Collinson

Financial Analyst 6 Month FTC

Collinson · Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Consumer Services · 1,001-5,000 employees

4 h ago
Junior (0-2 yrs) Full-time South Africa
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About the role

The Financial Analyst manages data capture, consolidation, and report building to bridge the gap between Technology and Finance functions. Key tasks include validating operational inputs, modeling project costs, and developing automated dashboards to support informed decision-making.

What they look for

Financial Analysis Data Capture Financial Modelling Dashboard Development Variance Analysis Budgeting Forecasting Microsoft Excel Data Analytics Project Accounting Asset Capitalisation Business Intelligence Microsoft Dynamics Reporting Cost Management

Requirements

Candidates must hold a degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related quantitative discipline. The role requires 1 to 3 years of experience in corporate finance or project accounting, along with advanced Microsoft Excel skills.

Full description

Collinson is the global, privately-owned company dedicated to helping the world to travel with ease and confidence. The group offers a unique blend of industry and sector specialists who together provide market-leading airport experiences, loyalty and customer engagement, and insurance solutions for over 400 million consumers. Collinson is the operator of Priority Pass, the world’s original and leading airport experiences programme. Travellers can access a network of 1,500+ lounges and travel experiences, including dining, retail, sleep and spa, in over 650 airports in 148 countries, helping to elevate the journey into something special. We work with the world’s leading payment networks, over 1,400 banks, 90 airlines and 20 hotel groups worldwide.

We have been bringing innovation to the market since inception – from launching the first independent global VIP lounge access programme, Priority Pass, to being the first to sell direct travel insurance in the UK through Columbus Direct and creating the first loyalty agency of its kind in the travel sector with ICLP. Today we still invest heavily in innovation to ensure that we continue to deliver superior customer experiences.

Key clients include Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Cathay Pacific, British Airways, LATAM, Flying Blue, Accor, EasyJet, HSBC, Chase and HDFC.

Our mission is focused on doing good beyond profit, which for us means we seek out opportunities for our people to share in our success and that we give back to the communities and people within which we work.

Never short of ambition, the success of our business is delivered through the diverse and talented team of over 1,800 global colleagues.

Purpose of the job:

The Financial Analyst supports the Technology Finance function by managing data capture, consolidation and report building. The role bridges Technology and Finance by working directly with stakeholders to accurately capture time spent on technology initiatives, validate operational inputs, model project costs and support accurate software capitalisation compliance. The role provides reliable allocation models, automated dashboards and forward-looking project forecasts that enable precise cost tracking, project reporting and informed decision-making.

Key Responsibilities:

Data Capture and Capitalisation Tracking

· Collaborate with delivery managers and technology stakeholders to capture time spent on business initiatives.

· Ensure inputs are submitted on time, are accurate and are suitable for financial tracking purposes.

· Support the identification of activities that qualify for financial capitalisation in line with internal guidelines.

Data Validation and Financial Modelling

· Validate operational inputs to ensure alignment with corporate governance rules.

· Transform raw and disparate time-tracking data into structured, functional data models for cost tracking.

· Enable accurate allocation of technology costs and internal labour assets across projects.

Financial Reporting and Dashboard Development

· Create and maintain interactive financial dashboards and visual reporting tools.

· Translate consolidated financial datasets into clear reports showing spending trends, project status and budget variances.

· Provide management with transparent reporting on actual technology expenditure.

Cost Management and Variance Analysis

· Monitor rolling technology expenditure against approved budgets and corporate commitment logs.

· Perform regular variance analysis to identify material differences between actual spend and financial plans.

· Highlight root operational causes of variances and support corrective action discussions.

Month-End Close Automation and Controls

· Streamline month-end reporting by building and maintaining automated project reports.

· Support month-end project forecasts and related reporting control activities.

· Improve reporting consistency, reduce manual effort and strengthen data accuracy.

Budgeting and Forecasting Support

· Provide support to wider budgeting and forecasting cycles for technology projects.

· Maintain routine updates comparing monthly actuals against targets and latest forecasts.

· Support the production of forward-looking project financial reporting packs.

Core Deliverables:

Validated Allocation Models

· Produce clean, reconciled time-tracking and cost-allocation datasets each month.

· Maintain allocation models as the single source of truth for distributing technology expenses and booking capitalised assets.

Interactive Management Dashboards

· Deliver automated visual reporting packages and dashboards that track project spend.

· Simplify complex financial data and spending trends for non-finance stakeholders and leadership audiences.

Automated Project Forecasts and Reports

· Provide routine financial updates and automated forward-looking project forecasts.

· Compare actual monthly spend against targets and explain the operational drivers of variances.

Qualifications & Technical Skills:

Education and Experience

· Degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business or a related quantitative discipline.

· 1 to 3 years of experience in corporate finance, project accounting or data analytics.

· Baseline understanding of asset capitalisation concepts.

Technical Systems and Excel

· Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including the ability to manipulate large datasets.

· Experience connecting data, writing formulas and designing clean visual presentations in BI software.

· Experience with Microsoft Dynamics (MSD) is desirable.

Core Competencies

· Exceptional attention to detail and commitment to data accuracy.

· Ability to partner with and challenge non-finance stakeholders to secure accurate information.

· Strong communication skills and ability to turn financial data into clear business insight.