Executive Specialist: Data Product at Absa Group Limited (Absa)

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Education/Qualification:

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., Business, Information Systems, Computer Science, Engineering, Statistics, Mathematics) is preferred; a Master’s degree (e.g., MBA, Data Science or Analytics) is advantageous.
• Product management certification or training (e.g., Pragmatic, SAFe, Scrum/Agile) and/or experience leading platform products, internal tooling, or data/AI product portfolios in a regulated environment.

Work Experience:

• Experience in financial services preferred, but experience in other data-rich industries will be considered.
• Approx 10 years experience in product management, development and/or ownership with several years leading data or analytics products or projects, or proven domain experience with data products and projects (e.g. analytics, data science, AI projects).
• Industry knowledge and strong understanding data ecosystems, analytics platforms, AI/MNL applications and data governance.
• Experience leading and building strong teams, both directly or indirectly via cross functional team setups.
• Problem-solving abilities to drive complex initiatives, interpret across different teams and work across a variety of skillsets to create solutions that speak to the problem or challenge. Ability to balance trade-offs where needed and assess risks.
• Communication skills: ability to communicate clearly and interpret between or for technical and non-technical audiences.

ACCOUNTABILITIES

Strategy Formulation and Execution:

• Develop and communicate a product vision, define a roadmap and create a strategy for CDAO that is aligned with Absa’s business objectives.
• Organise Book-of-Work (BoW) in conjunction with other EXCO members and Product Owners and refine resource allocation and capacity planning to match priorities.

Customer Focus:

• Prioritize customer insights and feedback in the development of data products and services.
• Foster a customer-centric culture within the team to enhance user experience and satisfaction

Sustainable Growth:

• Identify opportunities for sustainable growth through data-driven decision-making and innovative product offerings.
• Monitor market trends and regulatory changes to ensure growth strategies remain relevant and compliant.

Leading Talent:

• Attract, develop, and retain top talent within the data product team, fostering an environment of continuous learning and development.
• Mentor team members, promoting leadership skills and encouraging professional growth.
• lead a team of Product Owners and work across multiple different technical teams within CDAO, including data scientists, analysts and engineers to ensure clear alignment and understanding between all.
• Work with other Heads in the CDAO to scope how solutions will be implemented, maintained and sustained, and build an Agile cross-functional culture and structure.

Operational Effectiveness:

• Streamline processes and enhance operational efficiency to improve product delivery and service quality. Implement best practices in project management and product lifecycle management.

Digital Adoption:

• Champion digital transformation initiatives that leverage data analytics and technology to enhance product offerings and client interactions.
• Monitor the adoption of digital tools and platforms, ensuring alignment with business objectives.

Metrics, performance and value tracking:

• Drive processes and frameworks, in partnership with teams and stakeholders, to track success and usage of our data and data products.

Stakeholder engagement:

• Work with senior executives and stakeholders to fully understand their challenges and propose effective solutions, advocating for data products that can truly move the needle.
• Agree on definitions of success and align on key measures to track these upfront.

User-centric approach:

• Function as a bridge between the data teams and the rest of the organisation, so that any solutions provided are well-fit to the task at hand, and stakeholders are able to use and understand them easily.

Technology and innovation:

• Staying on top of emerging trends in the field of data, analytics and AI so you can advise the business on where best to innovate or develop a competitive edge.

Good Governance, Risk and Compliance:

• Ensure all data products adhere to regulatory standards and internal governance policies.
• Establish risk management frameworks to safeguard data integrity and security.

Data Monetisation:

• Develop strategies for monetising data assets, exploring new revenue streams and partnerships.
• Analyze market opportunities for data-driven services and products that deliver value to clients and stakeholders in Personal and Private Banking and the Absa group.

Education

• Bachelor's Degree: Data Science

End Date: April 17, 2026