SOX & Internal Controls Analyst: Build Stronger Controls

Lesaka Technologies; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 380,000 - 520,000; Full time

Job summary

Lesaka Technologies is seeking a SOX & Internal Controls Analyst to support documentation, monitoring and remediation of the Merchant SOX program in South Africa. You will work with Finance teams, process owners and auditors to document processes, conduct walkthroughs and testing, and maintain evidence for control effectiveness.

The role is development-focused, with increasing responsibility over assigned SOX workstreams while management retains ownership of processes and controls.

Qualifications

• BCom Accounting, BCom Internal Audit, BCom Finance or equivalent degree.
• Progress toward CA(SA), CIA or CISA advantageous.
• Approximately two to three years of relevant experience in external audit, internal audit, SOX, risk, internal controls or related assurance work.
• Big Four or large audit firm experience is advantageous but not required.
• Exposure to financial services, fintech, payments or high-volume transaction environments is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and maintain risk and control matrices, process narratives, process flowcharts and control descriptions under the direction of the Senior Manager.
• Maintain control-owner registers, walkthrough and testing documentation, remediation trackers and evidence repositories.
• Perform quality checks to confirm that documentation is accurate, current and reflects actual business processes, and elevate identified gaps.
• Support and document process walkthroughs with control owners, including how transactions originate, the systems used, relevant financial reporting risks, key controls and supporting evidence.
• Document control ownership, performance, review and exception-management arrangements, and identify where documented processes differ from actual practice.
• Escalate control gaps, inconsistencies and potential changes in financial reporting risk identified during walkthroughs.
• Perform risk-based management testing of control design, implementation and operating effectiveness under the direction of the Senior Manager.
• Perform assigned testing procedures, including population and sample validation, evidence inspection, re-performance, inquiry, observation and exception identification.
• Assess management review controls, including their level of precision, and evaluate relevant completeness and accuracy controls over information used in control performance.
• Perform testing allocated through the approved testing plan and maintain appropriate objectivity where the Merchant SOX team has assisted with control design or remediation.
• Promptly disclose any involvement in the design or remediation of an assigned control so that testing can be appropriately evaluated or reallocated.
• Prepare clear, accurate and appropriately supported testing workpapers for Senior Manager review and potential use by Group SOX, Internal Audit or external audit.02
• Maintain the SOX remediation tracker and obtain regular progress updates from accountable business owners.
• Collect and assess implementation evidence and flag actions that are not supported by evidence that the revised process or control has been implemented.
• Identify overdue actions, perform timely follow-ups, escalation delays to the Senior Manager and support risk-based post-remediation monitoring.
• Prepare remediation evidence and preliminary validation results for Senior Manager review and the applicable closure process.
• Coordinate evidence collection across Merchant and check that evidence is complete, appropriately dated, clearly linked to the relevant control and retained in the designated repository.
• Perform evidence quality checks and elevate deficiencies before submission for further review or testing.
• Identify weak or incomplete evidence early and support control owners in understanding the evidence requirements without preparing or performing the control on their behalf.
• Support the coordination and timely resolution of Group SOX, Internal Audit and external audit requests.
• Maintain information-request trackers, including accountable owners, deadlines, submission status, outstanding queries and closure status.
• Coordinate meetings and walkthroughs and follow up on requested information before agreed deadlines.
• Maintain complete and accurate data supporting the Merchant SOX dashboard and status reporting.
• Track open and overdue findings, management testing, control failures, remediation progress, outstanding information requests and recurring matters.
• Prepare periodic status reporting and analysis for review by the Senior Manager.
• Identify potential control gaps, inefficient manual activities, duplicate controls, missing approvals, segregation-of-duties concerns, weak evidence and inconsistent practices.
• Identify opportunities for system-enabled controls, standardisation and more efficient and sustainable control execution.
• Support the analysis and resolution of control problems while ensuring that accountable business owners approve and implement process and control changes.
• Support control owners in understanding control requirements, performance frequency, review responsibilities and escalation expectations.
• Provide guidance on evidence retention and exception-documentation requirements.
• Provide approved templates, examples and guidance to support consistent control execution without assuming ownership of the control.

Skills

Excel skills

Power BI

Visio

Process mapping tools

GRC/SOX platform experience

Analytical thinking

Stakeholder engagement

Education

BCom Accounting / BCom Internal Audit / BCom Finance

Tools

Excel

Power BI

Visio

GRC/SOX platform

Process mapping tools

Job description

Lesaka Technologies is seeking a SOX & Internal Controls Analyst to support documentation, monitoring and remediation of the Merchant SOX program in South Africa. You will work with Finance teams, process owners and auditors to document processes, conduct walkthroughs and testing, and maintain evidence for control effectiveness.

The role is development-focused, with increasing responsibility over assigned SOX workstreams while management retains ownership of processes and controls.