Chief Risk Officer Relationship Banking

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 member of the Office of the Group Chief Risk Officer, the incumbent has full accountability for the independent oversight of Relationship Banking (RB) enterprise-wide risks in accordance with the second line of defence requirements as set out in the Enterprise Risk Management Framework. The RB CRO’s primary responsibility through the risk framework is to drive an end-to-end risk management culture that leverages appropriate tools and governance structures for the measurement, reporting and control of financial and non-financial risks (including Credit Risk and Operational and Resilience Risk). The RB CRO, with input from the RB CE and management is moreover required to manage the risk appetite framework in relation to the Board’s agreed risk tolerance levels. The incumbent will be a member of the RB Executive Committee and the Group Risk Executive Committee and will be expected to opine on and monitor all risk-taking activities across the RB business, encompassing Commercial, Agriculture, SME, Wealth, Asset Finance and Property Portfolios.

Job Description

Accountability: Risk Appetite and Strategy

• In conjunction with business leadership, define and support the RB risk appetite aspiration through the annual integrated planning process.
• Actively challenge and contribute to business growth with an enablement mindset under the agreed risk appetite construct.
• Monitor risk appetite consumption and the drivers of the underlying portfolio risk profile to inform appropriate risk management actions.
• Check and challenge collections strategies, capacity requirements and delivery to ensure an appropriate response to current market and economic dynamics.
• Drive an appropriate risk/reward ethos that optimizes RWA consumption and ensures the effective use of economic capital.

 Accountability: Risk Culture and Governance

• Create and manage a rigorous risk governance structure to ensure risk transparency and effective reporting and decision-making.
• Uphold the importance of frameworks and policies and drive the embedment and assessment of their ongoing effectiveness.
• Promote risk awareness and accountability throughout the business in accordance with the ERMF.
• Identify and assign management actions to address deviations from a sound risk culture and control environment.
• Design and implement an effective system of internal controls including a clear organisation structure, a formal system of delegations of authority and accountability and a framework of supervision from the RB CRO throughout the RB Risk Function.
• Accurate and timely representation of the RB risk profile at various Group governance forums by driving a fit-for-purpose risk reporting standard oriented to the needs of a specific audience.  

Accountability: People and Culture

• Build a clearly articulated people management and culture framework consistent with the Absa values.
• Together with the RB Risk People Partner determine and agree the people management strategy with a focus on leadership, talent management, development, resourcing, retention and succession planning.
• Drive the RB Risk organizational transformation, diversity and inclusion agenda with a focus on employment equity targets.
• Ongoing risk function rightsizing, skills adequacy and leadership coaching.
• Defining people and function scorecard objectives and measures that align to the RB Business and Group Risk balanced scorecards.
• Lead, manage and develop the RB Risk Function resources in the most effective and efficient manner to execute the function’s plan.
• Manage the RB Risk Function within an agreed operational budget that supports the delivery of the appropriate risk capability in support of the business strategy.

Accountability: Frameworks, Controls and Processes

• All Principal and Key Risks, as defined in the Enterprise Risk Management Framework, to be proactively identified, assessed, controlled, reported, managed and challenged on a normal and stressed scenario basis.
• Champion an appropriate operational risk management and control culture across RB.
• The design or operation of processes and controls are to be performed by or in conjunction with BU Managing Executives or other stakeholders, with the RB CRO to retain accountability for the effectiveness, overs