Head: A&E FinOps

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Job Summary

The Head of A&E FinOps is accountable for leading the PPB Technology Financial Operations capability, providing financial governance, control, and value optimization of technology spend across cloud, platforms, SaaS, infrastructure, and large-scale transformation programmes.
The role aligns financial discipline with delivery priorities, enabling informed tradeoffs between cost, risk, and growth, and embeds a culture of financial accountability and cost ownership across PPB Technology value streams.
This is a senior strategic and operational finance leadership role, accountable for technology spend predictability, financial transparency, forecasting accuracy, cost optimization, and value realization across the PPB Technology estate.

Job Description

1. Strategic Financial Governance

• Define and execute the PPB Tech enterprise FinOps strategy aligned to business and technology objectives.

• Establish financial guardrails for cloud, SaaS, infrastructure, and platform investments.

• Embed cost transparency and financial impact assessment into technology investment and design decisions, enabling informed trade‑offs between cost, risk, and value.

• Partner with CIO, CFO, and Program Sponsors to align funding models with transformation roadmaps.

2. Cost Transparency & Financial Visibility

• Implement cost visibility across all technology domains (Cloud, Core Platforms, Integration, Digital Channels).

• Establish cost allocation models aligned to Value Streams or Business Units.

• Develop and maintain executive financial dashboards covering:

  • Run vs Change cost mix to assess sustainability and investment balance

  • Unit cost economics (cost per transaction, customer, or product)

  • Cost‑to‑serve analysis across customers, products, and value streams

• Embed financial literacy and cost discipline across PPB Technology leadership.

 

3. Program and platform Forecasting, Budgeting & Financial Planning

• Own financial planning, budgeting, and forecasting across technology programmes and platforms, ensuring spend remains within approved budgets.

• Drive forecast accuracy and variance management across programmes, platforms, and value streams, with clear accountability for deviations.

• Align funding profiles to delivery roadmaps and capacity assumptions, enabling informed investment phasing and prioritization.

• Provide financial challenge and assurance on programme and platform forecasts, assumptions, and affordability.

• Support investment decision‑making through robust financial modelling for major programmes, platform renewals, and transformation initiatives.

 

4. Cloud & Platform Cost Optimization

• Establish cloud cost optimization frameworks.

• Embed cost‑efficiency and affordability principles into solution architecture.

• Provide financial challenge and assurance on major technology and platform investment decisions, with a focus on total cost of ownership and lifecycle cost impacts.

• Identify, track, and eliminate financial waste, including unused capacity, over‑provisioning, and idle environments, in partnership with Technology teams.

 

5. Commercial & Vendor Financial Oversight

• Partner with PPB Technology Head Office Partner Contracts Management to provide financial leadership on:

  • SaaS and platform pricing negotiations

  • Contract value optimization and cost efficiency

  • Exit strategies, vendor dependency, and financial risk management

• Provide robust financial modelling and commercial analysis to support licensing transitions, renewals, and platform replacement decisions.

 

6. Value Realization & ROI Tracking

• Track and report ROI against approved transformation investments.

• Monitor and track cost savings targets from the technology decommissioning commitments towards the PPB2.0 “Save to Invest” objective

• Support benefits realization governance forums (Steerco / Exco).

7. Operating Model & Governance

• Establish FinOps operating cadence:

  • Monthly cost reviews

  • Quarterly optimization targets

  • Executive financial reporting

• Define FinOps RACI across PPB Technology Value Streams, Finance, CIO’s, Architecture & Engineering

8. Team Leadership & Capability Build

• Develop FinOps playbooks and standard operating procedures.

• Champion a “cost-aware engineering” culture across the organization.

Key Accountabilities

• Technology spend predictability, transparency, and control

• Forecast accuracy consistently achieved within agreed tolerance

• Approved cost optimization and efficiency targets delivered

• Material reduction in waste and cost leakage across the technology estate

• Credible, decision‑grade executive cost reporting

• Demonstrable linkage between spend, value delivery, and business outcomes

Education

Postgraduate Degrees and Professional Qualifications: Financial Sciences (Required)

Absa Bank Limited is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. In compliance with the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998, preference will be given to suitable candidates from designated groups whose appointments will contribute towards achievement of equitable demographic representation of our workforce profile and add to the diversity of the Bank.

Absa Bank Limited reserves the right not to make an appointment to the post as advertised