Line Controller - Product Control - Sandton at Absa Group Limited (Absa)

Job Summary

An exciting role has opened up in PCG: Line controller Product Control Investment Banking Loans. The overall purpose of this role is the day to day management of the teams responsible for the production of various tasks within an asset class in the PCG team which carries out the following:

• Accounting – posting to the General Ledger accurate and timely information
• Substantiation of the trading balance sheet – ensuring the full trading balance sheet can be substantiated
• Regulatory reporting alignment – ensuring the Balance Sheet is aligned to reports to regulators
• Data Ownership – ensuring the quality and accuracy of the data going downstream to other infrastructure areas
• Control Environment – overseeing the control environment in which the business operates
• P&L review – understanding and providing commentary on the P&L

In the process of production focus is needed on:

• Escalation of significant issues reported
• Reporting – ensuring reporting is accurate and timely
• Control – Continue to implement the on-going control environment and report any deficiencies or issues to managers.

Job Description

Key Accountabilities:

Accountability:  Management and oversight of immediate team performing P&L production and BS substantiation

• Expert knowledge of Loans and products booked on the desks and their impact across the finance sector
• Thorough understanding of the risk and P&L drivers for the products coupled with an understanding of external markets and changes in market parameters
• Needs to maintain an excellent understanding of processes and procedures to be able to pick up production where necessary.
• The capacity to work, manage and deliver under pressure.
• Presentation of consolidated financial information for FO and Finance Management
• Interact with other infrastructure areas, specifically Operations and Financial Control, for issue resolutions
• Ultimate escalation point, including the facilitation of issue resolution.
• Ambassador of immediate team to rest of the organisation
• Involvement in any Product Control specific initiatives

Accountability:  Interaction with key stakeholders

Interaction with various areas across the Absa Group in order to obtain and understanding of the impact these areas have on Product Control as well as providing both formal reporting as well as ad hoc query resolution to these areas. Areas include:

• Absa CIB Finance, including Financial Control, Balance Sheet Control and Financial Decision Support.
• Absa CIB Front Office, including head of Investment Banking;
• Absa CIB Capital Management
• Absa Product Control

Accountability: People Management

• Management of a medium sized team (5-10 people – direct & indirect)
• Ownership of all the people related issues (development, performance management, recruitment, compensation)
• Team Management – recruiting, succession planning, ensuring staff are skilled up via training, performance review, career development, secondments, re-structures.

Accountability: Projects/Change

• Efficiency – looking for continuous improvement in the efficiency by which the desk carries out its work.
• Reporting – looking for continuous improvement in the reporting ability and performance of the desk
• Control - looking for continuous improvement in the ability of the desk to control the business

Education and Experience Required

• B degree/similar qualification in a financial/related discipline with 7-10  years relevant experience or CA(SA) with 5-8 years PQE experience
• Extensive management experience (3-5 years)
• Investment banking or Product Control experience preferred
• Fixed Income Product Specific knowledge preferable
• Experience in creating and maintaining an effective control environment

Knowledge & Skills:

• Strong technical accounting skills
• Exceptional academic track record
• Good interpersonal and team-working skills and the ability to communicate at all levels
• The ability to work in a pressured and unstructured environment and to cope with the demands of working to tight deadlines
• Maturity – able to deal with managers
• Business acumen
• An understanding of financial mathematics
• Performance orientated and client service driven
• Report writing and presentation skills
• Understanding of Economics
• Knowledge of financial markets
• Excellent numeric ability
• Bank Valuations skills
• Investment banking product knowledge
• Ability to manage and develop a medium sized team

Competencies:

• Deciding and initiating action
• Learning and researching
• Entrepreneurial and commercial thinking
• Relating and networking
• Adapting and responding to change
• Persuading and influencing
• Creating and innovating

Education

• Postgraduate Degrees and Professional Qualifications: Business, Commerce and Management Studies (Required)