Principal Specialist: Financial and Digital Services Fbp

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**Role Purpose**:
To ensure that key financial and business objectives of the Financial Services Group and Digital Lifestyle Services within Vodacom are met with regards to financial reporting, budgeting and forecasting, analysis, decision support, control and regulatory requirements. Provide support to the Financial Services businesses, manages the financial reporting, forecast processes, capital cost reviews and analysis, and long-range plan/strategy together with FinOps, business and managing executives. Deliver reporting for tracking of strategic objectives, expenditure by category and segment and key commercial initiatives. Full understanding of the financial services cost drivers. This role will incorporate the below requirements the overall Financial Services Group and Digital Lifestyle Services.

**Your responsibilities will include**:
**1. IT Opex and Capex**
- Responsible for overall monthly forecasting and management of the Group’s IT Opex and Capex monthly submissions, including variance and costs analysis
- Actively drive cost efficiencies and budget management across IT Opex and Capex as well as relevant business areas
- Ensure accurate and complete reporting for various levels of management, including Senior Management as well as operational management.
- Ensure adherence to financial controls, identification of control gaps/weaknesses and resultant implementation/improvement of controls.
- Identify and quantify, in detail, risks and opportunities related to business and IT Opex and Capex.
- Update the rolling forecast monthly and in turn feed into the various forecasts and planning cycles
- VFS and DLS IT Opex submissions, ensure all the IT Opex accruals are submitted and posted monthly, including Capitalised Overheads accounting.
- Review and approval of invoices and cost and alignment to budget (where necessary);
- Assist in preparation and submissions of business budgets and long-range plans and be responsible for preparation and submission of IT Opex and Capex budgets and long-range plans
- Liaise with FP&A and Technology FBP with regard to forecasting and budgeting
- Tracking of PI, capex budgets and IT cost, including input and review of PI submissions
- Drive and perform ROCE Calculations and Submissions with business and IT
- Preparation of post-implementation reviews and analysis, providing insights for future decisions.
- Ad-hoc tasks as required.

**2. Decision Support**
- Provide robust and flexible financial models along with insightful analysis to assist key members with decision making.
- Develop driver-based financial models that take the following mathematical representation into consideration - cash flow projections, depreciation schedules, debt service and inventory levels, margin analysis to allow business to quantify decisions.
- Develop business cases and financial models for launch of new products and product changes within Financial and Digital Lifestyle Services with the following criteria:

- 3-5-year Profit and loss statement forecast, cash flow statement forecast,
- Key KPI’s and drivers that are relevant to the business case, product and sensitivity analysis,
- NPV, IRR, Payback period,
- Working capital movements and balance sheet impact
- Challenge business on input and calculation assumptions,
- Summary reporting of the detailed models suitable for senior management review
- Presentation of BCA to relevant executives for approval. Ensure feedback loop into forecasts, risk and opportunity analysis, detailed budget, LRP, Programme Increment models and controls frameworks to capture the impact of the initiatives that are business cased.
- Post implementation reviews of BCAs - analysis of actual performance against expectation

**3. Reporting**
- Assist with preparing for PI and reviewing business submissions
- Monthly variance analysis and reporting for Opex and Capex, including key KPI/KFIs.
- Manage the relationships with function chief and their teams, supporting them with the budgets and deliver monthly performance reviews to keep them informed on how the business is doing

**4. Business Support and Statutory requirements**
- Support with product development and pricing (business cases);
- Review IFRS compliance and ensure adhered to (initiate actions when necessary);
- Risk identification and control implementation on the financial processes within the FS and DLS group.

**5. Control and Governance**
- Manage an effective operational control environment over financial items, identifying weaknesses and development and implementation of solutions.
- Ensure business decisions are implemented and executed within the approved and accepted governance framework.

**6. Operational Support**
- Manage interface, delivery and reporting deadlines & requirements from Financial Operations for month ends, various forecasts, p