Manager Programme (Everyday Banking - Card and Payments) - JHB at Absa

To develop tactical strategy and delivery plans, formulate associated practice/s and to ensure operational implementation and adaption i.t.o. project management methodology, governance and delivery objectives.

Job Description

• The role holder will be responsible to manage the successful end-to-end delivery, coordination and implementation of a portfolio of projects and activities that together achieve the outcome and realized benefits that are of strategic importance.

Key Accountabilities
Accountability: Programme Delivery

• Drive end to end delivery of the assigned programmes and portfolio of projects through a robust project planning and reporting to ensure that overdue items are brought back in line or with renegotiated delivery timelines.
• Coordinate a number of projects and their interdependencies in pursuit of the desired goals by providing leadership, influencing and directing the transition.
• Ensure that required steering committee reporting is done.
• Provide high level conceptual input into the business design of the area where the initiatives under management will impact business design.
• Ensure smooth transition of the programme to business as usual with a focus on continued delivery after closure.
• Achieve the programme objectives within the given cost and schedule constraints and with the allocated resources.
• Liaise with sponsor and major stakeholders.
• Define and manage Programme Governance
• Make the required decisions or facilitate decision making to ensure that the agreed objectives will be achieved.
• Manage impact on the programme objectives, when scope changes and project changes that have time, quality or cost implications occur.
• Perform effective programme planning and estimating, as well as co-ordination of requirements with other support groups.
• Ensure effective staff allocation and optimum utilization of these resources.
• Establish effective communication network.
• Manage team dynamics including resolution of conflicts.
• Ensure successful integration of the solution into the business through appropriate organisational change management interventions.
• Report programme status to senior management and sponsor
• Contingency planning and exception handling.
• Management of user involvement with the Programme /Project teams, e.g. ensuring availability.
• Produce and maintain all Programme Control Documents as required by the Programme Management Processes.
• Quality assurance of all programme work products.
• Configuration Management of all relevant programme work products.
• Ensure that benefits defined in business cases are realised and that potential shortfalls or changes in the environment are highlighted to steering committees. Make recommendations to realign programmes or stop them if it becomes apparent that intended benefits will not be realised.
• Participate in the funding negotiations for each of the initiatives under management. Ensure that separate cost centres and systems reference numbers are allocated and that all costs for the programmes are accounted for.
• Recommend project expenses for approval within budget and up to the assigned limit. Escalate other items through to the project sponsors.
• Coach project team members on the technical aspects of their delivery including business analysis and design, project management discipline, development of business cases and change management skills.
• Review the performance of project team members against project timelines, agreed outputs and defined quality standards. Ensure that proper consequence management is put in place for poor delivery.
• Ensure that the defined engagement model and business rules are implemented and adhered to in the area of responsibility and create corrective actions where required.
• Drive a culture of proactive compliance in the function.
• Complete attestations to testify to the adequacy of controls on request review audit logs to ensure adequate attention.

Accountability: Programme Governance

• Ensure that all programmes and initiatives undertaken by the area conform to the Group's change methodology and review programme documentation/evidence for each component prior to requesting quality assurance reviews on the work completed. Ensure that findings raised on quality assurance are addressed.
• Action and drive a culture of proactive compliance in the function.
• Conduct root cause analysis, design and implement mitigation plans to ensure Group is prepared for future disruption in production.
• Ensure the development of programme update reports according to the frequencies determined by the key stakeholders for each programme. Review reports prepared for key initiatives and write the executive summaries for those programmes based on the key risks, issues and milestones. Present the reports to the programme steering committees.
• Ensure that all risks and issues are properly logged, classified and escalated as required.
• Review project risk logs to identify high impact high probability items and work with team leaders to ensure that adequate risk mitigation and risk acceptance takes place.
• Ensure that the team maintains an adequate log of programme activities and report items to group change where required.
• Review the work prepared or executed by members of the project teams to ensure adequate quality and completeness.

Accountability: Risk Management

• Identify and take accountability for the assigned principal risks relevant to the area in terms of the Absa Operating Model and ensure that adequate controls are in place within the role’s area of responsibility.
• Monitor all business risk activities (including business assurance and operational risk management) within the operating environment through obtaining feedback and providing guidance for tactical plans to ensure compliance to Group standards.
• Drive a culture of proactive compliance and risk management within the executive team and the function as a whole.
• Implement risk and conformance management structures and reporting frameworks to proactively manage business risks and provide an early warning system on an EXCO level.
• Review the risk management and compliance practices of the function as a whole and highlight areas that require improvement to leaders in the team. Ensure that they understand their responsibility for risk ownership.
• On a quarterly basis, evaluate of the status of Operational and Principle Risks within the function and complete the required attestations to confirm control status.
• Present the function’s requirements in Group meetings such as the EXCO level Operational Risk Committee, Group Change Council and others.

Accountability: Relationship and Stakeholder Management

• Liaise and engage with various internal Stakeholders to secure their respective support in the implementation of transformation strategies and also ensuring capacity exists to implement the change. Review and report transformation performance and trends to the respective exco as well as other stakeholders.
• Manage and influence wider team individuals to deliver transformation programme and keep to the agreed timelines and commitments.
• Maintain and develop awareness of remediation management requirements, issues and changes across South Africa and Africa.
• Interact with executive management to appraise them of developments and progress in implementing transformation frameworks, processes and standards.
• Manage key stakeholders across the business by ensuring their issues, objectives and priorities are reflected in the agreed solutions, both individually and through delegation and management of subordinates.
• Support business in the conversion of data extracts into relevant reports and data sets as required (which includes compiling Management Information and ad-hoc queries) by converting underlying raw data into useful information according to business requirements while adhering to agreed deadlines.

Minimum Requirements

• A Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Project Management or equivalent NQF level 7 or higher qualification
• At least 10 years’ experience in project management in a Financial institution
• Experience in the application and execution of PM methodologies inclusive of Agile and Waterfall
• Experience in leading, guiding and developing a team of Project Managers and Business Analysts

Preferred Requirements

• Post Graduate Degree or equivalent NQF level 8 or higher qualification

Knowledge & Skills:

• Understanding of business process (Expert)
• Extensive Project Management Skills - PMBOK (Expert)
• Networking and relationship management (Expert)
• Influencing senior stakeholders (Expert)
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills (Expert)
• Strong influencing and negotiating skills (Expert)
• Relationship management at executive level (Advanced)
• Deep understanding of Absa processes and systems (Advanced)
• Commercial awareness (Advanced)
• Manage a varied portfolio of activities (Expert)