General Manager: Financial Planning, Analysis and Reporting and Controlling

Large Telecommunications Company  is seeking a General Manager: Financial Planning, Analysis and Reporting and Controlling

The role:

The role is responsible for Consolidation of the MTN SA business planning and performance by ensuring that key business issues are reconciled, recommendations are proposed and the Management Information (MI) is prepared in order to support effective insight and conversations for the periodic business review.

This role is expected to have a clear grasp of current business performance and leverage opportunities to improve business performance through delivery of the agreed strategy.

Create strategic capacity with regards to strategic financial planning and modelling, Reporting and Profitability Growth Management.

Manage the development of the business information model with regards to the future state and comparison to the current state in line with the Finance strategy.

This role will help drive the direction and scope for Finance information with a forward-looking view, including the migration to the next generation of Oracle.

Key Performance Areas: Core, essential responsibilities / outputs of the position (KPA’s)

1.1. Financial Planning Budgeting & Forecasting
1.1.1. Strategic & Financial Planning
• Assume ownership of and drive the business plan of MTN SA in alignment to organisational strategic goals and objectives
• Develop Machine-Enabled Forecasting / Planning Data Collection for short-term strategic view and ensure organisational alignment to company plan
• Drive the yearly business planning process to ensure that there is strategic alignment. Participate in the 5-year process to ensure delivery on the 5-year business plans
• Schedule and manage the financial planning process
• Collate divisional inputs and compile integrated MTN SA Financial plan that supports the overall Strategic Plan
• Define and monitor the inputs for the MTN SA business plan on a monthly and quarterly basis to account for changes and actual performance to plan
• Evaluate potential impacts of new business opportunities on Business Plan and support the development of correspondent business cases for EXCO approval
• Design and Co-ordinate the cascading of the business plan targets and KPI’s to the relevant business units
• Ensure an efficient and proper financial planning process and financial analysis
• Consider opportunities for MTN SA to expand or grow, mapping outgrowth plans, including capital expenditures and investments. Generating, monthly, quarterly, annual, three- to five-year financial forecasts.
• Enable machine Enabled Budgeting Data Collection / Reporting
• Enable automated (partial) Scenario Planning and Visualization
• Provide future-oriented, Long-Range Operating / Business Plan using Predictive Analytics
• Provide integrated Financial and Operating Annual Financial Plans
• Maintain ECM enabled Chart of Accounts Maintenance (tighter control around system accounts.)
Budgeting
• Ensure that the Business plan story line translates into understandable budget numbers
• Work with individual divisions to prepare budgets, forecasts and consolidate them monthly and yearly for overall corporate budget
• Provide understandable Annual Budget Guidance & Process
• Deliver automated Budget Management process
Forecasting
• Develop re-forecast on a periodic basis throughout the year and align to current performance and economic and commercial impacts
• Develop and Maintain the overall 12 month (business plan horizon), 3-5 year and 10-year business forecast
• Provide real Time, Predictive Forecasts and Executive Reports
1.2. Management & Financial Reporting
1.2.1. Management Reporting
• Ensure the consolidation of month-end financial reports from functional units to form MTN SA month-end financial report
• Coordinate and prepare board submissions as part of the Audit Committee Pack and Board Pack
• Provide assurance for compliance to group financial requirements, benchmark MTN SA performance against indicators, make suggestions for improvements and ensure implementation in various functional units once approved.
• Deliver financial consolidation of legal entities for MTN SA
• Drive resource allocation and Performance Management (Past and Present)
• Assume overall responsibility for Opex management and driving Opex efficiencies
• Contribute to the implementation of cost containment strategies in line with business strategy.
• Drive and programme-manage the successful implementation of initiatives aimed at improving organisational finances
• Develop and manage the execution of the organisational Strategic and Operational business planning and forecasting aligned to MTN’s mission and vision.
• Develop and manage the execution of agreed initiatives. Consider the future reality and align planning against the strategic intent of the company
• Provide Real-Time Business Performance Tracking
• Develop On-Demand, Ad-hoc Business Reports
• Enable Actionable Performance Management. Executive Dashboards enabled by visualisation
• Deliver Automated Standard Financial Reports
• Own Technology Identification, Configuration& Updates
• Provide Trended, Predictive Metrics
Cost & Profitability, Management Accounting and Financial modelling
• Develop Financial Modelling “centre of excellence” that simultaneously leads, supports, and governs all key commercial/ financial activities across, and provides centralised support to the Finance Business Partners
• Develop a centre of excellence for costing to provide input to the Finance Business Partners, Management and external stakeholders such as ICASA and other regulatory bodies
• Create, update and maintaining financial models and detailed forecasts of the company’s future operations.
• Assure consistency and expertise for all business case/ financial modelling (including modelling of price plans and products and services)
• Support any modelling required for Mergers and Acquisition/new business activity
• Ensure that turnaround time is managed for models and business impact assessments to ensure short time to market delivery
• Deliver on daily, weekly, monthly revenue and non-financial performance reporting
• Ensure access to data and other tools to create sustainable models for re-use
• Track performance of promotions, products, and services in line with organisational business plan and the business impact assessment
1.2.2. Period End Reporting
• Provide Real Time Financial Statements Reporting
• Drive systematic close of Financial Books
• Ensure timely and accurate publishing of financial statements
• Provide forward Looking Insights into Business Reports

1.2.3. General accounting
• Deliver partially automated /Standardized Inter-company Accounting
1.2.4. Close & Consolidation (Accounting & Reporting)
• Provide seamless Consolidated Financial Statements, Draft Annual Financial Reports
• Provide timely & Accurate Month-end tracking Reports
• Responsible for the IFRS compliance of the MTN SA entity
• Perform the IFRS accounting for Revenue, Costs and Commissions and other complex IFRS matters requiring the exercising of judgement
• Prepare the disclosure in the annual financial statements and the reporting packs
• Bring financial accounting GAAP and relevant technical accounting knowledge and ability to apply to situations
• Ensure that monthly bookkeeping and reconciliations are produced on an accurate and timely basis to include bank reconciliations, debtors, creditors, fixed assets, and project reconciliations.
• Maintain General Ledger and Trial Balance
• Maintain Business Rules and Chart of Accounts
• Assist in the preparation and analyses of cashflow statements, income and expenditure accounts and balance sheet accounts
• Assist in the production of the year end accounts, supporting schedules and liaison with the auditors
• Generate Management Report from Accounting System, review all supporting reconciliation reports
• Ensure month- and year-end closing executed according to applicable deadlines;
• Perform reconciliations and margin analysis, assist in preparation of regular Flash Reports;
• Prepare compliance documentation for legal entity and statutory requirements;
• Perform daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, half yearly and annual reporting both internally and to MTN Group. Monitor and consolidate daily reports for the business.
• Develop and monitor (visually) a set of KPIs to track the performance of MTN SA.
Manage the end to end accounting, reporting and audits of smaller entities within the MTN SA Group, including but not limited to Cell’s 72 and 79, Propco, Aconcagua, Network Solutions, iTalk and Cell Place.
Reporting and Performance Management
• Support the performance management agenda by driving a robust and rigorous in year process for financial delivery.
• Develop and monitor (visually) a set of KPIs to track the performance of MTN SA.
• Custodian of repository of reporting business rules and chart of accounts
• Ensure the development of a framework to conduct data quality audits
• Utilise several integrated systems to produce the end output. Ensure the integrity and accuracy of the output produced
• Develop and implement tailored organisation wide reporting on financial performance to support the executive areas and finance business partners
• Perform daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, half yearly and annual reporting both internally and to MTN group. Monitor and consolidate daily reports for the business.
• Oversee the financial analysis of key business drivers and provide commentary on business performance and insights on future trends within the organisation. Analyse data and forecasts, reports, and recommendations so that senior management and EXCO has accurate and timely information for making decisions.
• Prepare internal reports for executive leadership in supporting their decision-making.
o Analyse resources optimization and profitability. Including long-term aspects of the organization’s financial policy.
o Evaluate whether the company’s current assets and investments are the best use of the company’s excess working capital, by looking at return on investment (ROI) and comparisons with other ways the company might utilize its cash flow (e.g., other possible investments, increased dividends, etc.)
o Gauge the company’s overall financial health, primarily by using key financial ratios such as the debt to equity ratio, current ratio, and interest coverage ratio.
o Determine which of the company’s products or product lines generate the largest portion of its net profit.
• Compare historical results against budgets and forecasts and performing variance analysis to explain differences in performance and suggest improvements going forward.
• Assure the design and implementation of processes, procedures and system for financial planning and reporting
• Support the development and delivery of solutions to key business issues, ensuring issues are resolved at their lowest level. Drive interventions and understanding of the key risks and opportunities for the business.
1.3. Data Analytics
1.3.1. Decision Support (BI and Management information )
• Design and develop financial analytics programmes to facilitate credit analytics, revenue analytics and spend analytics in conjunction with profitability and business insights
• Manage use, implementation and development of online analytical reporting tools and design efficient reports and database.
• Perform reporting & analytics through Visualisation
• Ensure sound storyboarding, design and dashboarding visuals, filters, interactivity between visuals
• Bring knowledge and understanding of reporting and data applications. Deep knowledge of Finance information and data (structures, data flows, data sources)
• Manage the development of the business information model with regards to the future state and comparison to the current state in line with the Finance strategy.
• Help to drive the direction and scope for Finance information with a forward-looking view, including the migration to the next generation of Oracle
• Provide Future Focused Customer Insights
• Drive data driven initiatives aimed to enhance the impact of the function on proactive, effective decision making:
o Profit Acceleration and Value Creation Initiatives
o Capital Mgmt. Analytics enabled by data integration.
o Data informed Stakeholder relations / management
o Data informed decision-making
o Proactive Risk Assessment & Identification
o Real-Time Competitor Benchmarks and Insights
o Sector Trend Sensing

1.3.2. Data Analysis
• Deliver timely/ realtime data analytics to inform effective decision support as described above:
o Cost Advanced Analytics
o Financial Impact of Operational Decisions
o Forward Looking Insights into Profitability
o Predictive Analytics for Issue/Risk Identification
o Timely and Actionable Financial Narratives
People Leadership and Organisational Capability Building
• Apply best team management practices throughout assigned projects and as required.
• Guide and enable the upskilling of the team throughout assigned projects.
• Act as an ambassador and role model for Finance by living the brand values and vital behaviours.
• Ensure a culture of continuous evaluation and improvement.
• Drive a culture of high performance, accountability, and consequence management.
Supervisory / Leadership / Managerial Complexity: Refers to the responsibilities for directing, guiding, motivating, and influencing others.
• Recruit, develop and retain people with outstanding skills, qualifications, and potential
• Define the divisional KPAs and KPIs that will be cascaded down to each area
• Performance management and identification of training needs
• Accountable for a customer centric culture and shift to legendary service provision
• Build talent by identifying and developing new leaders for the respective environment
• Employee relations and collaborative teamwork
• Manage Employment Equity and diversity
• Coaching and guidance of subordinates
• Build professionalism, loyalty, and commitment to the organization
• Communicate actively and effectively resolving any potential conflicts that may arise
• Living the MTN Brand – influence employees’ behaviour
• Display an understanding of the strategic nature of effective leadership in the organisation
Required Skills & Capabilities e.g.. teaching, report writing or specific skills/abilities such as computing or the ability to work without supervision
• Experience in staff management peer management, and stakeholder management
• Experience in working within the Tech, Media, and Telecoms Industry
• Ability to manipulate large volumes of data and experience in carrying out detailed analysis of data, especially during the year end to provide the results that are easily understood to external auditors and senior management. Understanding big data tools and technology
• Ability to plan, organise and prioritise workload, including co-ordinating with others and ensuring that statutory and other deadlines are met.
• To work as part of a team and independently to deliver a common goal or objective
• Ability to deal with difficult situations and make decisions on the best course of action
• Excellent computer skills including Microsoft Excel and Word
• Self-starter/ Initiative/creativity/innovation
• Strategic thinking, problem solving, critical thinking and analytical skills

• Proficiency in relationship building, networking, persuasion, and influential skills. Excellent verbal, written communication, and negotiation skills
• Good technical, business, and global acumen. Future focused
• Strategic thinking (new risks and opportunities) and Risk Intelligent
• Comfortable with ambiguity
• Adaptable
• Assertive
• Storytelling
• Innovative
Key Deliverables
• Strategic capacity allocated to support delivery of financial requirements
• Efficient budgeting process
• Customer satisfaction i.e. functional unit heads
• Excellence in financial modelling skills/ methodologies
• Proper translation of 5-year plan objectives to the annual Budget Plan.
• Effective and strategic business planning for MTN SA
• Constant monitoring of the realisation of the annual Budget Plan, while reviewing, and adjusting of the Plan, as and when required
• Proper definition of reporting business rules to each of the functions, to ensure consistency across MTN SA
• Effective pricing plans
• Accurate models reflecting business scenario being reflected correctly
• Deadlines met for business impact assessments
• Recruitment of and registration of TOPP students and effective CIMA programme maintained

Job Requirements (Education, Experience and Competencies)

Education:
• CIMA or equivalent/ MBA / Masters Advantageous
Experience:
• Senior management track record of 5 years or more; with at least 3 years in relevant sector/ industry as per relevant role
• Experience working in a global/multinational enterprise (understanding emerging markets advantageous)
• Worked across diverse cultures and geographies
• Large Corporate/commercial accounting experience (at least 7-10) with last 3 years working with Board/ exco/senior management.
• Extensive reporting and analysis background
• Familiarity with BI & Reporting Tools
• Solid presentation preparation to Board/ exco/senior management level