Risk Head at FNB South Africa

Job Description

• As the Risk Head, you will be responsible for leading the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of our risk, legal, and compliance frameworks.
• You will play a pivotal role in safeguarding the organisation, ensuring regulatory compliance, and providing proactive insights that enable informed decision-making.
• You will partner closely with Group functions, business leadership and industry bodies to create a resilient risk environment that supports sustainable growth.

Group Partnership

• Building relationships within Commercial segment, FirstRand C&E, FirstRand Compliance and maintain RMB compliance and business relationships.
• Engage other internal business frontline teams with FX business to provide solutions for challenges (Excon) or to discuss new product/service/rail/process to ensure mitigation of risk.
• Maintain relationship with internal audit and improve business relationship with audit teams.

Business Enabler

• Assist and execute FXPH business strategy as set by FXPH Exco
• Implement alignment with Commercial CRO strategy across individual governance teams. This includes implementing a risk-based framework that covers risk appetite thresholds.
• Enhancement of Fraud controls across FX products and platforms.
• New Products. Improve LRC processes to ensure risks are elevated at the appropriate approval committees. Support and partner business by engaging internal LRC areas where they required to assist with approval discussions especially around new risks.

Enhance business unit Risk Profile

• Embed and monitor the effectiveness of the business control environment in managing the BU Risk Profile within Risk Appetite. (Ops Risk/Fraud/IT Risk/ Compliance/ Excon/ Legal/Project Risk).
• Actively shifting the profile of high-risk components- Mostly Compliance related at this point in time.
• Losses within appetite/budget; no material risk events and effective and timeous root cause analysis and remediation within Group risk appetite framework
• Data maturity around risk/compliance data usage. To drive together with FX Data team the BU data integrity/completeness and security.
• Limited if any repeat audit findings and to further manage audit findings remediation pro-actively to ensure no overdue findings.

People Focus

• Engaged team/Retention of talent/People Health/Succession Planning

Risk management culture (Maturity) including Culture

• Enable robust and ethical culture based on agreed principles founded on agreed Group and R&C Conduct Principles across Customer Conduct; Business Conduct; Employee Conduct and Market Conduct
• Delivery on segment Ops Risk Programme; Compliance Programme and IT Risk Programme, by maximising collective LRC resources to ensure managed maturity rating for FXPH.
• Complete identification/reviews of business high risk exposures and review of business control design for adequacy and effectiveness (PRCIA) including KRIs and where applicable raise self-disclosed items for efficient remediation.
• Improved Risk Reporting (set Appetite parameters for each discipline) and quick/efficient escalations fit for purpose.

Budget and ongoing cost management discipline (Team) and Exco Emerging Risk focus

• Identification and proactive response by elevating and reporting emerging risk themes to relevant forums e.g. through risk reports, outcomes of impact assessments 
• Where required engage with business and internal stakeholders on impact of emerging risks (ex. Excon RBA and implementation thereof, new SARB Excon directives, Payments modernisation impact leading to several new legislation pieces that requires impact assessments and communication to relevant stakeholders).

Job Requirements:

• Honours or Master’s degree in Risk, Compliance, Law, Finance or Business (advantageous
• Minimum 15 years relevant work experience
• Extensive senior leadership experience in enterprise risk, compliance or legal advisory within financial services
• Proven experience in cross‑border payments, digital payments, international remittances or regulatory compliance governing global payment flows.
• Strong understanding of banking regulations, AML/CFT requirements, operational risk frameworks and corporate governance.
• Experience engaging with regulatory bodies, audit committees and executive governance structures.
• Demonstrated ability to influence at executive level, drive strategic outcomes and lead complex change initiatives.

End Date: May 17, 2026