Risk and Assurance Specialist at Absa South Africa

Job Summary

• To drive and execute on the agreed Savings and Investments (S & I) Combined Assurance coverage plan. Assist in the improvement of the control environment in line with the Risk and Control Self-Assessment (RCSA) Policy, Assurance Standard and Critical Process Assessment (CPA) Standard.
• To provide specialist risk assurance, advice and support in area of specialization enabling the effective implementation of risk assurance activities.
• Manage Third Party Relationship

Job Description

Accountability: Planning Assurance Reviews

• Develop the Assurance Plan through consultation with the respective Savings and Investments management team and various assurance providers across the three lines of defence.
• Plan the delivery of assigned assurances to a high quality and in line with Assurance Standard.
• Prepare announcement and scoping memos with key deliverables in terms of assurance timelines.
• Conduct walkthroughs to understand the area under review and risks inherent in the processes.
• Develop an in-depth knowledge of the business and use this knowledge to identify and assess risks and controls.
• Design and ensure the execution of approved sampling techniques, testing strategies on assurance reviews.
• Develop the Assurance Plan through consultation with the respective Savings and Investments management team and various
• Reviewing and testing Issue Closure packs and Milestone Conversion Packs before they are submitted to the Combined Assurance Provider

Accountability: Reporting

• Anticipate potential barriers, issues, and management concerns and create action plans and recommendations to address these concerns in a timeous manner.
• Draft high-quality reports with observations which are insightful, addressing the root cause, have agreed actions that mitigate the risk and facilitate the remediation of issues until closure.
• Report on risks and apply recommendations for corrective and preventative action, whilst identifying opportunities to reduce risks.
• Evaluate, analyse, prepare, submit and present required reports to various committees and governance structures to present progress and influence decision-making.
• Maintain effective processes and procedures and maintain data integrity to support Everyday Banking risk efforts.
• Capture the findings on Operational Risk Management System (ORMS) in a timely manner.
• Maintain a record of all issues reported by Combined Assurance Providers.

Stakeholder management

• Establish and maintain strong partnerships and relationships with key stakeholders through collaboration, consensus building and interpersonal effectiveness.
• Communicate assurance and combined assurance plans and progress to foster alignment and understanding across Everyday Banking
• Collaborate, integrate and drive conversations with internal and external stakeholders (i.e. Internal & External Audit, 1LOD and 2LOD) to ensure that assurance services offered are aligned with the plan, relevant, timely, of appropriate quality and contribute to effective risk management.
• Manage Third Party relationships and coordinate governance meetings to monitor performance in accordance with the contractual agreement.

Education

• Bachelor`s Degrees and Advanced Diplomas: Risk Management (Required)