Accountant Finance

Absa Group; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 350,000 - 550,000; Full time

Job summary

Absa Group is seeking a Finance Analyst to strengthen their financial capabilities. The role involves building financial models, improving operational efficiency, and delivering insightful financial reporting to support strategic initiatives. Candidates should hold a degree in Financial Sciences and possess at least 2 years of banking experience, preferably with skills in Excel and familiarity with SAP systems.

Qualifications

• Requires Financial Sciences degree or diploma.
• At least 2 years banking experience.
• Experience in finance processes and commercial innovation environments.

Responsibilities

• Develop financial models and perform reconciliations, analysis, and reporting.
• Contribute to finance planning, forecasting, and control processes.
• Engage stakeholders to ensure quality standards and reporting accuracy.

Skills

Excel proficiency

Financial analysis

Data-driven performance improvement

Education

Bachelor’s degree (NQF level 7)

Postgraduate degree (NQF level 8+), CA (SA), or CIMA

Tools

SAP BW

SAP GL

Job description

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

With over 100 years of rich history and a strong position 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 Summary

Specific Role Purpose: The role focuses on building financial models using historical data and product-related information based on various industry and internal inputs to support business cases, strategic initiatives, potential new products, and partnerships.

The Finance Analyst performs financial reconciliations, analysis, and reporting in an accurate, complete, and timely manner. They seek to improve operations by scaling automated financial processes, conducting deep dive and trend analyses, and crafting financial solutions aligned with all appropriate controls, business financial health, and growth objectives. The Finance Analyst provides finance and business leadership with sound financial information to support decision-making at all levels.

The Finance Analyst enables operational objectives by building agile finance capabilities to transform and bring stewardship, financial integrity, and insights to the current state and future possibilities of the business, delivering on the new operating model and achieving business objectives set by Absa Africa.

They co-create finance capabilities required for exponential growth and business effectiveness.

Job Description

Commercial Finance Execution Accountabilities

• Serve as a subject matter expert on financial data integrity, accounting processes, reconciliations, analysis, and reporting for end-to-end financial management.
• Develop and maintain knowledge of end-to-end processes and relevant systems within scope.
• Provide operational support to internal and external auditors; address queries effectively and efficiently.
• Ensure operational excellence and real-time responsiveness of finance to enable business growth and profitability.
• Prepare for all cycles in advance, engaging with relevant finance and business teams.
• Focus on data-driven performance improvement and create standardized, accessible views of information.
• Create seamless customer experiences via finance enablement.
• Embrace our brand aspiration and infuse it into the business.
• Identify and innovate operating practices to optimize functions, embracing digital solutions.
• Drive process efficiency, financial rigor, and controls.
• Adopt 'best for absa' practices in finance.
• Maintain a holistic view of the business ecosystem, including geography, customer, channel, and product.
• Contribute to building innovative financial case solutions, insights, and benefits tracking to inform management decisions.
• Transform and evolve finance planning, tracking, and control processes.
• Understand BU financial ambitions and balance sheet aspirations, reflecting them in performance reporting.
• Support core finance processes like planning, forecasting, and reporting.
• Integrate Treasury, Risk, and Finance data from a BU perspective where appropriate.
• Maintain stewardship and excellence to drive performance and sustainable growth.
• Contribute positively to society through business execution.
• Support BCM & cybersecurity processes relevant to BU and finance execution.

Financial Reporting Accountabilities

• Build trust in finance through a single source of verified financial information aligned with accounting principles.
• Create innovative, easy-to-understand reports on strategic and operational metrics.
• Engage stakeholders to ensure quality standards and resolve reporting issues.
• Deliver high-quality, timely reports and analytics to support business objectives.
• Ensure governance and control frameworks are followed; address deficiencies proactively.
• Develop control procedures for error-free reporting and improve accounting practices.
• Provide commercial insights and contextual analysis of reports.
• Use advanced modeling to generate actionable intelligence.
• Create finance narratives and insights to drive business growth and proposition development.
• Ensure accurate, relevant, and timely delivery of financial and non-financial information.
• Tell compelling stories with data, demonstrating deep understanding and clarity.
• Lead stakeholder engagement to evolve reporting processes and requirements.
• Manage regular, high-quality financial and non-financial reporting and analytics, ensuring effective collaboration.

People Investment Accountabilities

• Coach, inspire, and develop finance and business leaders.
• Network across GFD finance teams to promote collaboration and awareness of challenges and opportunities.
• Focus on evolving finance skills and relevance.
• Leverage finance partnerships in Big Data, analytics, M&A, and partnerships.
• Deepen understanding of financial metrics and engage with business to enhance financial literacy.

Role / Person Specification

• Bachelor’s degree (NQF level 7); Postgraduate degree (NQF level 8+), CA (SA), or CIMA preferred.
• At least 2 years banking experience.
• Skills and knowledge:
• Excel proficiency
• SAP BW & SAP GL experience advantageous
• Experience in finance processes and commercial innovation environments
• Broad finance knowledge including strategic, legal, risk, and operational aspects
• Understanding of financial services sector and collaborative work environments

Education

Financial Sciences degree or diploma required.

Absa Bank Limited is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and are committed to employment equity. Preference will be given to candidates from designated groups to promote demographic representation.

Absa Bank Limited reserves the right not to fill the position as advertised.