Regional Head - Southern at Standard Bank

Job Purpose

• To drive the delivery of the PBB Africa Regions (AR) strategy across an allocated region and its countries.
• To ensure alignment between the PBB AR strategy and country PBB strategy across the allocated region.
• To be accountable for the overall performance (i.e. financial, risk and people) of PBB across the allocated region.
• To identify new market opportunities within current and outside of existing footprint.

Key Responsibilities/Accountabilities

Grow Customer Base:

• Provides input into the development of the PBB AR strategy based on regional and country knowledge.
• Drives implementation of the PBB AR strategy within allocated region and coordinates across the value chain for PBB in consideration of the market opportunities within the specific countries. This includes the alignment to the customer acquisition strategy and monitors adoption in countries, and coordinates interplay across all business lines (i.e. CIB, Wealth) for PBB clients in order to achieve the following outcomes:
  • Customer growth
  • Return on Equity
  • Favourable JAWS ratio
  • Improvement in Cost to Income ratio
  • Headline Earnings
• Reviews and agrees to PBB AR strategy customisation requests, based on specific country requirements.
• Responsible for providing guidance on country specific business plans, objectives, policies and implementation of tactical solutions.
• Provides input into the development of the PBB AR toolbox – for example, guidelines on client centric solutions and segmentation, operating models for all countries, learning framework, minimum standards to adhere to regulatory landscape, minimum standards, risk appetite, credit disciplines, best practice, mandates, delegation of authority, guidelines for pricing trade-off decisions, etc.
• Monitors adherence to the toolbox within countries for allocated region.
• Together with country and PBB AR Risk develops the client risk appetite framework aligned to PBB AR minimum standards and ensures there’s alignment between Risk and business for countries.
• Keeps abreast of industry trends and macro challenges and guides countries accordingly.
• Accountable for PBB franchise portfolio oversight across allocated region.
• Enables implementation of the strategy through skills transfer, coaching and where necessary provides subject matter expertise for deal complexity.
• Ensures the implementation and adoption of all client journey work as it relates to countries in the allocated region.
• Drives excellent consistent customer experience as gauged through the Net Promoter Score.

People Practices:

• Provides input into the Human Capital People Plan for PBB AR in alignment with PBB AR Human Capital.
• Identifies current and potential employee skill requirements in consultation with the PBB AR Human Capital function.
• In consultation with CE: PBB AR, defines and approves the recruitment, reward and termination of Country Head, PBB and critical roles in consultation with the PBB AR Human Capital function; Country CE and Country Head, PBB (where relevant).
• In conjunction with PBB AR Human Capital, ensures the development and implementation of the HC Toolbox (e.g. succession planning, talent development, performance management).
• Determines and guides performance and associated award in consultation with PBB AR Human Capital, and in alignment with SBG guidelines.
• Ensures alignment to the PBB AR Human Capital standards with regards to all employee-related matters.

• Provides input to talent strategy developed by PBB AR Human Capital.
• Mobilises employees in allocated region and AR head office environment in order to fulfil the bank’s objectives regarding customer service; sales; people management and engagement; transformation; risk and compliance.

Risk Management:

• Provides input into the PBB AR risk framework and governance based on regional and country knowledge.
• Drives implementation of the approved PBB AR Risk framework and governance together with the Country Head, PBB.
• Responsible for risk management across the value chain for countries within allocated region (e.g. operational and credit risk, cybersecurity risk) in alignment with PBB AR Risk.
• Monitors and ensures adherence to risk framework, appetite, risk control procedures, governance and risk and conduct toolbox.
• Oversees the development and monitoring of risk forecast models across countries in allocated region in conjunction with PBB AR Risk.
• Monitors adherence to the PBB operational risk assessment standards and drives closure of all remediation actions.
• Drives satisfactory audits through Country Heads of PBB and ensures that there are no repeat unsatisfactory audits as gauged by operational losses - retains oversight of all risk and remediation matters relating to allocated region.

Financial Performance Management:

• Defines the financial outcomes required in conjunction with countries i.e. Country CE and Country Head, PBB, and approves financial budgets in line with PBB AR requirements.
• Accountable for and owns the income statement and financial outcomes for allocated region and countries.
• Monitors implementation of agreed financial outcomes across allocated region and countries and ensures that countries define and implement remedial actions.
• Retains oversight of financial and non-financial metrics (e.g. number of customer defaults, net promoter score, branch network footprint, etc.) across allocated region.

Social Responsibility:

• Provides input into social, economic and environmental initiatives for the PBB AR strategy, culture and ways of working (e.g. financial inclusion, job creation and enterprise development, infrastructure, Africa trade and investment, education skills and development, and employee development training).

Preferred Qualification and Experience

• Minimum Qualification: Masters Degree -Field of study: Business Commerce
• A post graduate qualification e.g. Chartered Accountant or MBA.
• More than 10 years Experience in managing large business units with income statement and balance sheet accountability. Experience with banking / financial industry products and services. Experience with managing diverse geographically dispersed teams in AR will be an advantage. Experience in functioning at corporate executive level.
• Direct Reports: 4-10
• Indirect Reports: +51

Knowledge/Technical Skills/Expertise

• Effective business communication
• Filtering Core Issues and Patterns
• Risk Response Strategy
• Risk/ Reward Thinking
• Risk Reporting
• Economic Capital Management