Head of Strategic Reporting

Job Title: Head of Strategic Reporting
Category: Strategic Financial Planning and Reporting
Location: Cape Town
Salary: Market-Related

Job Description:

The Head of Strategic Reporting will be responsible for leading the preparation and review of key financial performance updates for executive leadership, providing deep insights into KPIs, trends, and variances. This strategic role requires an individual who can oversee the creation of internal reports and presentations, collaborating across various business units to ensure alignment with evolving requirements and strategic goals.

The successful candidate will be responsible for analyzing business unit financial outcomes, offering actionable insights to drive performance improvements, and identifying emerging trends. They will also have a key role in managing the Q&A bank for results, as well as overseeing the quarterly and strategic business review processes.

This role also demands expertise in visualizing complex financial data to inform decision-making and ensuring robust internal controls and measurement systems for management reporting. The Head of Strategic Reporting will work closely with senior stakeholders, including the Audit Committee and the Board, and provide ad-hoc insights in areas such as investor relations, competitor analysis, and business planning.

The individual will be expected to drive a high-performance culture within the team, fostering excellence in financial reporting, governance, risk management, and compliance. A proactive, self-motivated approach is crucial to managing multiple complex projects independently.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the preparation and review of monthly performance updates for executive leadership, providing analysis on KPIs, trends, and variance explanations.
• Oversee the drafting of internal reports and presentations for the Audit Committee and Board.
• Provide commercial insights and performance analysis, identifying trends, challenges, and opportunities across business units.
• Review industry and analyst reports, adapting disclosures in integrated reports and results presentations.
• Collaborate with business units to ensure alignment with strategic objectives and financial goals.
• Develop impactful financial analyses to support key business decisions and strategy formulation.
• Manage the Q&A bank for financial results and oversee the quarterly/strategic business review processes.
• Ensure strong internal controls and systems for management reporting are in place.
• Visualize complex financial data to facilitate strategic decision-making.
• Analyze business unit performance and assess strategic impacts, providing actionable insights.
• Provide ad-hoc insights on investor relations, financial modeling, competitor analysis, and business planning.
• Promote a high-performance culture within the team and ensure excellence in reporting.

Key Competencies:

• In-depth understanding of life insurance and financial services with strong business acumen.
• Expertise in financial regulations and frameworks.
• Exceptional written communication and presentation skills to convey complex data effectively.
• Advanced project management skills, with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks.
• Proven ability to build and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong analytical skills, with expertise in interpreting large datasets.
• Commitment to governance, risk management, and compliance.
• A proactive, self-starter who can independently manage complex projects.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Actuarial Science, Chartered Accounting, Financial Management, or Management Accounting.

Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years of senior-level financial planning and analysis experience.
• Proven experience working with senior leadership and managing relationships with both internal and external stakeholders.
• Life insurance expertise is highly advantageous.

This position offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the strategic decision-making process and drive financial performance excellence within a dynamic environment.