A leading Freight and Courier Company based in Johannesburg requires an analytical and skilled individual to occupy the role of a Finance Business Application Analyst. The successful candidate will be required to perform assigned research and analysis to support IT functional aspects of finance or finance related projects to define and develop business capabilities and services.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develops a good understanding of the concepts and trends relating to current and emerging IT methodologies, technologies and standards and how they are/can be applied within the Company.
• Develops a good understanding of the requirements and inter-dependencies of the key processes within assigned function/s, and their relevance to the delivery of the business goals.
• Uses structured processes to capture and share knowledge with relevant areas.
• Supports the strategic Finance and IT goals of consistently applying global processes (which include complex regulatory requirements), by producing all work in accordance with defined standards and processes.
• May support project team members regarding the application of complex and diverse requirements, standards etc.
• Participates in the process to evaluate and define less complex Finance/IT concepts. 
• Focuses on developing a thorough understanding of the concept, advising on a realistic solution based on requirements, technology and constraints.
• Validates requirements with the Manager/Snr prior to conducting research and/or benchmarking of options.
• Produces a draft statement of work accurately capturing the proposed solution, and presents and explains to the Manager.
• May participate in the process to secure approval to progress the project.
• Participates in the critical process to develop accurate and realistic business requirements.
• Participates in researching and providing guidance to the user group on alternatives possible, or modifications needed to optimise the quality and/or timing of the proposed solution.
• Produces draft documentation that meets established standards.
• Participates in the process to translate the business requirements into an effective solution (software specifications, interfaces etc). Typically performs defined research with business users and develops the detailed documentation(software specifications, interfaces etc).
• Supports the development of the detailed financial justifications by performing research within the Company and vendor organisations. Evaluates cost benefits of alternatives.
• Participates in the process to develop an effective project plan which accurately captures required elements (what will be delivered, timelines, resources etc) taking into account business priorities. Uses modelling tools to develop accurate and timely resource estimations for complex parts of the plan. Reviews with the project lead.
• Participates in the testing phase of assigned projects by developing defined aspects of the test plan which can involve aligning with business users to determine which elements of the business process need to be validated.
• Leads the execution of assigned testing, monitoring progress to ensure any issues encountered are prioritised and resolved.
• Participates in the process to identify, evaluate and recommend vendors (system integration, offshore-managed services, project management, software or solution selection etc) not covered by corporate ‘preferred’ vendors. Solutions typically are sourced regionally.
• Performs defined research based on business and technical needs. Provides analysis and recommendations based on capability, stability, cost, support etc.
• Analyses the root cause of diverse types of issues impacting financial system users or the requirements related to implementing a change request.  For specific types of issues/change requests, develops and implements a timely and effective solution (system configuration, data correction, advising user on corrective actions).  For other issues/changes provides a software specification or analysis of root cause to the technical team.
• Uses defined methods to plan and prioritise work requests relating to changes or issue resolution, Creates and updates appropriate documentation relating to software requirements, testing, user validation. Secures appropriate sign-off for changes.
• Supports the business in maintaining effective service levels for assigned areas. Uses defined tools to monitor and report on compliance levels.
• Determines the cause of compliance issues and assigns to the appropriate area/s for resolution. As appropriate escalates serious or repeated incidents. 

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

• Accounting related qualification (Qualified CA(SA) advantage)
• Business Analyst qualification
• 5 years experience in a similar role
• Project Management experience/qualification
• Good comunication skills (both written and verbal)
• Good understanding of specific types of IT technologies (systems, systems architecture and infrastructure, security policies, networks etc)
• Good understanding of specific areas of financial accounting practices, processes and business/regulatory requirements and how these are incorporated within financial system solutions
• Good understanding of application change management including procedures, tools, techniques and related SOX requirements 
• Strong computer skills

Ref: JHB000551/MM