Finance Business Analyst

Allan & Gill Gray Philanthropy Africa (AGGPA) is a philanthropic group dedicated to expanding access to quality education and entrepreneurial opportunity across Africa, creating sustainable pathways out of poverty and enabling people to thrive.

The Finance Business Analyst is a fixed-term role within the Finance Shared Services function of Allan & Gill Gray Philanthropy Africa (AGGPA), based in Cape Town. The role leads business analysis delivery for the Finance Modernisation programme, including Shared Services Finance process improvement, and coordinates agreed improvements across business-as-usual operations and other finance projects. It translates finance needs into clear requirements and practical process designs, following these through solution validation, testing, adoption and benefits review.

The role reports to the Finance Lead: Modernisation and works across Shared Services Finance, Entity Finance, Group Finance, internal stakeholders, project managers and implementation partners.

Purpose of Role

Allan & Gill Gray Philanthropy Africa (AGGPA) is a philanthropic group dedicated to expanding access to quality education and entrepreneurial opportunity across Africa, creating sustainable pathways out of poverty and enabling people to thrive.

The Finance Business Analyst is a fixed-term role within the Finance Shared Services function of Allan & Gill Gray Philanthropy Africa (AGGPA), based in Cape Town. The role leads business analysis delivery for the Finance Modernisation programme, including Shared Services Finance process improvement, and coordinates agreed improvements across business-as-usual operations and other finance projects. It translates finance needs into clear requirements and practical process designs, following these through solution validation, testing, adoption and benefits review.

The role reports to the Finance Lead: Modernisation and works across Shared Services Finance, Entity Finance, Group Finance, internal stakeholders, project managers and implementation partners.

Objectives of Role

Business Analysis and Requirements Management

• Review existing process maps, requirements and decisions, identify gaps, and maintain or update these through implementation.
• Document clear business requirements, business rules and acceptance criteria, maintaining traceability through design, testing and business sign-off.
• Assess and document the impact of proposed system and process changes on service requests, workflows and operational procedures.

Finance Process Design and Solution Validation

• Validate future-state processes with finance owners and implementation partners, covering responsibilities, approvals, controls, reporting and handovers.
• Recommend standardised processes across entities and document justified entity-specific requirements and their impact on efficiency, controls and support.
• Assess whether proposed solutions meet finance needs and agreed scope, evaluating gaps, options and workarounds before decisions are taken.
• Translate approved finance and related policy requirements into workflow, control, reporting and procedure changes.

Wider Finance Improvements and Future Change Roadmap

• Maintain a prioritised improvement register and future change roadmap covering business-as-usual improvements, existing finance projects and subsequent modernisation phases.
• Coordinate agreed improvements from assessment through implementation and handover, tracking ownership, milestones, issues and delivery constraints.
• Support planning for subsequent phases by defining requirements and assessing dependencies and operational impacts.

Data and Reporting Requirements

• Define finance data, reporting and reconciliation requirements, including ownership, mapping rules, naming conventions and quality checks.
• Coordinate business input to data cleansing and migration validation with IT and implementation partners.
• Support finance owners to validate the completeness, accuracy and usability of data, reports and outputs, tracking exceptions to resolution.

Testing, Adoption and Benefits

• Coordinate user acceptance test scenarios, expected results, business testing, defect resolution, retesting and readiness assessment with process owners, IT and implementation partners.
• Work with the Change Manager to support training, practical guidance, communication, operational handover, go-live and stabilisation.
• Maintain decisions and actions, provide concise progress updates, and track improvements in service, controls, data quality, efficiency and user experience.

Experience and Qualifications

Qualification

• Relevant degree or professional qualification in Finance, Accounting, Business Analysis, Information Systems or a related field, supported by strong practical finance knowledge.
• Postgraduate study or a relevant professional designation is advantageous.

Experience

• At least 5-8 years of relevant finance, finance systems or finance business analysis experience, including hands-on delivery of process improvements or digital transformation initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to gather and document requirements, map processes, analyse finance data, and support testing, implementation and adoption.
• Sound understanding of finance operations, month-end reporting, reconciliations and internal controls.
• Experience in a shared services or multi-entity environment is advantageous.
• Proven ability to coordinate multiple stakeholders, priorities, dependencies and delivery actions.

Technical Proficiency

• Strong Microsoft Excel and data analysis skills, with ERP and reporting experience.
• Exposure to Sage Intacct, Sage 300, Power BI or reconciliation platforms is advantageous; comparable finance systems experience is relevant.
• Demonstrated experience leveraging AI, automation and advanced analytics tools to enhance financial analysis, business insights, reporting and decision-making.
• Practical capability in process mapping, requirements documentation, user acceptance testing and benefits tracking.

Behavioural Competencies and Technical Skills

• Analytical Judgement and Root-Cause Diagnosis: Identifies underlying issues, evaluates evidence and develops practical solutions.
• Systems Thinking: Understands end-to-end finance processes and the effects of change across functions, controls, data and technology.
• Clear Communication and Stakeholder Influence: Translates complex finance and system requirements into clear business language and builds alignment.
• Planning and Follow-Through: Maintains momentum across actions, milestones, risks and dependencies.
• Attention to Detail: Produces accurate documentation, maintains traceability and retains clear evidence for decisions and acceptance.
• Collaboration and Change Agility: Works constructively across teams and supports sustainable adoption in a changing environment.