reserves the right not to make an appointment to the post as advertised

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