Employer: Merchant West Holdings About The Role: The Operations Analyst plays a pivotal role in supporting the group’s strategic, operational, and governance ambitions by providing analytical depth, cross‑functional coordination, and structured operational insight. The role contributes to the execution of the group’s growth strategy through involvement in acquisitions, financial analysis, automation initiatives, and the strengthening of governance frameworks across all business pillars. Working closely with the COO and senior leadership, the role ensures that critical operational, financial, and project‑driven activities are delivered with precision, accuracy, and commercial awareness. With a blend of technical capability and enterprise‑wide exposure, the Operations Analyst enables informed decision‑making, enhances operational efficiency, and supports the development of robust systems, policies, and strategic processes that underpin sustainable business performance. Main Accountabilities: Strategic Involvement * Support the identification and evaluation of potential acquisitions. * Participate in due diligence and contribute to the integration of acquired businesses into the group. Financial Review & Credit Analysis * Assist in reviewing credit models, processes, and risk frameworks. * Perform independent reviews of financial information including management accounts, variance analysis, AFS, Budgets and Tax computations Operations, Projects & Automation * Assist the COO in driving operational excellence, automation, and system integration. * Support the implementation and management of strategic projects across all pillars including lending (finance), advisory (Invest), insurance (Insure), international and the group as a whole. Governance & Policy * Design, document, and maintain group policies, controls, and procedures. * Review and provide feedback on business unit policies to ensure alignment with group standards. Committee Participation * Participate in the MW Panel with a growth path into the MWCC (Merchant West Credit Committee). * Initially focus on Consumer and SME segments, progressing into Corporate. Qualifications: * CA (SA) * ITC and Credit Clear Experience: * 2 – 3 years post article experience * Experience within a high-performance environment (advantageous) * Strong exposure to financial analysis, reporting and interpretation * Experience with or exposure to Mergers & Acquisitions transactions (advantageous) * Involvement in or understanding of credit risk processes and financial modelling (advantageous) * Demonstrated ability to contribute to system and process automation or digital transformation projects * Prior participation in policy development, internal controls, or governance-related work (advantageous) * Experience in managing or assisting with strategic or operational projects across multiple business units