Head: Lending Products, ARO BB at Absa South Africa

Job Summary

• The Head of Specialized Lending is responsible for driving the growth and profitability of Lending products for Business Banking segments across our markets. This role will play a pivotal part in forging the growth strategy and execution plan, collaborating with in country colleagues, establishing Absa as a preferred bank for Commercial and SME customers our African markets.

Job Description

The incumbent will take end to end ownership of Specialized Lending products (Commercial Property Finance, Commercial Asset Finance and Structured Trade & Commodity Finance, Term Loans) by:

• Delivering innovative lending solutions while adding value in all interactions
• Influencing customer value propositions (CVPs), client solutions and structuring, pricing, deal support, credit risk management, relationship management, product onboarding, Impairments and marketing.
• Optimizing and developing the various teams (country and center) through skills development on cash management, trade & working capital, leadership practices and relationship management.
• Managing stakeholder relationships across the bank to ensure the maximum performance of lending products
• Driving thought leadership across sectors, segments and geographies

Accountabilities/Key Relationships:

• The role holder will report to the Head: Business Banking, ARO
• The role holder is a member of the ARO BB MANCO and related ARO RBB governance meetings.
• The role holder will work in collaboration with Country BB Heads and Country BB Product Heads to deliver business ambitions.

Activities:

Financial Performance and Management:

• Formulate and implement product strategy and execution plans, ensuring profitable growth
• Implement and support frameworks for the management of product performance across the teams.
• Coordinate sales targeting approach together with Client Coverage in BB and Credit.
• Support countries to provide solutions on complex and critical transactions and projects.
• Ensure product profitability through revenue and cost optimization.

Product Development and Launch:

• Lead the development and launch of innovative products and services tailored to the specific needs of the target market.
• Conduct thorough market research to identify customer needs, preferences, and risk profiles.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders in CVP, IT, Risk Management, and Marketing to develop and implement new solutions.
• Maintain an excellent understanding of technical expertise and remain up to date with relevant sector/department knowledge, have insight into external market developments/initiatives and strategic implications thereof
• Ensure all products and services comply with regulatory requirements.

Marketing and Sales:

• Develop and execute comprehensive marketing and sales strategies to drive awareness, adoption, and usage of Absa's products and services.
• Leverage partner channels and digital marketing platforms to effectively reach the target audience.
• Set and monitor clear sales targets for products across the ARO countries.
• Oversee the performance of sales teams and implement strategies to optimize conversion rates.

Risk Management and Compliance:

• Develop and implement a robust risk management framework for the business.
• In collaboration with Risk, build a quality credit portfolio that effectively utilizes capital to build sustainable income for the Bank.
• Continuously monitor and mitigate potential risks associated with fraud, creditworthiness, and data security.
• Collaborate with the Risk Management team to implement appropriate risk-based models and collection strategies.

Data Analytics and Reporting:

• Develop and implement a data-driven approach to business, leveraging customer data and market insights to inform product development, marketing strategies, and risk management practices.
• Analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) to track progress towards achieving business objectives.
• Generate regular reports on the performance of the business, including customer acquisition, revenue generation, and risk metrics.
• Translate data insights into actionable recommendations for continuous improvement.

Team Management:

• Lead, motivate, and develop a high-performing team of Transactional Banking specialists.
• Ensure team members possess the necessary skills and knowledge to achieve business goals.
• Foster a collaborative and results-oriented work environment.
• Delegate tasks effectively

Education

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