Group Consolidation & Technology Specialist: Group Finance

Who are we?

Sanlam was established as a life insurance company in South Africa but has since transformed into a diversified financial services group that operates across the African continent, India, Malaysia and selected developed markets, with listings on the Johannesburg, A2X and Namibian stock exchanges. In 2018 the Group celebrated its centenary as well as 20 years since demutualisation and listing in South Africa and Namibia. Sanlam is one of the largest internationally active insurance groups in the world with a presence in 30 countries and has the biggest non-banking financial services footprint on the African continent.

The Group's four business clusters (Sanlam Life and Savings, Sanlam Investment Group, Sanlam Allianz and Santam) house the Group's business operations. The Group Office provides strategic direction and support to the five clusters, assisting them in realising their strategies and meeting their business objectives. The Group Office is responsible for governance and for the Group's centralised functions, which include: Finance, Actuarial and Risk Management, Strategy, Human Resources, Market Development and Sustainability. What will you do?

This is a pivotal finance technology role at the centre of Sanlam’s Group reporting environment. The Group Finance Consolidation & Technology Specialist will own and evolve the Group’s financial consolidation capability, ensuring that reporting platforms, data structures, business rules and close-management processes are stable, controlled, scalable and fit for the future.

The role goes beyond supporting HFM. It is about enabling a modern Finance function through stronger data governance, automation, digital enablement and the responsible use of emerging technologies, including AI. Working across Finance, Group Financial Reporting, IT and external partners, the incumbent will improve reporting quality, operational resilience, user experience and the speed and confidence of Group reporting.

The incumbent serves as a senior finance leader and technical authority for the Group, working closely with Group Finance, Investor Relations, Tax, Actuarial, Risk, Company Secretariat, external auditors and regulators to protect reporting integrity, support market credibility and build a resilient, well-governed reporting capability.

As the ultimate reporting role within Group Office, the incumbent provides Group-wide reporting steer, standards and guidance across the Group's geographic footprint, including South Africa, Pan-Africa, India and Malaysia. The role must ensure that local reporting environments are appropriately aligned to Group reporting principles, while recognising jurisdiction-specific regulatory, statutory and market requirements.What will make you successful in this role?

• Enterprise finance technology expertise – Strong understanding of consolidation platforms, including HFM, finance architecture, metadata, business rules, reporting models and close processes.
• Finance data stewardship – Ability to protect the integrity of finance master data, metadata structures and reporting information across a complex Group environment.
• Digital enablement mindset – Curiosity and capability to automate, simplify and improve finance processes using workflow, analytics, modern technology and AI-enabled solutions where appropriate.
• Control and resilience – Strong discipline around system stability, access, testing, governance, auditability and business continuity during critical reporting cycles.
• Partnership and influence – Ability to work across Finance, IT, reporting teams and external partners to translate requirements into practical, adopted solutions.

Key responsibilities

• Own the Group consolidation technology capability – Maintain and enhance the Group’s consolidation and reporting platforms, including HFM, metadata, business rules, validations, access, reporting outputs and period-close readiness.
• Strengthen finance data governance – Improve finance master data, metadata, dimensional governance, reference data and validation frameworks to support trusted Group reporting.
• Drive digital finance improvement – Identify and implement automation, workflow redesign, data quality improvements and AI-enabled opportunities that reduce manual work and improve reporting efficiency.
• Support a future-ready technology roadmap – Contribute to system enhancements, integration opportunities and digital capabilities aligned to Group Finance strategy.
• Embed strong change and control governance – Manage change impact, testing, deployment readiness, documentation, access controls and audit evidence across the reporting environment.
• Enable adoption across Finance – Partner with Finance, Group Financial Reporting, IT, vendors and business users to solve problems, improve ways of working and deliver user-focused solutions. Qualification and Experience
• Relevant Finance, Accounting, Information Systems or Business Analysis qualification. CTA, CA training contract, BCom Accounting or equivalent Finance qualification would be advantageous.
• Minimum of 4–5 years’ experience in financial reporting, consolidation, financial systems or finance transformation.
• Practical experience with enterprise consolidation platforms, preferably HFM, including metadata, consolidation structures, validations, reporting outputs and period-close support.
• Strong understanding of Group consolidation, IFRS reporting principles, ownership structures, intercompany eliminations, foreign currency translation and financial data quality.
• Experience working across Finance, IT and data teams to deliver technology-enabled reporting improvements.
• Demonstrated exposure to process improvement, automation, data integration, analytics, cloud finance technologies or modern finance architecture.
• Experience in insurance or broader financial services, and exposure to AI, advanced analytics or intelligent automation in Finance, would be advantageous.

Competencies

• Consolidation technology depth, including HFM or equivalent platforms, metadata architecture, dimensions, consolidation logic, validations, reporting models and system performance.
• Finance data governance, including master data, metadata management, dimensional modelling, data lineage, validation frameworks and reporting integrity.
• Automation and digital enablement, with the ability to identify, design and implement improvements that reduce manual effort, improve controls and enhance reporting efficiency.
• AI and emerging technology awareness, with a practical understanding of how modern tools can improve finance processes while maintaining governance, control and human oversight.
• Systems integration and control by design, including upstream ERP processes, data pipelines, APIs, downstream reporting solutions, access governance, testing and auditability.
• Problem solving and delivery discipline, with strong analytical skills, sound judgement, planning ability and resilience during critical reporting cycles.
• Stakeholder partnership, with the ability to challenge existing processes, influence stakeholders and drive adoption across Finance, IT, vendors and business users.
• Digital leadership, demonstrating curiosity, continuous learning and a practical focus on modernising Finance through data, technology and innovation.

This role will suit a finance technology professional who wants to do more than keep systems running. It is an opportunity to help modernise Group Finance by improving the quality, integrity, efficiency and user experience of financial reporting, while progressively introducing smarter, more automated and digitally enabled ways of working.Knowledge and Skills Security management and data recovery Change control Operating system software and hardware and utility software Software installations