Digital Innovation & Transformation Analyst

PPS Recruitment; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 420,000 - 640,000; Full time

Job summary

PPS Recruitment is seeking a Digital Innovation & Transformation Analyst to support the Senior Manager in identifying and enabling digital innovation opportunities across the organisation. You will translate business needs into digital solutions, AI-driven initiatives and automation aligned with strategy and governance.

The role involves collaborating with business and IT, delivering data‑driven insights and validating concepts in agile cycles.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Information Systems, Information Technology, Computer Science, Business, Engineering or a related field.
• Introductory training in design thinking, agile delivery, AI or automation is advantageous, not essential.

Responsibilities

• Identify opportunities for digital innovation, AI and automation by clarifying business needs, mapping processes and user journeys, and recommending suitable use cases and AI solutions.
• Develop lightweight business cases for digital, AI and automation initiatives, evaluating financial benefits, cost savings and risks.
• Document requirements and assess feasibility, governance alignment and validation through user feedback and proofs‑of‑concept.
• Support pilots and experiments using agile methods and approved tools (e.g., Copilot, Power Automate).
• Monitor adoption and communicate insights from data with stakeholders.

Skills

Design thinking

Business process analysis

User-centered problem solving

Requirements gathering

Excel data analysis

Power BI

Communication

Python

SQL

AI ethics

Education

Bachelor's degree in Information Systems/IT/CS/Engineering

Tools

Power Platform

Copilot Studio

Power Automate

SharePoint

Power Query

Microsoft Forms

Job description

Details

Closing Date 2026/11/09

Reference Number PPS261102-4

Job Type Permanent

Job Title Digital Innovation & Transformation Analyst

Business Unit PPS InsCo

Department Group IT

Location - Country South Africa

Location - Province Gauteng

Location - Town / City Johannesburg, Parktown

Job Advert Summary

To support the Senior Manager: Digital Innovation & Transformation by identifying, analysing and enabling digital innovation opportunities across the organisation. The role translates business needs into digital solutions, AI-driven initiatives and automation opportunities aligned with business strategy, operational priorities, AI governance, risk and compliance requirements. Working closely with business and IT stakeholders, the analyst supports data-driven innovation, process optimisation and scalable solutions using agile methods and approved modern technologies. The role contributes to discovery, business cases, experimentation, approved implementation and adoption under guidance; it does not own enterprise strategy, approve AI risk or authorise production deployment.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems, Information Technology, Computer Science, Business, Engineering or a related field. Introductory training in design thinking, agile delivery, AI or automation is advantageous, not essential.

Preferred Certifications (not mandatory):

• Microsoft Power Platform
• Microsoft 365 Copilot and Agent Administration

Experience:

• 0–2 years’ experience in digital innovation, business analysis, technology, automation, enablement or transformation support.
• Internships, graduate programmes, academic projects or a practical portfolio demonstrating problem-solving and solution building are acceptable.
• Exposure to AI agents, low-code tools, workflow automation, user research or digital adoption is advantageous; enterprise leadership experience is not required.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Foundational understanding of design thinking, business process analysis, experimentation and user-centred problem-solving.
• Ability to turn a business problem into clear requirements, a simple prototype and structured test scenarios.
• Ability to work with data and communicate insights using Excel; exposure to SharePoint, Power Query, Microsoft Forms, Copilot Studio or Power Automate is advantageous.
• Ability to visualise data and communicate actionable insights using Power BI dashboards and reports.
• Clear written, verbal and presentation skills, including documenting solutions and explaining them to non-technical users.
• Foundational awareness of ethical and responsible AI, accountability, data privacy and protection, security, access control, and organisational and regulatory compliance requirements.
• Foundational coding skills in Python and SQL, with the ability to query, clean, analyse and transform data, and support simple automation and AI prototypes.

Duties and Responsibilities

Innovation Opportunity Identification & Enablement

• Support innovation jams, hackathons, design-thinking workshops and challenge-based problem-solving; capture ideas, actions and follow-up requirements.
• Identify opportunities for digital innovation, process improvement, AI and automation by clarifying business needs, mapping processes and user journeys, and recommending suitable use cases and AI solutions.
• Maintain an innovation backlog; align proposed initiatives with business strategy and operational priorities, and support prioritisation with business and IT stakeholders.

Business Analysis & Case Development

• Research AI, automation and related technology trends, including relevant Gartner insights, and recommend practical applications to inform decision-making and innovation strategy.
• Develop lightweight business cases for digital, AI and automation initiatives, evaluating financial benefits, cost savings, efficiency gains, implementation and ongoing costs, assumptions and risks.
• Document requirements and assess feasibility, enterprise architecture alignment and governance standards with relevant teams; validate early-stage opportunities through user feedback and proofs-of-concept.

Experimentation, AI & Automation Enablement

• Support digital pilots and AI experiments; build and refine supervised prototypes, AI agents and automation solutions using agile methods and approved tools, including Microsoft Copilot, Copilot Studio and Power Automate.
• Support process simplification initiatives, such as employee onboarding automation and design-thinking agents, from requirements and design to testing and handover.
• Document designs, prompts, workflows and test results; coordinate user testing, evaluate solution performance and business value, and assess suitability for scaling with relevant technical and business teams.

AI Governance & Responsible AI

• Support AI use‑case intake, agent inventory and named ownership records; check submission completeness and maintain evidence of organisational, regulatory and governance requirements.
• Work with risk, compliance, security and IT teams to identify and manage AI‑related risks, including data privacy and protection, security and access control; maintain governance trackers and automate assessment follow‑ups and decision notifications.
• Promote ethical and responsible use of data and AI, including accountability and security. Check that pilots and solutions meet applicable organisational, regulatory, governance and enterprise standards; elevate gaps and obtain required approvals before release. Risk acceptance and production authorisation remain with authorised teams.

Digital Enablement & Adoption

• Support Microsoft Copilot and Whatfix enablement, including onboarding materials, in‑application guidance and user readiness activities.
• Assist with lunch‑and‑learn sessions, demonstrations, AI awareness campaigns and practical guidance on responsible use.
• Monitor usage, engagement and user feedback; identify adoption barriers and recommend improvements with business, UX and change stakeholders.

Data, AI & Trend Analysis, Value Tracking & Reporting

• Analyse data from digital platforms and business processes, including usage, adoption and governance data; produce Excel or Power BI dashboards and insights to support decision-making, process optimisation and innovation strategy.

Evaluate pilot and automation outcomes for business value and performance; track costs, cost savings, efficiency gains, adoption and expected benefits against agreed baselines, distinguishing prototypes from approved production solutions.

Federated Collaboration & Continuous Improvement

• Work with business, IT, architecture, security and change teams to coordinate delivery, maintain actions and share reusable solutions and lessons learned.
• Keep learning about AI, automation, design thinking and digital adoption; recommend practical improvements and take responsibility for defined tasks under guidance.