Managing Executive: Stakeholder Engagement and Corporate Relations at Absa Group Limited (Absa)

Job Summary

• Direct and provide thought leadership to management in line with the ABSA Group Strategy.
• Define the strategy and own the end-to-end value chain within the area, ensuring its consistent capability and integration across countries, business lines, and corporate functions.
• Manage the bank's third-party relationships, stakeholder relations, and executive stakeholder management.

Job Description

Key Accountabilities:

Stakeholder Engagement and Management of Corporate Relations:

• Manage stakeholder expectations to ensure continuous levels of engagement by identifying and addressing needs, setting service standards and resolving issues in accordance with organizational procedures.
• Cultivates relationships that create trust, long-term partnerships and collaborations, and drives engagement with stakeholders.
• Establishes organization guidelines for stakeholder engagement and stakeholder management roadmaps.
• Formulates proactive processes that prioritize stakeholder engagement and cultural sensitivity. Initiates early engagement to allow time for buy-ins and consultations with stakeholders.
• Develop communication strategies to build and maintain successful relationships with key strategic stakeholders.
• Establish key stakeholder relationship management audit processes and criteria.
• Collaborates with relevant senior stakeholders to ensure implementation of feedback processes.
• Reviews and approves stakeholder engagement procedures, in line with emerging trends and regulations.
• Addresses escalated issues and leads negotiations to influence key stakeholder decisions.
• Establish insight generative processes that help identify key societal matters that impact the organisation, and what role and posture & position the organisation needs to take in relation to key stakeholders.

Strategy Formulation and Execution:  

• Develop and implement executive stakeholder management strategies that enable the bank's senior leaders to effectively communicate with internal and external stakeholders.
• Monitor and measure the effectiveness of 3rd party relationships, stakeholder relations, and executive stakeholder management, and provide regular reporting and analysis to senior management.
• Identify strategic role players and stakeholders and engage all stakeholders, role players and industry forums to understand changes to strategy, regulations, and markets.
• Set and communicate a long-term strategy that clearly articulates strategic targets and metrics to align the delivery of the business strategy against the strategic objectives, targets and shareholder expectations.
• Set and oversee the execution of the business strategy, with enablement capability across the Business Unit.
• Translate the broad business lines strategy to drive the alignment of and integration of strategy across the value chain.

Customer Primacy: 

• Build and sustain a system and culture that aligns and contributes to a positive customer experience to deliver the target customer experience and financial performance.
• Contribute as a key Group Marketing & Corporate Affairs ExCo member to the overall agenda internally and with external stakeholders, ensuring that the business line's agenda is appropriately managed and reported to all requisite stakeholders, particularly the Group ExCo.
• Display, portray, and translate a deep understanding of market shifts and competitive positioning from a capability insights perspective and devise plans that will support prioritisation efforts.
• Provide business insights based on market trends, competitor offerings and global best practices as it relates to the business lines.

Sustainable Growth:   

• Influence, integrate and guide but also meet the organisationa’s growth ambitions.
• Partner with executive bodies (ExCo’s, business lines and functions internally to align strategic objectives. 
• Translate objectives into delivery pipeline requirements to ensure insights are appropriate and that adequate business ownership and buy-in are created to realise the overall strategy.
• Perform an active role with the mandate to increase the business line's overall contribution to Group performance.

Client-Driven Innovation and Change: 

• Provide input into the overall client experience.
• Stay abreast of industry trends and role players and ensure that business line is well positioned to provide competitive and industry-leading products and services.
• Strategically influence the development of products and services that meet or exceed customer needs and expectations, creating stakeholder value.

Leading Talent:

• Ensure compliance with all legal and regulatory requirements and maintain a strong understanding of industry trends and best practices.
• Manage a team of professionals responsible for 3rd party management, stakeholder relations, and executive stakeholder management, providing leadership, direction, and coaching to ensure successful execution of brand and marketing initiatives.
• Accountable for enabling people and culture aligned to brand value.
• Act as a second-level escalation point for all grievances raised in the functional area.
• Determine and analyse attestation, training, and development needs for direct reports, and ensure that these requirements are met.
• Ensure appropriate reward and recognition practices for all employees within the team.
• Ensure that poor performance is addressed, and relevant corrective actions are implemented.

Operational Effectiveness:      

• Develop and manage the bank's 3rd party relationships, including agencies, vendors, and partners, to ensure effective collaboration and delivery of brand and marketing initiatives.
• Manage the capabilities with strategically identified stakeholders and 3rd party entities.
• Define the business line projects and track and manage the process, understand trends and dynamics.
• Drive strategic reporting requirements.
• Drive the development and tracking of tactical plans and scorecards and take corrective actions where required.
• Orchestrate the necessary process to facilitate regular strategic alignment between Group and the People & Culture function.
• Provide leadership in engagements with regulatory bodies and represent the area of accountability in key industry associations and forums where applicable.
• Use insights and knowledge gained from high-level reports and analyse complex comparative information to create scenarios to direct strategic intent.

Risk Compliance and Governance: 

• Enforce corporate governance and risk compliance within the organization through the establishment of policies, compliance programs and management systems.

Minimum Requirements:

Education:

• Minimum: Post Graduate Degree (NQF level no.8)
• Master’s degree or equivalent (advantageous)

Preferred Experience: 

• 10+ years (Stakeholder management) experience
• Media relations

Knowledge and Skills: 

• Strategic thinking
• Solid commercial acumen
• Board/Exco level engagement  
• Leadership
• Solid influencing skills
• Strong collaborator

Education

• Postgraduate Degrees and Professional Qualifications  (Required)

End Date: August 11, 2025