Job Description

Spar Central Office is currently recruiting for a Portfolio Manager: Finance to join their team at the Central Office in Pinetown.
Job description
The Portfolio Manager: Finance is responsible for managing a suite of technology capabilities (products) that provides system solutions to the relevant business functions in SPAR. The incumbent of this role is expected to coordinate and provide leadership to their team, including Product Managers, Business Analysts, Systems Analysts, Data Analysts, Solution Architects, and related squads, with the outcome of product life cycle management that meets the requirements of business strategy, end users, and the technology function. Additionally, this role must provide product leadership to business across a functional systems ecosystem and manage all relevant tech vendor contracts and SLA's ensuring effective oversight and governance.
Key Performance Areas

• Lead the enterprise product portfolio by defining vision, strategy, and roadmaps aligned to organisational goals
• Develop and manage investment, resource, and capacity plans to support portfolio delivery
• Build and lead high performing, cross functional product teams to deliver business solutions
• Provide mentorship, coaching, and performance management to direct reports
• Engage key business stakeholders across Central Office and regional DCs, ensuring effective communication and collaboration
• Partner with Change Management and business teams to drive clear and consistent communication updates
• Foster strong working relationships across Technology Services to support product enhancements, governance, and risk management
• Oversee full product lifecycle activities-including requirements definition, research, metrics, development, testing, and launch
• Collaborate with business stakeholders on feasibility studies and business cases
• Review and approve BRDs and CRs to ensure solutions meet business and technical needs
• Evaluate technology options in partnership with Enterprise Architecture
• Define, monitor, and report on product performance metrics for both build and run functions
• Partner with the Service Desk to resolve product-related issues
• Drive quality and reduce defects through sustainable development and assurance practices
• Ad hoc duties as required by management

Minimum requirements

• A Computer Science, Commercial or related Bachelor's degree
• Additional Business Administration qualification is preferable
• At least 10 years' experience in product management with demonstrated understanding of defining, building and running system solutions that meet business needs
• A minimum of 5 years' experience leading multiple initiatives or products
• At least 10 years' cross functional technology management experience in a retail or FMCG environment
• A minimum of 10 years' experience directly managing third party developers to design and update enterprise related applications
• Experience working with and co-ordinating multi-business stakeholders across multiple geographies is preferred
• Excellent understanding and working knowledge of Software Development Life Cycle management practices
• Proficiency in agile methodologies and tools
• Thorough understanding of systems and technologies in area of control, both internally and with reference to the market

The ideal applicant will satisfy the following skills requirements:

• A high degree of confidentiality, emotional maturity, ethical values and integrity
• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, to interface effectively with all levels of colleagues and with external customers in a team orientated manner
• Strong business and financial acumen
• Demonstrated ability to work in a fast paced / dynamic team environment to meet critical deadlines
• Experience building and maintaining effective internal/external business partnerships with non-technology business leaders to provide strategic technology solutions and thought leadership
• Ability to lead disparate teams to successful outcomes using proven methodologies
• A business customer-service mindset focussed on customer satisfaction through solution and operational excellence and continuous improvement
• Must be collaborative, influential, and rational
• Exceptional accuracy and extreme attention to detail
• Outstanding practical, problem-solving competence across disparate environments to achieve coherent outcomes

Kindly note: All applications are to be submitted through the Careers Site and Pnet. Please refrain from calling the Distribution Centre (DC) or emailing applications directly.
"Your application and all personal information provided herein is protected under the Protection of Personal Information Act (4 of 2013), hereinafter referred to as the "Act". * The SPAR Group LTD, with its head offices at 22 Chancery Lane in Pinetown, is collecting this information to enable us to facilitate your application and /or assess your suitability for the advertised position. This information will be used for this purpose only and disposed of thereafter, unless you consent to the information being retained for marketing purposes.

• Where shortlisted, your information will be retained for a period of 3 months and disposed of immediately thereafter if you are unsuccessful in your application. Where employment is offered, it will be retained as part of your employee portfolio and secured accordingly.
• This information is given to us, by you, voluntarily and of your own free will.
• If you do not wish to provide us with this information, are unable to do so, or object to it being used, it will result in the disqualification of your application.
• In the course of the recruitment process, and for matters related to your application only, we may share your information with third parties.
• You have the right to access this information while in our possession and make corrections if necessary.
• You have the right to lodge a complaint via email with the office of the Information Regulator, at

, if you are unhappy with the manner in which we deal with your information.
By submitting your application, you hereby declare your understanding of the aforementioned information and consent to the processing of your information in accordance with the Act, as well as the processing of any further personal information requested by us in the future including but not limited to, banking details, criminal history and credit reports / financial history information."

Skills Required