Finance BP Analyst South Africa

Role Purpose 

• Performing Financial Planning & Analysis activities for BA South Africa
• Be a trusted partner to the CP Commercial Finance Lead South Africa to provide insightful analysis and recommendations on the respective financials
• Driving improvements and technology adaptations in Financial Planning & Analysis processes and contribution to regional Continuous Improvement agenda

Accountabilities

What:

• Actuals: Month end closing:
  • Analyse monthly sales and function costs, and provide relevant commentaries and insights to finance and business stakeholders
  • Based on discussions with business stakeholders and in collaboration with Accounting-to-Reporting teams, ensure accruals for sales deductions and function cost are properly reflected in reported monthly results
  • Participate in month-end closing processes
• Financial analysis:
  • Provide timely and insightful financial analysis to support business decisions, understanding business performance on a monthly / annual basis
  • Leverage technology (SAC) to further develop (SAC stories) and fully utilize available reports to meet the needs of the various business owners, on time, with high quality
  • Full accountability for the analysis and commentaries to business stakeholders for variance analysis of function cost reports
• Master data management:
  • Ensure proper master data maintenance (cost centre structure, delegation of authorities, headcount reporting)
• Budgeting and Rolling Forecast processes:
  • Provide reliable and timely budgets and latest outlooks for P&L in scope
  • Provide support and guidance to business managers and function cost owners on achieving budget targets
  • Participate in strategic business planning and business processes by preparing financial budgets and rolling forecasts
• Business review process: Support the MBR process
  • Prepare and collect insightful commentaries for robust reporting and analysis of variances
  • Focus on reliable full year outlooks and risk/opportunity assessments
• Digital capabilities:
  • Contribute to development and use of business intelligence tools, data visualisation and predictive analysis techniques

How:

• Be a trusted finance business partner, supporting all activities in scope, on recurring and ad hoc finance topics
• Seamless engaging and interacting with finance communities and stakeholders
• Add value to organization through providing business insight, understanding the numbers and challenging the status quo
• Provide finance skillset in project / ad hoc assignments
• Build relationships across multiple finance functional teams to share and align best practices
• Develop understanding of Syngenta's business and interaction between the different business units and functional reporting lines

As a world market leader in crop protection, we help farmers to counter these threats and ensure enough safe, nutritious, affordable food for all – while minimizing the use of land and other agricultural inputs. Syngenta Crop Protection keeps plants safe from planting to harvesting.  From the moment a seed is planted through to harvest, crops need to be protected from weeds, insects and diseases as well as droughts and floods, heat and cold. Syngenta Crop Protection is headquartered in Switzerland.

Knowledge, experience & capabilities

Qualifications / knowledge

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting/ finance or equivalent
• Understanding of IFRS accounting, budgeting, forecasting and planning processes
• Excel & SAP knowledge are a must, business intelligence systems an advantage
• Industry knowledge will be advantageous

Critical experience

• Minimum 3 years in Finance and Controlling
• SAICA articles will be advantageous, but not a must
• Financial planning analyses and/or similar roles are encouraged

Critical technical, professional and personal capabilities

• Analytical skills / big data analyses
• Financial and accounting acumen
• Communication and presentation skills
• Ability to prioritise, especially to work under pressure and tight deadlines
• Ability to work independently as well as within (cross-) functional teams
• High focus and energy, with a pragmatic mindset and solution-oriented approach

Critical success factors & key challenges

• Ability to apply professional knowledge of accounting and financial reporting in supporting the business
• Ability to handle multiple stakeholders, priorities and deadlines
• Working in virtual teams
• Sound professional judgement and effective influencing skills