Head of Finance (6-months contract)

We are seeking an experienced Head of Finance to join a leading South African bank on a 6-month contract based in Sandton. This is a strategic leadership role responsible for driving financial reporting, consolidation, governance, and financial operations while providing insightful analysis that enables sound business decision-making.

The successful candidate will lead a high-performing finance team, ensure compliance with IFRS and regulatory requirements, strengthen financial controls, and partner with senior stakeholders to deliver accurate financial reporting and strategic financial insights.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a diverse Finance Operations team, ensuring high performance and delivery excellence.
• Drive financial consolidation, reporting, and governance across multiple business functions.
• Provide strategic financial analysis, insights, and recommendations to support executive decision-making.
• Oversee budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning processes, ensuring alignment with business strategy.
• Review financial reconciliations and resolve outstanding financial discrepancies.
• Prepare and review annual financial statements in accordance with IFRS and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Ensure compliance with statutory reporting obligations and regulatory submissions.
• Develop, implement, and strengthen financial controls, governance frameworks, and audit readiness.
• Identify opportunities to optimise finance processes through technology, automation, and AI-enabled solutions.
• Partner with business stakeholders to provide commercial financial support and value-added insights.
• Lead financial reporting improvements and drive best practice across the finance function.
• Manage financial risks and ensure adherence to internal policies, governance standards, and compliance requirements.
• Coach, mentor, and develop finance professionals while fostering a culture of continuous improvement and collaboration.
• Support strategic initiatives, transformation programmes, and organisational change across the finance function.
• Promote continuous process improvement and identify opportunities to enhance operational efficiency.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Accounting, Commerce, or a related field.
• CA(SA) qualification is highly advantageous.
• Extensive senior finance leadership experience within the banking or financial services sector.
• Strong experience in:
• Financial reporting and consolidation
• IFRS and regulatory reporting
• Budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning
• Financial controls, governance, and risk management
• Audit and statutory compliance
• Proven experience leading and developing high-performing finance teams.
• Strong stakeholder management and executive communication skills.
• Experience driving process improvement, automation, and finance transformation initiatives.
• Knowledge of emerging finance technologies, including AI-enabled finance solutions, will be advantageous.

This is an excellent opportunity to join one of South Africa's leading banking institutions and play a key role in leading finance operations, strengthening governance, and delivering strategic financial insight within a fast-paced, high-performance environment.