Senior Manager: Structured Lending, AI & Strategic Initiatives

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

Deliver end-to-end structured lending support solution across credit risk, pricing and credit lending; and enable growth in complex, high-value segments. Enable artificial intelligence (AI) to optimize decision quality, consistency, and efficiency. Provide timely, governed credit & pricing support; and deliver new strategic initiatives on request.

Accountability: Structured Lending Capability

Develop and manage end-to-end structured lending credit risk, pricing and credit lending solution. This includes the following actions:

• Structure and price complex, high-value home loan deals outside standard processes to deliver tailored client solutions
• Assess and manage credit risk within defined guardrails, leveraging delegation of authority and sound judgment on exceptions
• Collaborate with stakeholders to drive deal execution, balancing production, profitability (RoE), turnaround time, and portfolio performance.

Accountability: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Enablement in Credit Risk & Pricing

• Lead the integration of AI into credit risk and pricing decisions to materially improve decision quality, consistency, and efficiency
• Develop and deploy advanced machine learning models (including decision trees and gradient boosting techniques) to enhance risk differentiation, optimise pricing precision, and support data-driven deal structuring.

Accountability: Business Support & Business as Usual (BAU) Enablement

• Enable effective execution of sales and product strategy by providing expert credit risk and pricing support, ensuring front-line teams can confidently structure and close complex lending opportunities
• Deliver timely, well-governed credit and pricing decisions that balance speed with control, supporting business momentum while adhering to risk frameworks and approval standards
• Drive consistency in policy and strategy interpretation across stakeholders, ensuring aligned decision-making, reduced ambiguity, and improved quality of credit outcomes across the portfolio.

Accountability: Special Projects & Transformation

• Lead and deliver strategic initiatives and transformation programs that respond to evolving business needs, regulatory requirements, and market dynamics, ensuring alignment to organisational objectives and long-term growth
• Drive continuous optimisation of acquisition strategies through data-driven insights, performance analysis, and innovation, improving conversion, risk selection, and overall portfolio profitability
• Embed sustainable change through effective execution and stakeholder alignment, ensuring that new processes, frameworks, and enhancements are successfully adopted and deliver measurable business impact.

Accountability: Stakeholder Engagement

• Liaising with relevant stakeholders, including Sales, IT, Front end & Collections Operations, Strategy & Product, Strategic Alliances, Fraud prevention, Finance and other Risk teams
• Presentation of analytical results and proposals to both technical and non-technical audiences, providing commentary as required
• Assist New Product Development with assessments related to product refinements.

Accountability: Governance

• Serve as joint liaison to address operational risk matters and internal, and external point of contact with auditor/assurance teams.

Accountability: People Management

• Ensure delivery of business goals by aligning Performance Development (PD) Plans of direct reports to the business goals
• Develop a high performing team by embedding formal performance development and informal coaching. Encourage frequent knowledge sharing between team members
• Instil a performance development culture through directing the PD process and adhering to the PD calendar
• Conduct quarterly PD discussions with team members according to PD guidelines
• Pro-actively identify development areas of direct reports and compile development plans to address them
• Attract and retain talent, with the assistance from the HR Business Partner
• Interview and recruit new members of the team, including determining appropriate compensation levels with input from HR
• Compile a headcount plan to ensure that current and future business requirements can be met and obtain approval for any additional headcount that might be needed for the team
• Identify team capabilities and develop a succession plan, with assistance from the People Partner
• Motivate team members and ensure that their efforts are recognised
• Approve leave requests for team members and create leave plan to ensure adequate coverage
• Initiate disciplinary action process as and when required, with the assistance of the Employee Relations Consultant
• Act as the first line of escalation for all grievances
• Conduct monthly meetings with the team to address performance gaps
• Effectively lead team members and ensure their efforts are recognised
• Ensure execution of plans seeking to address employee related issues.

Education and Experience Required

• B Degree in Business or Mathematics or Statistics or Operational Research or Engineering or Risk Management or Finance or similar
• 5 years’ experience in credit risk analysis
• 5 years’ experience in developing data driven analytical strategies in the financial service industry
• 5 years SAS exposure/experience and appreciation (or other programming language).
• 3 years in-depth knowledge of the credit tools and systems used.
• 5 years’ experience in financial service industry.
• 3 years’ experience with Acquisitions.

Education

Bachelor Honours Degree: BMI - Business Management and Informatics

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