Executive: Business Operations

Empowering Africa’s tomorrow, together one story at a time.
- With over 100 years of rich history and strongly positioned as a local bank with regional and international expertise, a career with our family offers the opportunity to be part of this exciting growth journey, to reset our future and shape our destiny as a proudly African group.

Job Summary

To build, deploy and run services that underpin operational performance - leading and directing the operational environment and business architecture that drives productivity, support and enable the translation of strategy into action, including but not limited to process improvement, innovation, operations, service quality, strategic change management and first line operational risk for the Business Unit (BU).

Job Description

Strategy Formulation and Execution
- Set and cascade the functional strategy with supporting operating model and ensure resources are in place for its execution, ensuring seamless integration of the functional strategy into a cohesive commercial business plan.
- Formulate and implement an integrated Operations strategy moving towards a lean operation to ensure a sustainable (cost efficient) operating model across the product house/ BU contributing to business profitability.
- Strategic formulation is inclusive of operations in service of the customer (customer primacy), driving the digital adoption agenda and supporting data monetisation from an operations perspective (highlight opportunities).

Governance, Risk and Control/Compliance
- Direct the first line of defense for organisational risk management, overseeing a dedicated team to implement robust internal controls, ensure adherence to regulatory and compliance standards, and proactively address potential operational risks, safeguarding the business from internal and external threats.
- Oversee the implementation of, and conformance to, Group Risk and Compliance requirements within the operating environment, in line with set risk appetite
- Drive governance, risk mitigation and compliance in all Operations and Strategic Change initiatives.
- Ensure the fulfilment of all required governance activities, including tracking and reporting.
- Implement new policies and frameworks as needed (received from IC Governance and Control and group functions).
- Collaborate with risk management teams to assess potential risks associated with strategic decisions
- Encourage the importance of compliance in the team, ensure that the team is compliant and adheres to all internal audit and compliance requirements.

Operational Excellence
- Drive and optimise the end-to-end operational infrastructure supporting A&I business. This includes governance, risk controls, adviser enablement, client onboarding, and servicing processes. Ensure operational resilience, regulatory compliance, and alignment to strategic growth initiatives.
- Develop and communicate defined strategic levers for operational effectiveness and efficiency based on the A&I strategy cascade (collaborate with Tech & Ops, Frontline, PPB COO to ensure input into a holistic business view of operational levers).
- Lead the development and execution of operational strategies that improve productivity, streamline processes, and reduce cost-to-serve across the value chain. Ensure consistent delivery of performance targets through operational discipline, process re-engineering, and scalable support structures.

Strategic Change and Business Transformation:

- Oversee and direct the implementation of change programmes aimed at driving business strategy and improving operational efficiency.
- Direct the alignment of people, processes & systems to deliver on the BU’s operations strategy (tech & business capabilities).

Digital Transformation
- Oversee the design, deployment, and adoption of digital capabilities to modernize business operations and enhance client experience.
- Champion data-led decision-making, automation, and digital platforms that unlock value, improve turnaround times, and enable a more agile operating model.
- Leverage data-driven insights and operational best practices to optimise workflows, drive continuous improvement, and foster a culture of operational excellence within the organisation

Client-Driven Innovation and Growth:

- Stay abreast of industry trends and role players and ensure that A&I is well-positioned to provide competitive and industry-leading products and services.
- Build and maintain trusting relationships with key customers, clients, partners, and stakeholders.
- Deliberately seek opportunities to digitise, automate and implement solutions for customer primacy, innovation, and operational effectiveness.
- Utilise resources and encourage the use of new technology (software products, apps, websites, etc.) to their fullest potential and derive maximum value from a digital process or solution.

Customer Experience
- Champion a customer-first culture within the business, ensuring that all decisions and strategi