Assistant to the CEO

About Core Group

Core Group represents some of the world’s most valued and loved technology brands across Sub-Saharan Africa. Our mission is to empower individuals and organisations through the world’s leading personal technology products and services.

Our expertise spans retail, distribution, supply chain, finance, marketing, sales, customer experience, human resources and business development, with operations across South Africa and key African markets.

About the Role

We are looking for an exceptional Executive Associate to work closely with a senior member of Core Group’s Executive Leadership Team.

This is not a Personal Assistant role. We are looking for a highly capable, commercially minded individual who can work alongside an executive on business priorities, financial analysis, strategic projects, reporting and decision-making.

The successful candidate will ideally come from a Finance, Accounting, Economics or Business Science background and be comfortable working with numbers, interrogating information, preparing business cases and translating complex information into clear recommendations.

You will have direct exposure to senior leadership and will work across different areas of the organisation, helping the executive stay close to key business priorities and ensuring that important initiatives move from discussion through to execution.

This role would suit a high-performing individual who wants to build a career in business leadership, finance, strategy or general management.

Key Responsibilities

You will work closely with the executive across a broad range of business priorities, including:

• Analyse financial, commercial and operational information to support executive decision-making.
• Prepare management reports, financial summaries, dashboards and executive updates.
• Assist with budgets, forecasts, business cases, investment proposals and financial modelling.
• Review business performance against targets and identify trends, risks and areas requiring attention.
• Conduct research and analysis on new opportunities, markets, competitors and strategic initiatives.
• Prepare high-quality presentations and briefing documents for executive and leadership meetings.
• Support the executive in driving strategic projects across different areas of the business.
• Coordinate cross-functional initiatives and ensure actions, deadlines and commitments are followed through.
• Attend key business meetings, understand the discussion and ensure decisions are translated into clear actions.
• Work with Finance and other business areas to obtain, validate and interpret information required for decision-making.
• Assist with process improvement and business optimisation initiatives.
• Track key business priorities and proactively highlight delays, risks or issues.
• Build strong relationships with senior stakeholders across the organisation.
• Handle sensitive business and financial information with a high level of discretion and professionalism.

What We're Looking For

We are looking for someone who is bright, ambitious and commercially curious, with the confidence to operate in a senior business environment.

Ideally, you will have:

• A completed Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business Science, Investment Management or a related commercial field.
• Honours, postgraduate studies or progress towards a professional finance or accounting qualification would be advantageous.
• Strong academic results.
• Approximately 1–4 years of relevant experience in finance, consulting, audit, corporate finance, strategy, business analysis or a similar environment.
• Strong financial and numerical ability.
• Advanced Excel skills and confidence working with large amounts of data.
• The ability to analyse information and turn it into practical business insights.
• Strong PowerPoint and presentation skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong attention to detail.
• The ability to manage multiple priorities and work at pace.
• Confidence dealing with senior stakeholders.
• High levels of maturity, professionalism and discretion.
• A proactive mindset – someone who identifies what needs to happen and takes ownership of getting it done.
• Strong business judgement and a genuine interest in understanding how businesses operate.

The Person We Think Will Do Well

You are someone who naturally asks why, wants to understand the numbers behind the business and enjoys solving problems.

You are comfortable moving between detailed financial analysis and broader strategic discussions.

You don't need to be told exactly what to do at every step. You can take a problem, structure it, find the relevant information and come back with a clear view or recommendation.

You are ambitious, but also willing to learn. You are comfortable working closely with senior executives and understand that credibility is built through accuracy, reliability, sound judgement and delivery.

What You'll Gain

This role offers exceptional exposure to senior leadership and the opportunity to understand how decisions are made across a large and diverse organisation.

You will gain:

• Direct exposure to Core Group's Executive Leadership Team.
• Hands-on experience in financial and commercial decision-making.
• Exposure to strategy, operations and business performance.
• Experience developing business cases and evaluating new opportunities.
• Involvement in high-impact projects across the organisation.
• A deep understanding of how different business functions work together.
• Executive-level communication and presentation experience.
• Mentorship and exposure to experienced business leaders.
• A strong foundation for future opportunities in finance, strategy, commercial management or general management.

For the right individual, this role can become a significant stepping stone into broader leadership opportunities within Core Group.