Lead: Internal Adjudication - JHB at Absa Group Limited (Absa)

Job Description

Accountability: Legal Risk

• Engage regularly with regulators and ombudsman offices to share information, discuss changes, communicate the Bank's position, and resolve disputes.
• To provide highly specialized legal advice and support to the dedicated area of support.

Accountability: Leadership & Management

• Manage and lead Head: Regulatory Dispute Adjudication and team of Regulatory Dispute Adjudicators to effectively resolve disputes referred by the ombudsman and regulator offices.
• Ensure that the Regulatory Dispute Adjudicators liaise effectively between customers, business units, ombuds, and regulator offices.
• Monitor and confirm that all complaints are responded to timeously, in terms of a good quality response that embraces fairness.
• Consider and object, if necessary, any findings against the Bank.
• Ensure regular reports on ombudsman statistics are produced and distributed.
• Demonstrates strong relationship management skills with clients.
• Plan and manage projects and matters through to completion, including resourcing.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of team objectives and strategy and provide high quality support to the business as required by interacting with different legal and business stakeholders.
• Work independently with minimal supervision and demonstrate the ability to supervise where appropriate.

Accountability: Commercial

• Demonstrate strong analytical skills and solve complex problems creatively and effectively.
• Drives good cost control behavior, especially around external spend and consistently deliver against a broad range of competing target.
• Manage external counsel and represent AGL on relevant industry forums and professional bodies where required.
• Add value in commercial as well as technical discussions and provide training that is beneficial / informative to internal clients. 

Accountability: Risk and Control

• Actively raise the profile of the Customer Care function and improve on Key Risks
• Manage and create awareness by embedding legal policies and control requirements in all areas of the business.
• Provide appropriate challenge and equally be robust in the face of challenges.
• Build strong risk partnerships with colleagues in other functions (especially key control areas)
• Fully understand the role of Customer Care in AGL and how it interacts with other functions and the business.

Accountability: Teamwork: 

• Provide support and share knowledge to provide bank complaint resolution teams with understanding and application of TCF principles.
• All complaint resolution teams will have a clear knowledge and understanding of TCF principles and apply these principles in consideration of complaints.
• Proactively collaborates across different teams and geographies within the Group to break down silos.
• Provide objective and constructive feedback and openly shares knowledge and expertise.

Accountability:  Technical

• Handle and adjudicate on all sensitive and difficult disputes referred by Group Chief Executive Office, Cluster Chief Executives, Business Unit Managing Executive's, Legal, Strategic Comms and/or Group Chairperson.
• Resolve disputes quickly, effectively, and confidentially with necessary skill and care to also limit reputational, legal, and financial risk for to the Bank.
• Take responsibility and ownership for mediations with customers, facilitated by the respective ombudsman offices and applicable regulators.
• Acts as a trusted advisor to business; understands market and legal developments and their impact on business.
• Contribute to industry-wide initiatives and have a good network amongst peer group externally.

Education

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