Senior Assurance Credit Data Analyst

Senior Assurance Credit Data Analyst at Absa Group Location: Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa Job Summary To design, implement, and continuously improve automated credit assurance processes and exception reporting tools. The role will focus on enabling independent, data-driven assurance reviews, supporting proactive risk identification, and enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of the Group Credit Assurance function. The incumbent will collaborate with technology, risk, and business stakeholders to embed automation, drive data accessibility, and ensure robust challenge of business unit credit practices across Pan Africa. Job Description The Group Credit Assurance function is embarking on a transformation to drive efficiency, independence, and risk insight through automation. This role will lead the design and implementation of automated assurance processes, enabling independent access to critical credit information, automated exception reporting, and early identification of negative risk trends. The incumbent will play a pivotal role in reducing data and information reliance on business units, supporting effective review and challenge of business unit credit heads/CRO’s and ensuring optimal allocation of manual/human resources to areas of highest risk. Accountability: Technical Delivery Extract, analyze and interpret data from various sources using statistical techniques to support the design, develop, and deployment of automated assurance processes and exception reporting tools to identify deviations from credit policy and emerging risk trends. Build and maintain data pipelines, dashboards and regular reports to enable independent access to critical credit information for assurance reviews. Implement process to support ongoing (continuous) monitoring and auditing using automated scripts and analytics. Develop and implement automated controls and alerts to support timely escalation of material risks. Ensure all automation solutions are robust, scalable, and compliant with internal governance and regulatory requirements. Continuously monitor and refine automation tools to improve accuracy, coverage, and business value. Provide data-driven insights and recommendations to internal teams and stakeholders. Present data and reports in a clear and concise manner to non-technical users. Accountability: Stakeholder Engagement Engage with Credit, Risk, Technology, and Business Unit stakeholders to understand assurance requirements and identify opportunities for automation. Act as a subject matter expert on automated assurance, providing guidance and challenge to business unit credit heads/CRO’s. Present findings and recommendations through clear, actionable reports and visualizations to both technical and non-technical audiences. Support the Head of Group Credit Risk Assurance in driving a culture of data-driven decision-making and independent challenge. Accountability: People and Project Collaboration Assist in the development of audit plans and risk assessments. Work collaboratively within multidisciplinary teams to embed automation into the credit risk assurance lifecycle. Foster a culture of innovation, continuous improvement, and knowledge sharing within the credit risk assurance team. Provide training and support to colleagues on the use of automated tools and exception reporting. Contribute to the development of a Centre of Excellence for assurance automation. Provide regular automated reporting for use by the wider combined credit risk assurance team. Education and Experience Required Bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Information Systems, Risk Management, or a related quantitative discipline. Minimum 5 years’ experience in credit risk, assurance, or data analytics, with a strong focus on automation and process improvement. Proven experience in developing and deploying automated reporting and data analytics solutions in a financial services environment. Knowledge and Skills Ability to build strong rapport across all levels of management within the group. Strong verbal and written communication and presentation skills. Strong analytical and structured problem-solving skills. Advanced proficiency in SQL and data visualization tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau); experience with Python or R advantageous. Solid understanding of credit risk management, assurance processes, and policy frameworks. Experience with workflow automation tools and exception management systems. Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to influence and challenge senior stakeholders. Solid understanding of supervised learning algorithms and experience applying them in credit risk. SQL/Python/R for querying & scripting, Excel/ACL/IDEA/Tableau/Power BI experience. Familiarity with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure) and data governance best practices. Competencies Problem Solving Leadership: Ability to analyze complex data, integrate information from multiple sources, and diagnose issues independently. Results Orientation: Sets ambitious goals, drives delivery, and takes accountability for outcomes. Business Acumen: Understands credit risk drivers and assurance best practices; identifies and exploits opportunities for automation. Innovation Leadership: Demonstrates curiosity and ingenuity; fosters disruptive thinking and continuous improvement. Collaboration and Influencing: Builds strong networks and collaborates effectively across functions and levels. Strategic Capability: Evaluates and redirects assurance strategy to enhance organizational value. Customer Focus: Champions a culture of service excellence and responsiveness to internal stakeholders. Resilience and Self-Motivation: Maintains focus and effectiveness in a dynamic, fast-paced environment. Education Details Bachelor's Degrees and Advanced Diplomas: Business, Commerce and Management Studies (Required). Absa