Manager: Acquisitions AVAF at Absa Group Limited (Absa)

Job Summary

• Responsible for developing acquisition strategies for Absa Vehicle and Asset Finance using data analysis and predictive modelling techniques.
• Monitor and influence the effectiveness of the end-to-end Credit Underwriting Strategy for AVAF.
• To develop tactical strategy and delivery plans, formulate associated practice/s and to ensure operational implementation and adoption i.t.o. credit risk management methodology, practice, governance and delivery objectives.

Job Description

Key Accountabilities 

Accountability: Strategy Design and Analysis

Develop and manage data driven strategies within the Retail Risk team. This includes the following actions:

• Design and development of data driven strategies within the Retail Risk team
• Sourcing, consolidating and analyzing large data sets, utilizing strong SAS skills and identifying anomalies/trends.
• Liaising with relevant stakeholders, including Sales, IT,  Front end & Collections Operations, Finance and other Risk teams.
• Assist New Product Development with assessments related to product refinements.
• Identifying gaps in Acquisitions, Portfolio Management and Collections & Recoveries processes and strategies as well as providing solutions to closing the gaps/streamlining processes.
• Design, implement and monitor champion/challenger tests and analyse the test results in order to better understand customer sensitivity in a manner that allows for the long term strategy to be implemented.
• Presentation of analytical results and proposals to both technical and non-technical audiences, providing commentary as required.
• Your ability to display strategic risk experience as well as solid SAS/Data Analytics skills will serve you well in this role. A strong quantitative, statistics and/or actuarial background with a track record of running with an entire project from conceptualization, to extraction of data, to formulating strategies and subsequent impacts of implementation through to excellent stakeholder engagement and management will be an added advantage.
• Implementation and testing of credit policy enhancements in a live environment.

Accountability: MI and Communication

• Review and report strategy performance and trends to the Head of Credit: AVAF, Credit Risk Committee, Group Risk teams, and Product Teams. 
• Produce strategy review documentation that shows the relevant performance of comparative acquisition and existing customer strategies. This needs to include approval rate, volume and risk related metrics. 
• Communicate analytical results to both technical and non-technical audiences 
• Work together with cross functional teams, which may be geographically dispersed, to deliver risk initiatives 
• Manage strategy sign-off process to ensure that all stakeholders are informed of proposed strategy changes and benefit/impact of these changes to the business. 
• Liaise with operational areas (for example, inbound call centre managers and the manual risk underwriting teams) to ensure strategies are working optimally. 
• Ensure that all strategies comply with ABSA credit risk policies and framework 

Accountability: Customer Complaints Management

• Investigate and resolve all unresolved customer complaints that are escalated for final decisioning. Provide prompt and clear feedback to the source of the complaint. This needs to be done for both new acquisitions as well as existing customer’s complaints. 

Other accountabilities:

Ensure that all activities and duties are carried out in full compliance with regulatory requirements, Enterprise Wide Risk Management Framework and internal Absa Policies and Policy Standards 

• Understand and manage risks and risk events (incidents) relevant to the role. 
• Risk Management: Providing Subject Matter Expertise to Risk types | Stakeholder Management: Build and Maintain effective Relationships with relevant stakeholders | Risk Reporting: Identify, assess and Report key risks arising from significant events, investigations, audit and control issues | People Management: Develop a high performing Team | Risk and Control: Adherence to Policies, Procedures and Regulations

Education and Experience Required

• B Degree in Mathematics or Statistics or Operational Research or Engineering or Risk Management or similar
• 5 years’ experience in credit risk analysis. 
• 5 years’ experience in developing data driven analytical strategies in a financial service industry. 
• 5 years SAS exposure/experience and application (or other programming language). 
• 3 years in depth knowledge of the credit tools and systems used. 
• 5 years’ experience in Financial services industry. 
• 5 years’ experience with Acquisitions, Existing Customer 

Knowledge & Skills:

• Strong SAS Programming skills essential
• Problem Solving 
• A strong understanding of key credit risk metrics  
• Communication - verbal & written 
• Microsoft Office 
• Project Management experience
• User Acceptance Testing 
• Knowledge of System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) which will assist in cases where systems/processes etc. may be impact on or provide opportunity to improve strategy execution and resulting performance.  

Competencies: 

• Deciding and initiating action 
• Analysing 
• Relating and networking 
• Planning and organising 
• Persuading and influencing 
• Adapting and responding to change 
• Applying expertise and technology
• Entrepreneurial and commercial thinking

Education

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