Controller Product at Absa Group Limited (Absa)

Job Summary

• To prepare financial information for all stakeholders of the business for informed decision making and to support the business.

Job Description

The overall purpose of the job is the day-to-day management of multiple legal entity’s tasks which entails the following:

• Accounting – posting to the General Ledger accurate and timely information
• Substantiation of the trading balance sheet – ensuring the full trading balance sheet can be substantiated
• Regulatory reporting alignment – ensuring the Balance Sheet is aligned to reports to regulators
• Data Ownership – ensuring the quality and accuracy of the data going downstream to other infrastructure areas
• Control Environment – overseeing the control environment in which the business operates
• P&L review – understanding and providing commentary on the P&L

In the process of production focus is needed on:

• Escalation of significant issues reported
• Reporting – ensuring reporting is accurate and timely
• Control – Continue to implement the on-going control environment and report any deficiencies or issues to managers.

Accountability: P&L production and BS substantiation

• Expert knowledge of products traded on the desks and their impact across the finance sector
• Thorough understanding of the risk and P&L drivers for the products coupled with an understanding of external markets and changes in market parameters
• Needs to maintain an excellent understanding of processes and procedures to be able to pick up production where necessary.
• The capacity to work, manage and deliver under pressure.
• Presentation of consolidated financial information for FO and Finance Management
• Interact with other infrastructure areas, specifically Operations and Financial Control, for issue resolutions
• Ambassador of immediate team to rest of the organisation
• Involvement in any Product Control specific initiatives

Accountability:  Interaction with key stakeholders

• Interaction with various areas across the Absa Group in order to obtain and understanding of the impact these areas have on Product Control as well as providing both formal reporting as well as ad hoc query resolution to these areas. Areas include:
• Absa CIBW Finance, including Financial Control, Balance Sheet Control and Financial Decision Support.
• Absa CIBW Front Office, including head of Markets;
• Absa CIBW Capital Management
• Absa Product Control

Accountability: Projects/Change

• Efficiency – looking for continuous improvement in the efficiency by which the desk carries out its work.
• Reporting – looking for continuous improvement in the reporting ability and performance of the desk
• Control - looking for continuous improvement in the ability of the desk to control the business.

Education and Experience

• B degree/similar qualification in a financial/related discipline with 2 years relevant experience or CA(SA).
• Experience in creating and maintaining an effective control environment