Executive: Strategic Portfolio Management

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

As a Senior Manager in the Absa Business Banking Chief Operations Office, you will excel in commercializing and monetizing strategies with a strong financial acumen. Your ability to leverage digital tools and technology to automate processes and generate commercial value will be paramount. With a focus on efficiency driven by automation, digitization, and cost optimization, you will consistently create demonstrated value for our clients.

Job Description

KEY FOCUS AREAS
- Lead the design and execution of complex, cross-functional programmes aligned to strategic priorities.
- Ensure delivery of programme outcomes within scope, time, and budget constraints.
- Embed quality assurance and governance frameworks across all programme phases.
- Manage stakeholder expectations and ensure alignment across business units.
- Drive operational excellence through structured programme delivery and change enablement.
- Monitor and report on programme performance, risks, and benefits realisation.
- Champion continuous improvement and innovation in programme delivery.
- Provide thought leadership in programme management practices and methodologies.
- Build and lead high-performing programme teams, fostering collaboration and accountability.
- Influence strategic decision-making through data-driven insights and programme outcomes.

ACCOUNTABILITIES

Strategy Formulation and Execution
- Lead the formulation and execution of enterprise-wide programmes that align with strategic business objectives and operational priorities.
- Translate strategic intent into structured programme roadmaps, ensuring alignment with COO/Operations goals and measurable outcomes.
- Translate long-term strategic objectives into aligned business plans, execution roadmaps and key milestone measurements for the business area.
- Cascade strategic goals and ensure alignment between business unit vision and functional implementation priorities, setting clear short, medium and long-term milestones.
- Develop effective partnerships to enable business performance and contribute to sector-wide influence aligned with strategic initiatives.
- Respond to emerging policy and regulatory trends by adapting operational strategy and ensuring compliance alignment.
- Coordinate business enablement efforts for Business Banking, ensuring delivery capability across systems, processes, and teams.
- Track execution progress against key strategic initiatives and intervene to correct course where needed.
- Support transformation initiatives through structured programme delivery and change management practices.
- Provide expert advice and support in operating model, strategy, and value chain formulation and delivery alignment.
- Identify practices and technologies that provide competitive advantage and enable knowledge sharing and integration of practice areas.
- Undertake analysis of management and specialist information and guide reporting tool implementation to improve decision-making quality.

Customer Primacy
- Lead the design and delivery of programmes that enhance customer experience and operational efficiency.
- Ensure customer-centric outcomes are embedded in programme objectives and delivery metrics.
- Translate customer insights into actionable programme improvements
- Interpret market and customer insights to inform operational plans and prioritise capability investments.
- Utilise customer data to improve processes and propositions, ensuring measurable customer value delivery.
- Instil customer-centric decision-making in teams, balancing experience and efficiency targets.
- Implement initiatives that improve customer engagement and retention through operational enhancements.
- Coordinate cross-functional initiatives to deliver consistent customer journeys and service quality.
- Represent the voice of the customer within leadership forums to influence service delivery priorities.
- Plan and deliver services that create a culture which aims to exceed customer expectations in all aspects of the business.
- Provide expertise in designing integrated frameworks to embed service excellence.

Sustainable Growth
- Align programme delivery with business growth objectives and operational scalability.
- Identify and implement opportunities for cost optimisation and value creation through programme
- Develop business area growth plans aligned to segment and enterprise priorities.
- Work with business partners to define and execute on growth strategies and operational initiatives.
- Mobilise functional teams to deliver growth targets and embed performance accountability.
- Monitor growth delivery, resolving barriers and reinforci