Job Summary

To Lead, Manage and Support RCU Team for ensuring efficient Limits management and Monitoring & Control to the entire Commercial Banking portfolio.

Job Description

Main accountabilities and approximate time split

Team Leadership (10% to 30%)

 Responsibilities:

• Develop highly motivated team maintaining excellent relationships with own team and wider team to ensure achievement of business goals.
• Provide leadership to the limits management and the monitoring and control team within the Risk Control Unit (RCU) in line with the Team’s overall strategy.
• Help identify training needs and provide coaching to all members of the RCU to improve performance.
• Act as a role model and drive proactive application of Absa Values and Behaviours throughout the team.
• Work closely with the Relationship team and Credit team (Corporate Credit Managers – CCMs) to ensure effective management of day to day staff resources to ensure that procedures and processes are followed as per RCU standard operating manual, that appropriate support is provided to the RMs and CCMs and that added value is provided where possible.
• Take responsibility for Succession Planning for the RCU to include identification of new recruits and the recruitment & selection process.

 Risk Management (60-70%)

• Responsible for monitoring & control of Corporate live portfolio to assure adherence terms & conditions of sanctions identifying any areas within the portfolio that are cause for concern / potential cause for concern. Communication both up and down the reporting lines.

 Ø  Limits Managements E2E process

Ø  Excess monitoring and risk reports management

Ø  Covenants management/monitoring E2E process

Ø  Post Disbursement process

Ø  Tracking completeness of all conditions as per sanction terms

Ø  Maintenance of robust and fully updated and automated database

Ø  Monitoring and management of Arena Credit Limits 

• Act as a source of technical excellence and point of reference in relation to limits & monitoring and control activities for the CCMs, RMs and RCU.
• Manage the maintenance / improvement of the administration quality of the portfolio (as detailed in the RCU operating/process manual).
• Maintain interactive relationship with CCMs and RMs to ensure rectifying the outstanding issues.
• Quarterly review of the Corporate Credit Key Risks and their mitigating controls by way of RCSA testing and guidelines.
• Own and monitor the achievement of agreed targets for risk performance measures by the RCU team taking corrective action where applicable.
• Responsible for the rectification & documentation of any recommendations arising out of Audit/Assurance, Conformance and Central Bank examination reports on the Credit Risk.
• Ensure RCU have the resources required to enable compliance with any external / internal regulations regarding Credit Risk.
• System Sampling: On a quarterly basis select a sample of minimum 50 accounts to review all limits and disbursements in the system are per the latest sanction to ensure perfection.
• Manage production and review of Financial Covenant Monitoring tool (Post Sanction fulfilments Tool) detailing outstanding issues regards covenant breaches etc.
• Managing and reviewing of the Daily Refer List to ensure excesses have been approved and appropriately diarized to check clearance.
• Improve quality of audits. Will be supporting the RCU head as point of contact for both internal and external auditors.
• Management of maintenance, review & follow up of a complete automated Diary System detailing deficiency & deferrals/loans repayment dates/ excesses clearance dates/dated securities & covenants.
• Management of the Financial Covenant and Internal Risk Trigger Monitoring systems/data in regards to its integrity of capturing, advising and escalation of overdue and failed / breached covenants.
• Tracking of issues raised in a weekly tracker circulated by Documentation and Securities Centre.
• Monitoring and control of excesses and violation on Arena Credit Limits.

• Supporting RMs and Treasury in making sure capital guarantees are in place for the exposures that breach single borrower’s limits, which includes preparation of guarantee application and guarantee wording. 

Business Risk Partnership (15 - 20%)

• Ensure a consistent quality of service to RCU stakeholders.
• Work in partnership with CCMs and RMs on new and existing customers to ensure perfect limits loading & monitoring according to sanction requirements.
• Work in partnership with colleagues and proactively anticipate, respond to and seek to exceed the expectations of customers.
• Attend meetings with the CCMs/ RMs or Operations if problem related issues are to be discussed / need to be resolved.

Team Working (10 - 15%)

Responsibilities:

• Develop and maintain a close working relationship with Relationship Managers, Credit Managers and Services and Delivery Area.
• Support the Head of RCU in delivering effective PDs for individuals within the team
• Owner of the RCU Post Sanction fulfilment Tool and its relative monthly/quarterly/annual reporting.
• Participate & encourage team in team activities, social occasions and community drives

Risk and Controls Objectives

Ensure that all activities and duties are carried out in full compliance with regulatory requirements, Absa Operational Risk Framework and internal Absa Policies and Standards

Manage risk and control effectively by applying applicable risk frameworks and embedding a positive risk culture

• Understanding of own role in the end to end processes in which you play a part, including applicable risks and controls.
• Adhere to Absa’s policies and procedures applicable to own role, demonstrating sound judgement and responsible risk management.
• Report all risk events / incidents / issues using the defined process for your business area and help to understand why these happened and how to prevent them in future.
• Proactively look for ways to improve the control environment by considering what could go wrong in the processes you operate and how errors could be prevented.
• Continuous and proactive engagement with regulatory bodies, unions where applicable
• All mandatory training completed to deadline

Technical skills / Competencies

• Leadership
• People & Performance  management
• Workflow management
• Strong analytical skills
• High level of numeracy to evaluate complex statistical financial information
• Interpersonal & People management, team building and Leadership skills
• Communication including negotiation skills & presentation
• Time Management
• Judgment & decision making
• Skills Strategic thinking

KEY ISSUES OVER THE NEXT 12 – 24 MONTHS

•  Setting up and organizing all RCU activities as per the new structure and process for Risk Control Unit.
• Championing the RCU transformation Project across the team(s) and its importance to  interdependent departments

 Absa Values

Absa’s  Values and Behaviours represent the set of standards which governs the actions of all of us who work for the bank and against which the performance of every one of us in Absa are being assessed and rewarded:

• Trust
• Resourceful
• Stewardship
• Inclusive
• Courage

Education

Higher Diplomas: Business, Commerce and Management Studies (Required)

• Develop highly motivated team maintaining excellent relationships with own team and wider team to ensure achievement of business goals.
• Provide leadership to the limits management and the monitoring and control team within the Risk Control Unit (RCU) in line with the Team’s overall strategy.
• Help identify training needs and provide coaching to all members of the RCU to improve performance.
• Act as a role model and drive proactive application of Absa Values and Behaviours throughout the team.
• Work closely with the Relationship team and Credit team (Corporate Credit Managers – CCMs) to ensure effective management of day to day staff resources to ensure that procedures and processes are followed as per RCU standard operating manual, that appropriate support is provided to the RMs and CCMs and that added value is provided where possible.
• Take responsibility for Succession Planning for the RCU to include identification of new recruits and the recruitment & selection process.
• Responsible for monitoring & control of Corporate live portfolio to assure adherence terms & conditions of sanctions identifying any areas within the portfolio that are cause for concern / potential cause for concern. Communication both up and down the reporting lines.
• Limits Managements E2E process
• Excess monitoring and risk reports management
• Covenants management/monitoring E2E process
• Post Disbursement process
• Tracking completeness of all conditions as per sanction terms
• Maintenance of robust and fully updated and automated database
• Monitoring and management of Arena Credit Limits
• Act as a source of technical excellence and point of reference in relation to limits & monitoring and control activities for the CCMs, RMs and RCU.
• Manage the maintenance / improvement of the administration quality of the portfolio (as detailed in the RCU operating/process manual).
• Maintain interactive relationship with CCMs and RMs to ensure rectifying the outstanding issues.
• Quarterly review of the Corporate Credit Key Risks and their mitigating controls by way of RCSA testing and guidelines.
• Own and monitor the achievement of agreed targets for risk performance measures by the RCU team taking corrective action where applicable.
• Responsible for the rectification & documentation of any recommendations arising out of Audit/Assurance, Conformance and Central Bank examination reports on the Credit Risk.
• Ensure RCU have the resources required to enable compliance with any external / internal regulations regarding Credit Risk.
• System Sampling: On a quarterly basis select a sample of minimum 50 accounts to review all limits and disbursements in the system are per the latest sanction to ensure perfection.
• Manage production and review of Financial Covenant Monitoring tool (Post Sanction fulfilments Tool) detailing outstanding issues regards covenant breaches etc.
• Managing and reviewing of the Daily Refer List to ensure excesses have been approved and appropriately diarized to check clearance.
• Improve quality of audits. Will be supporting the RCU head as point of contact for both internal and external auditors.
• Management of maintenance, review & follow up of a complete automated Diary System detailing deficiency & deferrals/loans repayment dates/ excesses clearance dates/dated securities & covenants.
• Management of the Financial Covenant and Internal Risk Trigger Monitoring systems/data in regards to its integrity of capturing, advising and escalation of overdue and failed / breached covenants.
• Tracking of issues raised in a weekly tracker circulated by Documentation and Securities Centre.
• Monitoring and control of excesses and violation on Arena Credit Limits.
• Supporting RMs and Treasury in making sure capital guarantees are in place for the exposures that breach single borrower’s limits, which includes preparation of guarantee application and guarantee wording.
• Ensure a consistent quality of service to RCU stakeholders.
• Work in partnership with CCMs and RMs on new and existing customers to ensure perfect limits loading & monitoring according to sanction requirements.
• Work in partnership with colleagues and proactively anticipate, respond to and seek to exceed the expectations of customers.
• Attend meetings with the CCMs/ RMs or Operations if problem related issues are to be discussed / need to be resolved.
• Develop and maintain a close working relationship with Relationship Managers, Credit Managers and Services and Delivery Area.
• Support the Head of RCU in delivering effective PDs for individuals within the team
• Owner of the RCU Post Sanction fulfilment Tool and its relative monthly/quarterly/annual reporting.
• Participate & encourage team in team activities, social occasions and community drives
• Ensure that all activities and duties are carried out in full compliance with regulatory requirements, Absa Operational Risk Framework and internal Absa Policies and Standards
• Manage risk and control effectively by applying applicable risk frameworks and embedding a positive risk culture
• Understanding of own role in the end to end processes in which you play a part, including applicable risks and controls.
• Adhere to Absa’s policies and procedures applicable to own role, demonstrating sound judgement and responsible risk management.
• Report all risk events / incidents / issues using the defined process for your business area and help to understand why these happened and how to prevent them in future.
• Proactively look for ways to improve the control environment by considering what could go wrong in the processes you operate and how errors could be prevented.
• Continuous and proactive engagement with regulatory bodies, unions where applicable
• All mandatory training completed to deadline

• Leadership
• People & Performance management
• Workflow management
• Strong analytical skills
• High level of numeracy to evaluate complex statistical financial information
• Interpersonal & People management, team building and Leadership skills
• Communication including negotiation skills & presentation
• Time Management
• Judgment & decision making
• Skills Strategic thinking