Financial Crime Governance, Risk and Control Specialist at Absa Group Limited (Absa)

Job Summary

• This role will be responsible for delivery of the function’s strategic initiatives and build and maintain an effective and proactive governance and risk management framework. In addition, the incumbent will provide oversight and coordinate specific processes to facilitate and support the objective assessment of financial crime risk in the business.

Job Description

Accountability: Governance and oversight

• Demonstrate a good understanding of the enterprise risk management framework (ERMF) and Operational Risk and Resilience (ORR) framework and standards.
• Ensure the awareness of processes, policies, and procedures to adequately challenge the business to ensure that all regulatory reporting requirements are met.
• Conduct assessments of the business unit control environment and provide an independent assessment on the risk profiles.
• Provide challenge that supports business management in understanding and accepting where action needs to be taken in order to manage and mitigate financial crime risks.

Accountability: Risk and Control

• Challenge risk assessments performed by Business and Functions, challenging any ratings using a combination of quantitative and qualitative data sources.
• Conduct risk assessments on key external risks/threats to determine the impact of anticipated or emerging risks on the Business and/or the Group.
• Evaluate how current and emerging Financial Crime and associated risks and threats can drive additional business risks.
• Ensure the ongoing assessment and enhancement of the Financial Crime risk framework to ensure that it is always fit for purpose and adequate measure of our financial crime risk.
• Utlise stress testing models to evaluate the control environment's resilience against external risks and threats, assessing the Business/Group’s preparedness to address emerging challenges.
• Enhance scenarios to improve the control environment’s resilience, helping the Business and/or Group prepare for anticipated risks and threats.

Key attributes for the role: 

• Demonstrated ability to use data analytics, identify risk trends and emerging risks. Furthermore, identify and assess for commonalities of risk drivers and/or control failures.
• Collaborate with data scientists to refine existing predictive models and create new ones.
• Continuously scan the external environment to identify key sources of industry information to enhance and build new predictive models.

Accountability: Reporting

• Prepare regular and adhoc reports to senior management and committees where applicable.
• Deliver value-added management information, specifically key risk indicator trends, and analysis of the drivers of risks to assist senior management better manage risks, losses and the associated capital holdings.

Accountability: Teamwork

• Collaborate with team members and the wider Financial Crime function to enhance overall effectiveness and achieve collective goals.

Accountability: Stakeholder Management

• Build and maintain meaningful relationships with internal relevant business units and stakeholders with the aim of understanding their business needs
• Building and managing stakeholder relationships within the Financial Crime function and outside, in order to execute on and implement your own deliverables.

Accountability: Business Enablement

• Lead and ensure completion of strategic deliverables within allocated time and with minimal oversight from the GRC Manager.
• Exploring opportunities for improving existing capabilities through intuitive use of new analytic based approaches, international best practices, and trends.
• Keeping abreast of changes in industry regulations and developing your own competency through continuous education.

Education and Experience Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Commerce or Risk Management or equivalent
• At least 3 years’ experience in the field of Risk Management, Internal Audit or Governance, Risk and Control

Knowledge & Skills

• Analytical Thinking
• Data management, analytics and data modeling
• Digital affinity
• Experience in a financial crime discipline and familiarity with key concepts of AML, Sanctions, and ABC risk management.
• Experience in working with culturally diverse teams in different geographic locations.

Education

• Bachelor Honours Degree: Law, Military Science and Security (Required)