Executive: Strategy

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

Lead the development and execution of digital business strategies and commercialisation initiatives that drive revenue growth, market positioning, and ecosystem development. Champion innovation in business models, monetization approaches, and strategic partnerships to create sustainable competitive advantage through digital platforms

Job Description

KEY FOCUS AREAS

• Develop and execute digital business strategies and commercial models.

• Drive monetization strategies across digital platforms and services.

• Lead market analysis, competitive positioning, and business model innovation.

• Identify and activate new revenue streams and partnership opportunities.

• Collaborate with Digital Product teams to define commercial requirements for product development.

• Establish pricing strategies and commercial frameworks for digital offerings.

• Monitor commercial performance and optimize digital investments for ROI.

• Lead business case development for digital initiatives and platform investments.

• Embed governance and compliance in commercial digital activities.

• Foster ecosystem partnerships and strategic alliance development

ACCOUNTABILITIES

Strategy Formulation and Execution

• Lead the development of digital business strategies and commercial roadmaps.

• Define monetization models and revenue optimization frameworks for digital platforms.

• Establish commercial requirements and success metrics for product development initiatives.

• Align digital strategy with Business Banking's transformation goals and market opportunities.

• Translate long-term strategic objectives into aligned business plans and execution roadmaps addressing customer, product and segment needs.

• Cascade strategic goals and ensure alignment between business areas 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.

• Incorporate emerging policy and regulatory trends by adapting digital strategy and ensuring compliance alignment.

• 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

• Use customer insights to shape digital offerings and commercial models.

• Ensure digital solutions enhance customer experience and value delivery.

• 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.

• Instill 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

• Drive adoption, usage and share of wallet matrix to ensure strong return on digital investments

• Drive revenue growth through digital monetisation and platform scalability.

• Identify and activate new digital business models and partnerships with close collaboration with relevant Business Banking stakeholders.

• 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 reinforcing strategic objectives at operational levels.

• Evaluate financial and customer returns on initiatives to ensure alignment with business viability.

• Formulate and develop multi-function operating frameworks that contribute to sustainable growth through the digital roadmap.

• Formulate and develop multi-function operating frameworks that contribute to sustainable growth.

 

Client-Driven Innovation and Change

• Champion innovation in digital strategy and commercialisation.

• Lead agile experimentation and rapid scaling of successful initiatives.

• Monitor competitive landscape and identify opportunities to improve products, services, or operations.

• Drive continuous improvement and innovation within the team to enhance customer outcomes.

• Shape client experience initiatives through project ownership and delivery responsibility.

• Lead operational change, ensuring readiness, engagement, and measured impact across delivery teams.

• Influence and communicate across all levels of the business to minimise resistance to change and ensure onboarding of target audiences.

• Scan the external environment to investigate alternative delivery models and offer innovative advice for competitive advantage.

• Drive change management activities across a single value chain for optimal adoption of change.

Leading Talent

• Build and lead a team focused on digital strategy and commercial enablement.

• Promote continuous learning and innovation in digital commercial practices.

• Embed people processes and values into business routines, reinforcing a strong leadership culture.

• Develop workforce capabilities to meet business plan execution requirements and future readiness.

• Create inclusive team environments that support performance, wellbeing, and growth.

• Address escalated people issues and ensure application of performance and development processes.

• Develop future leaders through mentorship, stretch assignments, and tailored development experiences.

• Provide expertise and advice in the development and implementation of human capability and accountability frameworks across functions.

• Direct the development and implementation of human capability strategies to support people management priorities.

Operational Effectiveness

• Translate strategy into operational plans and performance metrics.

• Ensure digital initiatives are executed efficiently and deliver measurable value.

• Operationalise strategic goals into functional plans with clear deliverables, timelines, scorecards with team and individual KPIs to enable effective tracking of business and individual performance.

• Set appropriate financial and other resourcing plans to enable business performance, tracking against budgets and investments for both current and long-term strategic goals.

• Ensure integration across business units by resolving operational friction and dependencies.

• Represent the business area in operational forums and with delivery partners.

• Leverage data insights to improve operational effectiveness and customer outcomes.

• Continuously improve processes for agility, quality, and alignment with customer needs and digital tools.

• Identify problems and formulate alternate solutions to resolve value chain conflicts.

• Provide expert advice on operating model, strategy, value chain formulation, and business controls/governance frameworks.

 

Digital Adoption

• Promote adoption of digital platforms and tools across the business.

• Drive automation and digitisation to enhance commercial outcomes.

• Execute digital initiatives and promote adoption of technologies that improve efficiency and user experience.

• Monitor digital platform performance and ensure integration with business processes and outcomes.

• Deliberately identify opportunities to digitise, automate, and implement solutions for customer primacy, innovation, and operational effectiveness.

Data Monetisation

• Use data to identify commercial opportunities and optimise digital performance.

• Collaborate with analytics teams to drive insight-led decision-making.

• Apply data insights to support business planning and decision-making in the business area.

• ·       Develop mechanisms to ensure data is collected, validated, and used to drive performance improvement.

• ·       Oversee the explicit use of data and its inherent value to explore opportunities and guide decisions.

Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Ensure compliance with digital governance, risk, and regulatory frameworks.

• Monitor and mitigate risks associated with digital commercialisation.

• Implement governance, risk, and compliance frameworks in business processes and team routines.

• Promote risk awareness and lead the response to regulatory changes and emerging issues.

• Support audit readiness and ensure operational teams adhere to compliance requirements.

• Define and consolidate the risk profile for the business unit, manage critical risks, and ensure resolution feedback to stakeholders.

• Enable the development and implementation of integrated corporate governance frameworks in areas of specialisation.

• Influence the implementation of effective internal controls systems and corporate governance practices.

Stakeholder Management

• Strategic Partnership and Ecosystem: Collaborate with product houses to identify, evaluate and negotiate strategic partnership to expand digital capabilities, distribution and customer reach

• Manage relationships with key stakeholders to support aligned delivery and issue resolution.

• Ensure stakeholder expectations are managed and engagement is consistent with transformation priorities.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

 

• Education/ Qualification:
  Post Graduate Degree: Honours Degree, Post Graduate Diploma and Professional Qualifications [NQF8]

 

Field of Study:

• Digital Strategy, Business Innovation, Commercial Management, or related fields

 

Work Experience:

• years' experience in a specific capability of importance to the bank, including a track record of 5 years in a people management position in a large enterprise.

• 12-15 years experience in digital strategy, business development, or commercial management, including 5 years in senior management within large enterprise environments

• Experience must include developing integrated customer-centric product or service solutions or corporate practice development while working with and managing stakeholders across business and/or functional areas and budget management.

• Exposure to digital transformation and data-driven decision-making is preferred.

• Demonstrated success in leading digital commercialisation initiatives that drive innovation, revenue growth, and market positioning in complex financial services environments.

• Experience in engaging executive stakeholders including developing digital business strategies, commercial models, or monetization frameworks while managing stakeholders across business and functional areas.

COMPETENCIES

 

Leadership Competencies:

• Strategic Thinking

• Business Acumen

• Communication

• Influence Leadership

• Creativity and Innovation

• Delivering Results

• Adaptability

• Collaboration

Knowledge and Skills:

• Strategic Thinking and Commercial Acumen : proven ability  to define and execute strategies to measurable commercial value.

• Analytical and data driven: ability to use data and insights to inform decisions, optimise performance and create grounded business cases

• Customer Obsession: deep understanding of customer behaviour, needs and how to design digital solutions that are fit for purpose.

• Innovation and Growth Mindset : passion for exploring emerging technologies, new business models and disruptive opportunities

• Influence and Collaboration: String stakeholder management and ability to influence and executive level

• Execution Excellence: Track record of taking ideas from concept to commercial success.

• Digital strategy and commercialisation

• Innovation and agile delivery

• Platform and product monetisation

• Customer experience and value design

• Market and competitor analysis

• Data-driven decision-making

• Stakeholder engagement and influence

• Governance and compliance in digital

• Business model development

• Performance tracking and optimisation

 

Education

Bachelor's Degree: Business, Commerce and Management Studies

Absa Bank Limited is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. In compliance with the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998, preference will be given to suitable candidates from designated groups whose appointments will contribute towards achievement of equitable demographic representation of our workforce profile and add to the diversity of the Bank.

Absa Bank Limited reserves the right not to make an appointment to the post as advertised

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