Head, Talent Acquisition, Africa Regions at Standard Bank Group

Job Details

Our talent philosophy has been radically enhanced to ensure that it remains future-fit, supports the Bank’s strategic aspirations & responds to commercial challenges. It also helps us deliver on our universal priority to enable our people to grow and thrive by offering meaningful learning and career experiences. 

In our talent philosophy, we are committed to creating an environment which enables all our people at all levels become the best version of themselves. At the same time, we recognise that there are critical skills, capabilities and ways of operating that will best service the Group into the future. The Talent Acquisition division requires people who will be able to view the current picture through the lens of what is to come and convert this vision in to ensuring a globally competitive advantage in the field of talent.

Job Purpose

• To lead Talent Acquisition within the Africa Regions space and drive the deployment of professional and consistent talent acquisition operations, ensuring alignment to and consistency with Group standards. To provide domain support in the acquisition of chief executive talent in Africa Regions, as well as partner countries in implementing succession plans for country Exco roles.

Key Responsibilities/Accountabilities

Client

• Assume an integrator role between Group, Client Segments, Client Solutions, Engineering, Corporate Functions, and Countries; understand the relevance of the opportunity market place and leverage insights, opportunities and strategic partnerships/dependencies for Africa Regions. Partner with the business to create innovative and flexible solutions for hiring of strategic talent.
• Conceptualise points of integration between the future world of work and foundational talent acquisition processes i.e. succession planning, diversity of talent, employer brand positioning, youth development and employment and/or other projects. Consider the future needs of the organisation and derive innovative strategies to meet business demands without compromising on the immediate needs of the business.

 Data

• Enhance, and motivate for the use of people data in the Africa Regions to deliver key insights pertaining to talent acquisition i.e. number of vacancies, and the behaviours of the AR workforce. Develop and implement internal controls to guide the accuracy of data and the analysis thereof.
• Leverage the Group Research capability to support strategic hiring efforts in AR and to provide relevant labour market insights to relevant business and People & Culture forums.
• Aim to manage the deployment of people technologies within the various Africa Regions countries, and control the adoption/uptake and utilisation of technologies/platforms/systems, so that insights can be drawn at enterprise level. Enable countries to derive meaningful insights from country-specific data that can be shared with the wider business.

 Financial Management

• Adhere to, and enhance and/or add to Group minimum standards for vendor selection and
• select the most appropriate vendor with the required expertise to guarantee quality work output.
• Provide guidance to AR countries on financial investment in the acquisition of key talent, as well as talent acquisition priorities. Influence in-country financial decision makers to commit finances to meet priorities.

 People

• Drive the standardisation and professionalisation of talent acquisition across the Africa Regions through building strong relationships with, liaising with, and influencing Country Chief Executives and Exco teams, Country Boards, Regional and Country Heads of People & Culture etc.
• Advise on the appropriate toolboxes and minimum standards for Group Talent Acquisition so that Countries may leverage these standards consistently to solve for talent requirements, regardless of market or region, driving the perception of the organisation as an employer of choice.
• Conceptualise frameworks to deliver on the upskilling of team to execute on the talent acquisition mandate in Country.
• Act as the point of contact for AR stakeholders within People & Culture and the wider organisation from a talent acquisition perspective. Maintain relevance as the AR subject matter expert by ensuring AR insights are accurate and readily available.
• Build a community of expertise for Africa Regions, maintaining alignment with Domain standards and expectations. Run Africa Regions forums so that AR-specific matters may be discussed and solutioned for. Drive alignment between the various AR countries, as well as between all the AR countries and Group.
• Provide domain support in the acquisition of chief, and other executive talent for the Africa Regions by leveraging knowledge of in-country talent requirements and the relevant labour market characteristics.
• Develop and maintain specialised insights of in-country labour markets, and conceptually develop in-country talent pipelines relative to the maturity of capabilities.
• Assume an integrator role where there is conflict or misalignment between the delivery requirements and in-country expectations of Group, and what Country believes is appropriate.
• Partner, guide and lead Country Talent Acquisition teams and support them in shaping their acquisition strategies to ensure alignment with the strategic direction of Group talent acquisition, whilst delivering on in-country agendas and nuances.

 Risk, Regulatory, Prudential & Compliance

• Maintain a deep and specialist understanding of the legislative requirements pertaining to the acquisition of talent in each Africa Regions country. Investigate and assess the impact on strategic hiring for the organisation in-country, and develop strategies to bolster in-country talent while complying with applicable legislations.

 Strategy

• Create and drive innovative strategies that consider digitisation, modernisation, and the changing world of work for talent acquisition within the Africa Regions (AR) space, ensuring alignment to the overall domain strategy for talent acquisition.
• Represent Africa Regions in the Group Talent Acquisition Stratco team, contributing to strategy formulation for the Group.
• Participate actively as a member of the Africa Regions People and Culture MANCO, adding value from a talent acquisition perspective, and driving capability build in-country.

Preferred Qualification and Experience

Minimum Qualifications:

• Degree: Human Resources

Preferred Qualifications:

• Post Grad Diploma: Human Resources

Experience Required:

Human Capital Resourcing:

• More than 10 Years - Proven experience in talent acquisition for Sub-Saharan Africa.

Knowledge/Technical Skills/Expertise

 Business Acumen (HR)

• The ability to analyse business financial performance as well as competitor and external factors as it would apply to the people practices in the organisation. The ability to analyse business specific language as well as business processes in order to support them effectively.
• Proficiency Level 3 SEASONED - Applies concepts without requiring supervision, able to provide technical guidance when required

Change Management (HR)

• The ability to ensure that isolated and independent organisational change actions are integrated and sustained through a disciplined change process. Ability to apply change management principles and techniques for planning and implementing change in an organisation.
• Proficiency Level 4 ADVANCED - Mastered the concept, able to act independently, provides guidance and training to others

Human Resource Consulting

• The ability to engage with leadership, managers and employees using a consultative and engaging approach while balancing the needs of the employee with that of the employer.
• Proficiency Level 5 EXPERT - Provides leadership in this field both within the organisation and in the larger industry

People Strategy Development

• The ability to translate organisational goals into strategic people plans.
• Proficiency Level 4 ADVANCED - Mastered the concept, able to act independently, provides guidance and training to others

Recruitment

• Ability to apply processes and practices related to attracting, identifying and selecting candidates into positions that are vacant.
• Proficiency Level 5 EXPERT - Provides leadership in this field both within the organisation and in the larger industry

Talent Management

• Knowledge and practical skills in the identification of talented individuals, assessment of potential, creation of development plans and developing retention and engagement activities for these individuals.
• Proficiency Level 3 SEASONED - Applies concepts without requiring supervision, able to provide technical guidance when required