Senior Talent Consultant: CA Training Programme: Group Financial Reporting
Cape Town, Western Cape, ZA
Who are we?
Sanlam was established as a life insurance company in South Africa but has since transformed into a diversified financial services group that operates across the African continent, India, Malaysia and selected developed markets, with listings on the Johannesburg, A2X and Namibian stock exchanges. In 2018 the Group celebrated its centenary as well as 20 years since demutualisation and listing in South Africa and Namibia. Sanlam is one of the largest internationally active insurance groups in the world with a presence in 30 countries and has the biggest non-banking financial services footprint on the African continent.
The Group's five business clusters (Sanlam Fintech, Sanlam Life and Savings, Sanlam Investment Group, Sanlam Allianz and Santam) house the Group's business operations. The Group Office provides strategic direction and support to the five clusters, assisting them in realising their strategies and meeting their business objectives. The Group Office is responsible for governance and for the Group's centralised functions, which include: Finance, Actuarial, Risk and Balance Sheet Management, Strategy, Human Capital, Corporate Affairs and Sustainability.
What will you do?
The Talent Consultant – CA(SA) Training Programme is the strategic custodian of Sanlam’s Chartered Accountant (South Africa) talent pipeline, responsible for building a sustainable, diverse, and future‑ready finance leadership bench for the Group.
The role owns the end‑to‑end CA(SA) talent value chain, integrating SAICA compliance, strategic workforce planning, employer branding, recruitment excellence, talent development, and post‑articles retention. The role partners closely with Group Financial Reporting, Finance leadership, and Group Human Capital to ensure that Sanlam continues to attract, develop, and retain high‑calibre CA(SA) talent aligned to current and future business needs.
What will make you successful in this role?
Key Strategic Accountabilities
1. CA(SA) Talent Pipeline & Workforce Strategy
- Develop and execute a multi‑year CA(SA) talent pipeline aligned to Sanlam Group’s finance capability and succession requirements.
- Partner with Finance and Group Financial Reporting leadership to forecast demand, critical skills, and leadership pipeline needs.
- Monitor and report on pipeline health (intake quality, throughput, exam success, completion, and post‑articles retention).
- Provide strategic insights and recommendations on pipeline risks, gaps, and optimisation opportunities.
2. SAICA Accreditation, Compliance & Risk
- Act as custodian of Sanlam’s SAICA accreditation, ensuring ongoing compliance with SAICA Training Regulations.
- Support the Training Officer in audit readiness, reviews, and engagements with SAICA.
- Ensure accurate registration, maintenance, and governance of training contracts and trainee eligibility.
- Serve as liaison with SAICA on arbitration, disciplinary matters, and misconduct reporting.
- Translate regulatory developments into continuous programme improvements.
3. Employer Brand & University Ecosystem
- Own and evolve the employer value proposition for CA(SA) trainees.
- Lead targeted attraction and branding initiatives, including university engagement, career fairs, CSR initiatives, and digital presence.
- Build and maintain strategic university relationships and benchmark the programme against leading training offices.
4. Recruitment & Attraction Excellence
- Lead end‑to‑end annual CA(SA) trainee recruitment, from attraction and assessment to selection, contracting, and onboarding.
- Manage specialist recruitment streams (e.g. Thuthuka, top‑performing and foreign national graduates).
- Ensure recruitment supports employment equity objectives and long‑term talent sustainability.
5. Talent Development, Programme Management & Retention
- Manage the CA Training Programme and approximately 15 trainees in line with the CA2025 competency framework.
- Oversee trainee rotations, exposure planning, training plans, performance tracking, and corrective action where required.
- Facilitate structured development interventions, including mentorship, coaching, graduate development, and technical training.
- Coordinate group‑wide mobility and secondments (internal and external audit exposure).
- Drive retention and absorption of high‑performing trainees into permanent roles post‑articles.
- Establish and manage a CA Trainee Alumni strategy as a long‑term talent and employer brand asset.
6. Stakeholder Engagement & Continuous Improvement
- Build strong relationships with Finance leadership, HR, trainees, universities, SAICA, and other external stakeholders.
- Provide thought leadership on best practice in professional training and early‑career talent development.
- Continuously assess programme effectiveness and implement improvements to enhance trainee experience and organisational value.
Qualification and Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources or a related field.
- SAICA assessor training (advantageous).
- Minimum of five years’ experience in graduate programmes, talent development, or early‑career pipeline management.
- At least 3 years managerial experience of direct reports.
- Sound understanding of HR, talent management, and workforce planning practices.
Compentencies
- Strategic workforce and talent pipeline planning.
- SAICA training regulations and compliance administration.
- Graduate recruitment and employer branding.
- Stakeholder engagement and influence at senior levels.
- Talent analytics, reporting, and programme evaluation.
- Change management and continuous improvement.
- Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills.
Knowledge and Skills
Personal Attributes
Build a successful career with us
We’re all about building strong, lasting relationships with our employees. We know that you have hopes for your future – your career, your personal development and of achieving great things. We pride ourselves in helping our employees to realise their worth. Through its five business clusters – Sanlam Fintech, Sanlam Life and Savings, Sanlam Investment Group, Sanlam Allianz, Santam, as well as MiWay and the Group Office – the group provides many opportunities for growth and development.
Core Competencies
Turnaround time
The shortlisting process will only start once the application due date has been reached. The time taken to complete this process will depend on how far you progress and the availability of managers.
The closing date for applications is 01 April 2026.
Our commitment to transformation
The Sanlam Group is committed to achieving transformation and embraces diversity. This commitment is what drives us to achieve a diverse, inclusive and equitable workplace as we believe that these are key components to ensuring a thriving and sustainable business in South Africa. The Group's Employment Equity plan and targets will be considered as part of the selection process.