Senior Manager: Programme Management at Absa Group Limited (Absa)

Job Summary

• Programme Manager to drive the delivery of Advanced Analytics initiatives to ensure outcomes align with organizational goals. Specialized in People Change Management; the candidate will enable seamless transitions across the portfolio by minimizing disruption and maximizing employee engagement and adoption of CDAIO’s capabilities and data products to deliver sustainable business value.
• The ideal candidate has over 10 years of proven expertise in SDLC, PDLC, and Project/Programme Management processes, with proficiency in PROSCI techniques generally in advanced analytics, data management and governance, and big data-AI platforms environments.  We are an Agile environment, hands-on experience facilitating Agile ceremonies on tools such as Azure DevOps or JIRA and managing cross functional dependencies is imperative.

Job Description

Programme Management:

• Strategic Alignment: Define programme scope, goals, and success criteria to ensure AI projects align with organizational objectives.
• Integrated Planning & Governance: Drive planning, manage CRAIDs, and prepare governance reports and SteerCo packs and presenting at applicable governance bodies.
• Pace Setting & Delivery Oversight: Participate in programme increments, track outcomes, and ensure timely execution across projects.
• Resource & Risk Management: Optimize budgets and resources while proactively identifying and mitigating risks and issues.
• Benefits Realization: Monitor and track benefits realization to deliver measurable business value beyond project outputs.
• Change Strategy & Engagement: Develop & execute change strategies and communication plans to drive adoption and stakeholder buy-in.
• Training Enablement: Design centralized training plans and scalable resources (e-learning, videos) for execution by business change managers.
• Leadership Support: Coach and equip leaders and managers to guide teams through transitions effectively.
• Culture & Resistance Management: Embed new behaviors into organizational culture and address resistance empathetically.
• Impact Monitoring: Conduct impact assessments and track adoption metrics to refine strategies and ensure success.

Soft Skills:

• Leadership: Proven ability to inspire, influence, and unite cross-functional teams and senior stakeholders, fostering collaboration and a shared sense of purpose.
• Communication: Exceptional verbal and written skills, adept at simplifying complex concepts and tailoring messages to diverse audiences for clarity and impact.
• Strategic Thinking: Skilled at connecting the big picture to actionable plans, translating business objectives into coordinated, results-driven initiatives.
• Interpersonal & Emotional Intelligence: Builds strong relationships through active listening and empathy, navigating organizational dynamics to reduce conflict and strengthen collaboration.
• Analytical & Problem-Solving: Expert in data-driven decision-making, anticipating challenges, diagnosing root causes, and delivering innovative, practical solutions.

Qualifications

• Graduate degree; any relevant degree in Project/Programme Management, Management Information Systems, Finance, Business Administration, Psychology, Human Resources, Data Management or Data Science from a recognized university
• Certifications; any relevant certification such as PMP, PgMP, SAFe, CCMP, DAMA, Data Science, AI and Analytics

Education

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

End Date: November 25, 2025