Head of Transactional Banking Operations at ABSA | October 2024

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Job Summary

• To manage and lead the Transactional Banking Operations teams ensuring that they operate effectively, efficiently and within Compliance and Regulatory requirements.
• Drive a high-performance culture, managing productivity, creating efficiencies and ensuring that the Transactional Banking Operations team deliver quality service to all clients.
• Support the Head of Businesses to deliver on the over Bank’s strategy and achieve organizational goals.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities:

Accountability: Operations and Stakeholder Management (30%)

• Establish and nurture professional relationships with all stakeholders in Business.
• Ensure delivery against agreed KPIs/KRIs & SLAs.
• Good understanding of the Transactional Banking Operations that include Trade products, Payments and Scheme Billing. Create and implement a long-term business plan to ensure continuity of business operations in the long run on Transactional banking operations
• Identify gaps in the units, recommend and implement improvements
• Manage teams to ensure optimal capacity and productivity management, redeploying resources when required.
• Identify opportunities to streamline processes, eliminate waste and reduce turn- around times within the standards prescribed for the process.
• In conjunction with the Performance Improvement team constantly review, monitor growth plans and realign capacity.
• Proactively identify thematic client pain-points, determine root-cause and refine processes to eliminate the pain points.
• Manage reviews of the unit (Trade procedures, Payments and Billing process) maps, Business Required Documents (BRD) for new systems / system enhancements.
• Accountable for meeting or exceeding targets, with respect to people development, running and discretionary costs, service quality and overall productivity of the department.
• Responsible for placing the Client at the heart of the operating model, ensuring that only value add services are provided.

Accountability: Manage risk affecting Transactional Banking Operations (40%)

• Ensure all risk events are reported, issues raised with the Ops Risk team through ORMS, root cause analysis obtained, and corrective measures identified, documented and embedded to avoid future occurrence
• In conjunction with Ops Risk conduct regular reviews and analysis of the business environment and issues raised during a specific period to identify real and/or potential risks and trends in the department.
• Monitor adherence to established ABSA risk control policies, procedures and activities in Trade Operations.
• Full awareness of Incoterms rules covering the conditions and establishing the rights and responsibilities of both buyer and seller in international trade
• Wider knowledge on how SWIFT operates, Tanzania Automated Clearing House and Scheme Billing to increase efficiency and reduce operations loss that may be caused due to lack of knowledge.
• Draw up and manage contingency plans in conjunction with Business Continuity and representatives in the unit.
• Establish suitable principles for the setting of operational mandates for transaction processing.
• Green Audits: Internal, External and Regulatory – ensure timeous closeout of observations and continuous embedment of corrective actions.
• Accountable for the production and maintenance of process documentation.

Accountability: Business Management and Budget Control (15%)

• Obtain a thorough understanding of the Bank’s strategy and cascade to team members in such a way that they understand their contribution toward the strategy.
• Explain targets and take accountability for the monitoring and achievement of performance objectives.
•  Ensure employee satisfaction, cost performance, return on investment, risk, compliance and governance requirements are met.
• In conjunction with the Performance Improvement team, conduct basic statistical analysis to track performance variances and determine the root causes. Make recommendations for productivity or process enhancements to process owners, eliminating waste, creating efficiencies and tracking benefits.
• Ensure cost savings on project initiative are realized.

Accountability: People Management (15%)

• Accountable for the proficient management of staff performance, recruitment and development. Expected to provide coaching and guidance as necessary, to ensure that the team has the knowledge and awareness of regulatory, industry and process requirements.
• Accountable for establishing High Performance Organization standards through the effective use of Performance Development standards and measurements (including where appropriate Disciplinary, Capability and Grievance procedures).
• Demonstrate motivational High Performance Organization leadership skills and behaviors, building effective working relationships with all team members and leading by example.
• Create robust performance development plans for team members and provide support and guidance throughout the year (including regular feedback) to achieve established goals
• Establish and maintain a succession plan and diversity management within own team
• Ensure the provision of ongoing training and development people and ensure that holders of all critical functions are suitably skilled and qualified for their roles ensuring that they have effective supervision in place to mitigate any risks.
• Ensure that identified training is budgeted for and executed
• Set and monitor job descriptions and objectives for direct reports and provide feedback and rewards in line with their performance against those responsibilities and objectives.
• Manage approved headcount with mandated senior management.
• Ensure effective delivery of People Management Practices and Policies.
• Ensure all direct reports are appropriately managed, supported and developed. Address performance issues consistently, appropriately and when required.

Risk and Controls Objectives

Manage risk and control effectively by applying applicable risk frameworks and embedding a positive risk culture

• Understanding of own role in the end-to-end processes in which you play a part, including applicable risks and controls.
• Adhere to Absa’s policies and procedures applicable to own role, demonstrating sound judgement and responsible risk management.
• Report all risk events / incidents / issues using the defined process for your business area and help to understand why these happened and how to prevent them in future. Proactively look for ways to improve the control environment by considering what could go wrong in the processes you operate and how errors could be prevented.
• All mandatory training completed to deadline

Knowledge of the Bank’s products, services, and policies and/or another specialized knowledge required to undertake the role:

Education and Experience Required

• Applicable Degree with 6 to 8 years of Transactional Banking Operations experience with exposure across different products.

Trade products and SWIFT training certification will be an added advantage

• Minimum 5 years Management experience

Knowledge & Skills required

• Understanding of processes and rationale behind the procedures.
• Knowledge of regulatory requirements i.e. Sanctions policy, Exchange Control Rulings and Policies, Trade Finance Standard Policy, TISS, TACH rules, Bank of Tanzania Consumer Protection Act and any other policy or regulations that govern day to day operations of the unit.
• Good understanding of International uniform rules that govern trade products ie. Letter of credits, Demand Guarantee etc.
• General understanding of legal requirements and the implications thereof.
• Good interpersonal and team-working skills and the ability to communicate at all levels
• Performance orientated and client service driven
• Report writing and presentation skills
• Strong organizational and interpersonal skills
• Excellent client communication skills and a strong ability to build client relationships.
• Ability to build working relationships with clients, product, operations, coverage and technology staff.

Absa Values

Absa’s Values and Behaviours represent the set of standards which governs the actions of all of us who work for the bank and against which the performance of every one of us in Absa are being assessed and rewarded:

• Trust
• Resourceful
• Stewardship
• Inclusive
• Courage

Education

Bachelor`s Degrees and Advanced Diplomas: Business, Commerce and Management Studies (Required)