Finance and Assurance Manager

Network Finance; Gauteng; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 2,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Network Finance is recruiting for a permanent, head-office-based F&I Department Manager in South Africa. You will lead a specialist team, oversee credit risk, collections, compliance, and asset management, and collaborate with senior management, dealers and external financial institutions to structure opportunities with strong risk controls.

You will build governance, manage cross-border books, and drive departmental performance, reporting to the Executive Committee and guiding strategic client

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business Administration or an equivalent qualification.
• Minimum 5 years' experience in a similar role.
• Experience in credit, risk management, and portfolio management.
• Experience with cross-border finance and compliance frameworks.
• Strong leadership and team development capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead the daily operations of the F&I department with governance and policy adherence.
• Oversee credit risk, collections, compliance, asset management and financial assistance activities.
• Manage internal and external funded books across SA and cross-border clients.
• Drive revenue growth through opportunities, pricing optimisation and cost-saving initiatives.

Skills

Credit analysis

Risk management

Portfolio management

Cross-border finance

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree (Finance/Accounting/Economics/Business Admin)

Tools

Microsoft Office

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Our client is a leading international automotive organisation with a growing presence in South Africa and cross-border markets. The business operates within a dynamic, highly regulated environment and places a strong emphasis on financial governance, risk management, operational excellence and sustainable commercial growth.
As the F&I Department Manager, you will lead the department and provide strategic and operational oversight across credit risk, collections, compliance, asset management and financial assistance activities. You will work closely with senior management, sales teams, customers, dealers and external financial institutions to ensure that opportunities are structured effectively while maintaining appropriate risk controls.
This is a permanent, head-office-based opportunity offering the chance to influence the direction and performance of a critical business function while leading and developing a specialist team.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the daily operations of the F&I department, ensuring efficient workflows, strong governance and adherence to company policies and procedures.
• Oversee credit and risk management, including financial analysis, credit scoring, risk grading, credit limits, approvals and portfolio reviews.
• Manage both internally managed and externally funded books across South African and cross-border clients, monitoring exposure, approvals and available limits.
• Oversee collections, arrears, recoveries and debtor management to minimise bad debt and improve portfolio performance.
• Prepare and present detailed departmental performance reports to the Executive Committee, highlighting achievements, risks, challenges and areas for improvement.
• Partner with the sales team on new opportunities, deal structuring and strategic client engagements, providing expert credit and risk guidance.
• Ensure compliance across contractual documentation, security registrations, validations, fulfilment and monthly covenants.
• Maintain audit readiness through effective management of registers, files and supporting documentation.
• Oversee legal processes relating to client communications, repossessions and attorney correspondence.
• Manage vehicle and asset administration, including registrations, tracking, security, audits and release of relevant documentation.
• Oversee procurement requests, purchase orders and vendor payments, ensuring compliance with internal approval processes.
• Lead, mentor and develop the F&I team while supporting succession planning and operational continuity.
• Conduct industry and market research to identify regulatory, commercial and financial trends that may impact the business.
• Build relationships with external financial institutions where applicable.
• Drive departmental revenue growth through new business opportunities, pricing optimisation and cost-saving initiatives.

Job Experience and Skills Required:

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business Administration or an equivalent qualification.

Experience

• Minimum 5 years' experience in a similar role.
• Proven experience in credit, financial analysis, risk management and portfolio management.
• Experience managing cross-border finance and compliance frameworks.
• Experience leading, mentoring and developing a team.
• Strong exposure to collections, arrears, recoveries and debtor management would be advantageous.
• Experience within the automotive, vehicle finance, financial services or related credit environment would be highly beneficial.

Skills

• Strong financial analysis and credit assessment capability.
• Excellent credit scoring and portfolio management skills.
• Strong understanding of compliance, legal documentation and audit readiness.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement, negotiation and communication skills.
• Strategic and commercial thinking, with the ability to align departmental objectives to broader business goals.
• Strong reporting and presentation capabilities.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office.

Other

• Valid Code 8 driver's licence.
• Ability to operate effectively across South African and cross-border environments.
• Strong attention to detail, accuracy and risk awareness.
• Ability to manage competing priorities within a fast-paced environment.

Why this opportunity?

This is more than a traditional F&I leadership role. You will sit at the intersection of finance, credit, risk, collections, compliance and commercial strategy, with direct influence over how the business manages risk while unlocking new opportunities. If you are ready to take ownership of a critical function and lead a team within an international automotive environment, this could be your next career move.