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KEY PEERFORMANCE AREAS
1. Strategic and Business Partnering
- Provide strategic financial advice and executive support to the CEO, Executive Committee, and Board on all financial and business matters.
- Provide strategic financial advice to the CEO, Executive Committee, and Board.
- Lead long-term financial planning and sustainability initiatives.
- Drive financial innovation and value creation across the organisation.
- Support organisational transformation and growth initiatives.
2. Financial Governance and Reporting
- Oversee the integrity, accuracy, and timeliness of all financial reporting to EXCO, the Board, and relevant external stakeholders.
- Direct the preparation of audited annual financial statements in line with applicable statutory requirements. Ensure robust financial controls, policies, and processes are in place across the organisation.
- Monitor financial performance, analyse variances, and recommend corrective action where required.
- Prevent unauthorised, irregular, fruitless, and wasteful expenditure through strong governance and oversight.
3. Financial Risk, Governance, Audit and Compliance
- Provide strategic leadership in ensuring SAMSA’s full compliance with the PFMA, National Treasury regulations, GRAP, the King Report, and all other applicable legislation, policies, and governance frameworks.
- Oversee the organisation’s financial risk, audit, compliance, and internal control environment to safeguard institutional integrity, accountability, and operational resilience.
- Lead engagement with internal and external audit processes, ensuring that findings and recommendations are effectively monitored, addressed, and closed out within agreed timelines.
- Drive a culture of ethical conduct, sound governance, and disciplined compliance across the finance and supply chain functions.
- Provide strategic direction in identifying Finance and Supply Chain policy gaps, developing appropriate policy responses, and implementing improvements that enhance efficiency, cost-effectiveness, service quality, and business performance.
- Represent the function in executive, management, and government forums, while ensuring that emerging financial risks are proactively managed and performance trends are leveraged to support continuous improvement.
4. Supply Chain and Operational Oversight
- Provide executive oversight of supply chain management to ensure fair, transparent, competitive, and cost-effective procurement practices.
- Ensure that procurement and provisioning systems are properly controlled and fully compliant with relevant legislation and policy requirements.
- Oversee the implementation of systems, procedures, and controls relating to financial transactions and procurement processes.
- Promote efficient, transparent, and cost-effective procurement practices.
- Monitor supplier performance and contract management frameworks.
5. Stakeholder Management
- Build and sustain credible relationships with the Board, Executive Committee, auditors, financial institutions, insurers, legal advisors, and other key stakeholders.
- Represent SAMSA in strategic forums, governance engagements, and external stakeholder discussions where required.
- Provide clear, professional, and evidence-based financial communication to support executive and board-level decision-making.
- Present financial reports and strategic recommendations to the Board and Board Committees.
6. People ManagementLeadership
- Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing finance and supply chain leadership team.
- Set clear performance expectations and ensure accountability for delivery across the function.
- Support succession planning, leadership development, and capability building within the finance function.
- Foster a culture of professionalism, collaboration, service excellence, and continuous improvement.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Postgraduate Qualification in Accounting, Financial Management, Commerce, Finance (NQF 8) is essential
- Master’s Degree (NQF 9) in any of the following qualifications would be an added advantage:(Master of Business Administration, Master of Finance, Master of Accounting, Master of Commerce)
- Certified Chartered Accountant of South Africa or any equivalent such as i.e (ACCA, CIMA or similar) is essential
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE
- Twelve (12) years experience in AccountingFinancial Management post-articles, with at least five (5) years at a Senior Management level.
- Two (2) years experience in an Executive level.
- Proven experience in public sector finance, state-owned entities, regulators, or similar complex organisations.
- Demonstrated experience in:
- Strategic financial leadership.
- Treasury Regulations and Public Sector Financial Management frameworks.
- International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), GRAP, or other applicable accounting standards.
FUNCTIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKLLS
- Financial Strategy and Sustainability
- Budgeting and Financial Planning
- Financial Reporting and Compliance
- Cash Flow and Treasury Management
- Governance and Risk ManagementAudit Outcomes
- Supply Chain Management Oversight
- Stakeholder and Regulatory Engagement
- People Leadership and Capability Development
- Public sector financial management, including the PFMA and Treasury Regulations.
- GRAP, with working knowledge of GAAP and IFRS where applicable.
- Budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning within the public sector environment.
- Supply chain management and procurement legislation, including compliance requirements.
- Internal and external audit processes, audit readiness, and audit response management.
- Corporate governance principles, including King IV and public sector governance frameworks.
- Financial control systems, asset management, cash flow management, and risk management.
- Public finance reporting, statutory reporting, and performance reporting.
- Policy development, implementation, and compliance monitoring.
- Financial systems, accounting software, and management information systems.
- Strategic thinking and executive decision-making.
- Financial analysis, modelling, and interpretation of complex data.
- Budget management and resource allocation.
- Leadership and team management.
- Stakeholder management and relationship building.
- Report writing and board-level presentation skills.
- Problem-solving and sound judgment.
- Negotiation and influencing skills.
- Communication skills, both written and verbal.
- Change management and the ability to work under pressure.
- Microsoft Office Package, Business Report Writing, Accounting Software
ATTITUDE/LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOUR
- Personal and professional integrity: Exhibits a moral, legal, or mental accountability in areas of responsibility.
- Builds Vision and Strategy – Sets a compelling destination and seeks breakthrough ideas to drive growth; manages through complexity to provide clear direction through well-developed strategies.
- Balances Immediate and Long-Term Priorities – Seeks to meet critical goals while considering the impact of those decisions and activities on ability to achieve long-term goals.
- Stakeholder Management: Ability to manage and meet the needs of key stakeholders. Has demonstrated success in handling difficult issues. Demonstrates politically savvy. Ability to influence key stakeholder constituencies and win buy-in for frameworks/strategies/projects/initiatives.
- Leverages a broad set of influencing strategies to navigate the system and moves ideas forward in a sustainable way.
- Delivers Results – Focuses on the critical few goals that add the most value and channels own and others’ energy to consistently deliver results that meet or exceed expectations.
- Develops and inspires others – Builds and maintains relationships that motivate, guide, and/or reinforce the performance of others toward goal accomplishments.
- Develops self and others to improve performance in current role and to prepare for future roles; seeks and provides feedback and coaching to enhance performance.
TERM OF APPOINTMENT
The Chief Financial Officer shall be appointed for a fixed-term of five (5) years, subject to the terms and conditions of appointment as determined by the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA).
As we are committed to Employment Equity in our employment practices, it is our intention to appoint individuals with the aim of meeting our Equity objectives. Preference will be given to African Females to achieve the objectives of Employment Equity.
CLOSING DATE: 29 JULY 2026
For any related queries regarding this position, please contact Ms Zanele Zwane at 012 366 2600.
Please note: SAMSA reserves the right not to make an appointment to any advertised position. No late applications will be considered. Psychometric and other assessments may be used as part of the selection process and all shortlisted candidates will be required to be available for the tests. If you have not been contacted within 3 months of the closing date as mentioned above, kindly deem your application unsuccessful.
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