Planning Budgeting Finance and Analysis Assistant Manager

Job Title: Planning Budgeting Finance and Analysis Assistant Manager

Function: Finance

Sub-Function: PBFA

Rank: Assistant Manager

Location: Johannesburg

The Ernst and Young Finance department in South Africa serves EY Africa and reports into EMEIA. The department is led by the Africa Regional Finance Lead. An opportunity has arisen for a Planning Budgeting Finance and Analysis Assistant Manager to join the team. 

The incumbent must have the passion, willingness and ability to deal with an extensive number of people at both senior and junior levels that require financial information and reports.  Exceptional client service is required, whilst simultaneously upholding and maintaining appropriate corporate governance standards and principles.

 Reporting Relationships:

The position reports to the Africa Regional Finance Lead and Service Line Operations Director. There is close interaction with the Reporting and Analytics Lead, Ops, Service Line PFBAs, the South Africa and Africa Finance team and Country Finance leads in each country. 

The opportunity

This role is suitable for a candidate with an understanding of the EY business, its systems and processes and the corresponding data structures. This person will be working with a dynamic team of individuals across finance and operations who are passionate about reporting, data and analytics and want to improve and exceed expectations of the end user community.

Essential Functions of the Job:

• Being the Main Point of Contact for all Finance related matters for the Service Line (SL)
• Accountable for all finance submissions to EMEIA and Global as well as SL regulatory reports
• Preparation, Analysis and Distribution of Financial Information, which includes EMEIA SL, South Africa SL Leadership and Central Finance
• Processing of journals for the Service Line as and when required
• Presenting results at Sector meetings to the Partners, Executive Directors and Manager group
• Managing of Indirect expenses to Plan i.e. allocations, recoveries, code control etc.
• Act as point of escalation between the business/Client servers and the Functional Leads of Finance ,i.e. Debtors, Accounts Payable, Staff expenses, Work-in-progress etc.
• Approval of exception expenditure i.e. Travel costs
• Preparing and submitting Budget, Planning and Forecast information.  This is done in consultation with the  Segment, Operations and SL leadership
• Review Unbilled Inventory and flag any risks identified to Inventory Manager
• Review Gross Margin on accounts and flag areas of concern to Operations team for action
• Proactively analyse business KPI’s and consult with client servers with the goal of increasing profitability on our accounts by using the correct levers i.e. Leveraging, GDS, Utilisation, and Pricing.
• Have a view/perspective on Sales Pipeline and the effect this will have on the future financial results
• Be able to train the client server community on Finance best practice, new systems and tools
• Act as the primary driver of change for SL and Finance activities and initiatives
• Be an ambassador of Finance for the Global Finance Operating Model and reaffirm the model in everyday dealings and operations
• Provide insights into financial performance for the relevant service line and holds a view on the performance and outlook for forecast/ planning periods
• Flexible to be involved in financial aspects relating to the SL as and when required by the Finance Leadership Team
• Provide support and assistance as and when required by the Mercury Team from time to time

Analytical/Decision Making Responsibilities:

• Tenacity and the dogged determination to get to the bottom of and resolve issues
• A project manager mind-set, being able to handle numerous projects at one time and being flexible with the type work you are involved in.  
• Patience to work through complex technical issues as well as understand a client’s needs, to keep on asking until you get to a clear understanding that can be simply communicated to others
• Ability to identify and investigate issues and provide insights for continuous improvements
• Acting as a trusted business advisor including providing a clear point of view, demonstrating forward thinking, risk analysis and challenging existing ways of doing things
• Basic awareness of different cultures and working practices across the regions
• Be able to interpret EY Policies and implement them without fear or favour
• Identify areas of improvement by uncovering the root cause and developing processes to ensure continuous improvement and overall effectiveness

Supervision Responsibilities:

• Individual must be a self-starter and able to work independently with limited oversight
• Individual must be a team player recognizing when the task/project at hand requires them to lead and when to contribute

Other Requirements:

• Ability and flexibility to work in a virtual environment across multiple time zones
• Limited travel, but able to travel when required

Job Requirements:

• • • Experience working for a professional service or consultancy environment
    • Be innovative, confident and creative thinker with ability to make quick decisions
    • Proven ability to influence and build collaborative relationships with a wide range of stakeholders
    • Extremely proficient in Excel and Microsoft applications including PowerPoint

Ideally, you’ll also have

A good understanding of;

• EY services/structures/hierarchies.
• Finance and Markets concepts.

What we look for

We are looking for someone who is passionate about what they do.  Someone who is willing to push the boundaries and offer innovative and creative solutions to current challenges.  We are looking for a team player who recognizes that the role they play is an important part of the success for the team as a whole.  We want someone who is willing to learn, grow and develop and who is able to mentor those who are less capable than they are.  We are looking for someone who is actively growing their career and who realizes that by being part of this team there are no boundaries to what we can achieve together.