Governance, Training and Operations Specialist at Absa Group Limited (Absa)

Job Summary

Overall job purpose:

• To assist the Business Unit Head of ARO in managing the overall business, training and governance responsibilities of the area. The scope of the role covers all functional operational requirements.

Job Description

• Accountability: Strategy Definition and Implementation
• Provide support to the BU Head to ensure that decisions taken are communicated to the correct audience in a timely manner and gauge the understanding and commitment from the audience across the Function.
• Ensure the successful end-to-end execution and delivery of all tactical and strategic initiatives that contributes towards the realisation of the Business Unit strategy
• Deliver on strategic solutions based on international trends, research and benchmark leaders to ensure that tactics used / strategic solutions are of utmost quality.
• Involved in coordination of strategy sessions and content as required, in supporting the Head in driving strategy within the Function.
• Accountability: Business & Operational Management
• Attend a multitude of forums, project and management meetings to stay up to date with operational conditions and provide early warning to the BU Head of any probable issues and proposed solutions.
• Assist in providing knowledgeable review and recommendations for intended shifts ensuring that context, analysis and the views of the respective areas are collated, filtered and summarised in a concise manner. Assist in evaluating, interpreting and delivering only relevant information to the BU Head to ensure that the time of the Head is not taken up with operational issues that should be resolved elsewhere.
• Assist in the distribution of issues to the correct level of operational management for resolution by identifying issue at hand and delegating to relevant team
• Assist in collating escalated queries from other external stakeholders and attend to queries or relay the query to appropriate individuals when falling outside scope.
• Assist in resolving issues lodged directly with the Head.
• Assist in the set-up of a monitoring process for ongoing issues and programmes to address these in the business unit and report them to the BU Head.
• Participate in interfacing with the Heads direct reports to understand the operating environment and to assist them to prioritise focus areas
• Assist in the management of the BU Head to ensure smooth operations and that resources are available and operating effectively.
• Provide guidance and input around operational issues and day to day operational management.
• Accountability: Communication
• Assist in the preparation of key themes, presentations and reviews for the BU Head and assist with detailed content when required
• Assist in the review of all material and communication prior to it being reviewed by the Head ensuring that context, analysis and the views of the respective areas are collated, filtered and summarised in a concise manner.
• Manage the primary functional communication channels: Intranet; SharePoint; Workplace; Email mailboxes
• Maintain distribution & user access lists across all platforms.  
• Accountability: Governance and control
• Implementation and embedment of Operational Risk Frameworks for RCSA, Risk Events, Key Risk Indicators, Key Risk Scenarios for the function
• Accountability: Stakeholder Management
• Establish and maintain effective stakeholder relationships with both internal and external stakeholders.
• Manage service offerings all stakeholder groups.
• Accountability: Compliance Training Management
• Compile a training plan derived from the analysis of training gaps and trends . Engagement with training providers to support roll out learning modules.
• Reporting and monitoring of overdue training.

Additional requirements

Education and Experience Required:

• B-degree in  Commerce / Finance / Risk
• A minimum of 5 years’ experience in operations and risk within banking/financial services
• Minimum of 3 years’ experience in Operational Risk preferable

Knowledge & Skills:

• Knowledge of Operational Risk and Resilience Risk management and associated frameworks, policies and standards
• Excellent report writing skills and MS office skills across excel, PowerPoint and word.

Education

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