Head Data and Analytics at Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA)

Job Description

• The Head Data and Analytics is responsible for leading the strategic direction, development, and implementation of data
• analytics initiatives across the organisation. This role ensures that data-driven insights align with business needs,
• enhance operational efficiency, and support the organisation’s strategic objectives. This role's primary purpose is to
• establish and drive a data-driven culture, transforming raw data into actionable insights that inform critical business
• decisions, optimise operations, and identify new opportunities for growth and efficiency.
• Key Responsibilities

Key Performance Areas:

Data Governance and Risk

• Define and execute the enterprise data strategy.
• Build and mature advanced analytics capabilities (including business intelligence, predictive modelling, and
• potentially AI/ML applications).
• Ensure robust data governance and quality.
• Lead data compliance with regulatory frameworks and internal governance.
• Implement data risk reporting and mitigation strategies.
• Maintain data security and business continuity plans.

Data Operations and Service Delivery

• Partner closely with business units and technology teams to translate complex data findings into clear, impactful
• strategies and measurable outcomes.
• Alongside the IT team, lead data-driven innovation for the enterprise, including investigation, adoption, and
• exploitation of artificial intelligence.
• Oversee the delivery of reliable, cost-effective, and innovative data services.
• Manage data infrastructure, software licensing, and refresh cycles.
• Ensure high-quality data systems and services across the organisation.
• Strategic Focus
• Set and communicate the strategic direction for data analytics in collaboration with the other executives to all
• internal and external stakeholders.
• Develop the long terms and short-term strategy and plan, aligned to budgets.
• Develop and maintain enterprise-wide data architecture and operational plans.
• Ensure alignment of data initiatives with the organisation’s strategic goals, priorities, and deliverables.
• Offer direction on implementing the strategy to effectively show commitment to it.
• Lead and advances digital transformation initiatives by harnessing data-driven technologies to boost operational
• efficiency, enhance service delivery, and create new avenues of value within the DBSA.
• Expand the organisation's research and analytics capabilities, prioritising emerging analytical methods, skills,
• and technologies to accelerate digital business innovation and transformation.
• Discover opportunities to enhance and refine data capabilities, proactively monitoring industry trends and
• integrating new technologies as applicable.
• Identify novel types, forms, and sources of trustworthy data to foster business value innovation across the
• organisation.
• Cultivate a culture of innovation, continually seeking emerging technologies and best practices to modernise
• operations and deliver impactful data-driven solutions.
• Advocate for customer-focused and future-oriented data solutions.
• Champion the advancement of data literacy throughout the organisation.

Stakeholder Management

• Build and maintains strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders such as EXCO, and the Board
• as well as government entities, commercial banks, development partners, and community representatives, to
• drive shared objectives.
• Build and manage strategic partnerships with national, provincial, and local government stakeholders.
• Manage external vendors and negotiate data acquisition contracts.
• Represent the organisation in data-related engagements with external partners.
• Navigate complex stakeholder landscapes, influencing outcomes and fostering consensus to achieve strategic
• goals.

People Management

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and
• continuous learning to maximise individual and collective potential.
• Lead the data analytics business unit and ensure effective execution of strategy.
• Implement human capital strategies and workforce planning.
• Foster a culture of performance, learning, and collaboration.
• Drive talent development initiatives, including coaching, performance management, and career pathing, to build
• and retain a skilled and motivated team.
• Contribute to building synergies & cooperation across functions in the DBSA.
• Living the DBSA values.
• Reporting and Governance
• Establish and enforces robust governance frameworks and reporting mechanisms to ensure transparency,
• compliance, and effective decision-making across all operations.
• Ensure timely and accurate reporting of key performance indicators, risks, and progress against strategic
• objectives to relevant internal and external bodies.

Key measurements of outputs:

• Successful roll-out and adoption of data strategy across the organisation
• Number and quality of analytics solutions developed and implemented, business impact of D&A by linking use cases
• to business outcomes.
• Time from insight to action by monitoring how long it takes before D&A insights are acted upon (e.g., projects
• delivered, platforms implemented and supported, number of D&A users, usage metrics).
• Reduction of number of reports generated across the bank.
• Increase in business decisions made using data insights.
• Improvement in data accuracy and completeness
• Reduction in costs related to data management and analytics operations
• Increase in return on investment from data initiatives
• Increase in user adoption of data tools and platforms
• Improvement in data literacy among employees
• Management of team performance, talent development, and succession planning using the performance
• management system.
• Expertise & Technical Competencies

Qualifications and Experience

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science, Information Systems,
• Actuarial Science or Data Science.
• Postgraduate qualification in Data Analytics or Business Administration, and certifications in data governance, project
• management, or enterprise architecture.

Experience:

• Minimum 12 years of experience with 5+ years in a management role.
• Extensive experience in data management, analytics, and business intelligence, with a proven track record of leading
• successful data-driven projects.
• Experience with modern data tools and platforms, such as big data technologies, machine learning frameworks, and
• data visualisation tools.
• Strong track record in aligning data initiatives with business strategy.
• Strategic data planning and enterprise data architecture and integration.
• Data strategy development aligned with corporate vision.
• Data governance, compliance, and risk management.
• Project and programme management (including multi-million-rand data projects).
• Systems integration, infrastructure, and data centre operations.
• Knowledge of data security, virtualisation, and green technologies.
• Budgeting and cost-benefit analysis for data investments.
• Strong understanding of software, hardware, and telecommunications systems.
• Regulatory frameworks (e.g., King III, data governance).
• Data procurement and vendor management.
• Disaster recovery and business continuity planning.
• Technical Competencies:

Digital Literacy:

• Conduct research and has awareness of the latest trends in the digital space that affects the Organisation and the business
• unit.
• Seek out innovative approaches and interventions to improve digital agility.
• To identify technical problems when operating devices and using digital environments, and to solve them (from
• troubleshooting to solving more complex problems). Stay abreast of latest trends and incorporate it in driving change in the
• business.

Data Collection and Analysis:

• Through a mastery of advanced/complex analytical techniques, establishes highlevel trends from processed data which may not be immediately apparent.
• Moves beyond concrete analysis of factual information to develop abstract, conceptual understanding of the meaning
• of an array of information.
• Integrates diverse themes and lines of reasoning to create new insights or levels of understanding.

Data Management:

• Defines a backup strategy in line with the disaster management strategy.
• Monitors file storage policy compliance by users, identify concern areas and address the same.
• Defines parameters for backup testing and monitors the same. Conducts detailed backup tests to assure data integrity.

Strategic Planning:

• Establishes challenging, attainable goals and objectives based on a customer focus perspective.
• Looks to the future with a broad perspective.
• Ensures performances measures are in place to monitor progress and assess accomplishments and achievement of strategic goals and objectives.
• Develops initiatives to achieve goals and objectives.
• Articulates the vision and plans to others.

Knowledge Management:

• Identifies, develops, and articulates knowledge management strategies that will add value to the organisation.
• Engages with thought leaders within and outside the organisation to identify the value of knowledge and information to the organisation and develop a knowledgebased vision.
• Ensures that knowledge management strategies are embedded within corporate strategies and key business processes.
• Fosters a knowledge and information rich culture and ensures that knowledge management competencies are recognised as core competencies of the organisation in order to develop individual and organisational capability.
• Fosters the development of appropriate knowledge and information assets and the adoption of effective knowledge management processes, tools, and standards.

Reporting:

• Designs, reviews, and improves reporting processes and provides guidance.
• Leads production of complex environment reports, takes an editorial role, determines content and level of detail, and ensures consistent messaging and branding.

Data Collection and Analysis:

• Through a mastery of advanced/complex analytical techniques, establishes highlevel trends from processed data which may not be immediately apparent.
• Moves beyond concrete analysis of factual information to develop abstract, conceptual understanding of the meaning of an array of information.
• Integrates diverse themes and lines of reasoning to create new insights or levels of understanding.
• Required Personal Attributes
• Leadership/Behavioural Competencies:

Analytical Thinking:

• Identifies multiple elements of a problem and breaks down each of those elements in detail, showing causal relationships between them.
• Uses several analytical techniques to identify several solutions and weighs the value of each.

Information Seeking and Analysis:

• Analyses relationships among several parts of a problem or situation.
• Anticipates obstacles and thinks ahead about next steps in detail.

Leading and Empowering Others:

• Identifies long-term goals for the team and communicates them to team members, ensuring their buy in.
• Sets a good example by personally exercising desired behaviour, acts on
• values and beliefs.
• Communicates a vision for the team and future success that inspires team members.
• After assessing others’ competence, one delegates full authority and responsibility to others to do a task in their own way.
• Ensures that competent employees are given opportunities to further their careers.

Leading and Managing Change:

• Anticipates the need for change when not obvious and influences others to gain support.
• Builds sustainable business and organisational capacity to embrace and thrive on change.
• Re-engineers and aligns structures, processes, and practices to support and sustain the desired change.

Strategic and Innovative Thinking:

• Understands connections and trade-offs of strategic choices to evaluate which ideas are practical and possible by considering business and/or scientific implications.
• Develops innovative business and/or customer solutions that shape industry practices.