FP&A Analyst

Symbiotics; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 420,000 - 540,000; Full time

Job summary

Symbiotics is seeking an FP&A Analyst to join the Financial Planning & Analysis team in our Cape Town office. You will support budgeting, forecasting and management reporting for the Group, collaborating with business unit finance teams to inform strategic decisions.

The role is hands-on, focusing on closing analytics, KPI tracking, and creating well-structured reporting packs. You will become a power-user of Vena, maintaining data quality and templates across the Group.

Qualifications

• 2–4 years of finance experience, ideally including FP&A, financial reporting or business analysis.
• Highly structured and organised with a track record of meeting deadlines and data inputs.
• Degree in finance, accounting, economics or related field; pursuing ACCA/CFA/CIMA is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Prepare monthly closing analytics, variance analysis and management commentary with high accuracy.
• Maintain KPI dashboards (AUM growth, revenue yield, cost-to-income, profitability) on BI platform and Board scorecard.
• Build and maintain reporting packs and templates for finance colleagues to reuse.

Skills

Analytical mindset

Attention to detail

English fluency

Education

Bachelor's degree in finance/economics

Pursuing ACCA/CFA/CIMA (advantage)

Tools

Vena

Excel

Power BI

Anaplan

Jedox

Job description

Symbiotics is the leading market access platform for impact investing, dedicated to private markets in emerging and frontier economies. The Group offers investment, asset management and capacity building services. Since 2005, we have originated over 9,200 investments representing more than USD 11.8 billion for 662 companies in 99 countries. We manage an aggregate portfolio of USD 2.5 billion spread across 19 funds and mandates. Our portfolio companies have also benefited from over 170 technical assistance projects worth more than USD 19 million.

About The Role

We are looking for an FP&A Analyst to join our Financial Planning & Analysis function, based in our Cape Town office and reporting to the FP&A Manager. You will support budgeting, forecasting and management reporting for the Group, working closely with business unit finance teams and contributing directly to the numbers, models and materials that inform decisions at the highest level.

This is a hands-on, execution-focused role. You will bring structure and rigour to recurring FP&A processes — closing analytics, variance reporting, KPI tracking and forecast consolidation — so that the function runs on time, every time, and the FP&A Manager can rely on a well‑organised base to build on.

Our FP&A platform (Vena) is already deployed. You will become a power-user of the tool, maintaining data quality, templates and reporting packs, and helping extend its use across the Group.

Context: Regulated environment, with FINMA as the principal regulator and additional oversight by local authorities in Group entities.

Existing finance stack: Vena (FP&A, in production), with consolidation and ERP tools currently in use — details shared during the process.

You will be the first dedicated Analyst supporting the newly appointed FP&A Manager, with room to shape how the role develops as the team scales.

Reporting & Analysis

• Prepare monthly closing analytics, variance analysis and management commentary, on schedule and with a high standard of accuracy.
• Maintain and update KPI dashboards (AUM growth, revenue yield, cost-to-income, business line profitability) on the BI platform and in the Board Balanced Scorecard.
• Build and maintain clear, well-documented reporting packs and templates that others in the finance function can rely on and reuse.

Budgeting & Forecasting Support

• Support the annual budget, mid-term plan and rolling forecast cycles: data collection, consolidation, quality checks and first-level analysis.
• Maintain rolling forecast models and driver-based planning templates in Vena, ensuring inputs are complete, consistent and delivered on time.
• Assist in preparing Board and Executive Committee materials, ensuring figures are accurate, sourced and reconciled before submission.

Process & Organisation

• Own the FP&A reporting calendar: track deadlines, chase inputs from business units, and flag risks to timelines early.
• Bring structure to recurring workflows — standardising templates, checklists and version control across planning cycles.
• Continuously look for ways to simplify and tighten processes, working closely with the FP&A Manager to embed best practice in the use of Vena.

Requirements

• Around 2-4 years of finance experience, ideally including exposure to FP&A, financial reporting or business analysis; financial services or asset management experience is a plus but not required.
• Highly structured and organised, with a track record of managing multiple deadlines and data inputs without things slipping through the cracks.
• Hands-on and detail-oriented: comfortable working directly in the models and the data, not just reviewing outputs.
• Working knowledge of an EPM/FP&A platform (Vena, Anaplan, Jedox or equivalent) is an advantage; willingness to become a power-user of Vena is essential.
• Strong Excel skills; familiarity with BI tools (Power BI preferred) is a plus.
• Good analytical skills and a genuine interest in understanding the numbers behind the business, not just producing them.
• Degree in finance, accounting, economics or a related field; progress toward a professional qualification (ACCA, CFA, CIMA or equivalent) is an advantage.
• Fluent business English required (working language of the Group); working French an advantage.

What Makes Us Different?

A formative role within a lean, international FP&A function, working closely with and mentored by the FP&A Manager.

Direct exposure to Group-wide budgeting, forecasting and Board reporting processes from day one.

The opportunity to grow into a broader FP&A or business-partnering role as the team and platform mature.

Competitive compensation, calibrated to the Cape Town market.