Head Customer Experience Management

Absa is seeking a dynamic and visionary leader to spearhead its Customer Experience Management efforts. This pivotal role offers the chance to profoundly influence how customers interact with the bank, ensuring that every touchpoint is designed with the customer at its heart. The successful candidate will be instrumental in shaping a future where service excellence is paramount, driving loyalty, operational efficiency, and sustainable growth through a deeply ingrained customer-centric approach.

As the Head of Customer Experience Management, you will be the architect of the bank's customer journey, translating complex customer insights into actionable strategies. This is an opportunity for a strategic thinker, someone who is passionately customer-obsessed and adept at leveraging data to inform decisions. You'll navigate intricate organisational landscapes, building consensus and driving alignment across diverse teams, processes, and technological platforms to realise a unified vision for customer experience.

About the Role

This leadership position is centred on the strategic development and meticulous execution of Absa's customer experience agenda. You will be responsible for crafting and implementing a comprehensive strategy and roadmap designed to elevate the customer journey across all engagement channels. A core component of this will involve leading in-depth customer journey mapping exercises, followed by the redesign and ongoing optimisation of these journeys to remove friction and enhance satisfaction.

Furthermore, you will be the driving force behind Voice of the Customer (VoC) programmes. This entails not only gathering customer feedback but, more importantly, translating those valuable insights into tangible actions that address pain points, reduce complaints, and streamline operational processes. Collaboration will be key, as you partner closely with Product, Operations, Technology, Risk, and Sales departments to ensure that all efforts are aligned towards achieving superior customer outcomes. A significant focus will also be placed on accelerating digital adoption, championing automation, and enhancing self-service capabilities to empower customers and improve efficiency. Establishing robust CX governance, defining key performance indicators, and reporting on customer experience metrics will be essential in demonstrating progress and impact. Ultimately, your role will be to champion a pervasive customer-first culture throughout the entire organisation.

What They're Looking For

Absa is searching for a seasoned leader with a minimum of 10 to 15 years of senior management experience, ideally within Customer Experience, Operations, Digital Transformation, Service Design, or strategic planning. A proven history of successfully leading customer-centric transformation programmes is a prerequisite. You should possess a demonstrated track record of redesigning customer journeys and implementing service improvements that yield measurable results.

While experience in financial services, banking, telecommunications, retail, or other customer-intensive industries is highly desirable, the ability to drive significant commercial and customer-focused outcomes is paramount. A Bachelor's degree in a relevant field such as Business, Customer Experience, or Marketing is required, with a postgraduate qualification like an MBA or Master's being a strong preference. You must be a strategic and data-driven individual, capable of influencing stakeholders at all levels and translating complex customer feedback into impactful business strategies. The ability to foster a collaborative environment and align diverse teams around a shared customer experience vision is crucial for success in this role.

In South Africa, leadership roles in customer experience management within large financial institutions like Absa typically command competitive remuneration packages, reflecting the strategic importance and significant responsibility involved. Such positions offer considerable scope for professional growth, with opportunities to influence organisational strategy and develop highly sought-after expertise in customer-centric transformation. The emphasis on creating a seamless and positive customer journey is a growing trend across all sectors in the South African economy, making this a career path with increasing relevance and potential.

Minimum Requirements

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Customer Experience, Marketing or related field.
• Postgraduate qualification (MBA, Master's, or equivalent) preferred.

Experience

• 10-15+ years' senior leadership experience in Customer Experience, Operations, Digital Transformation, Service Design, Strategy, or related disciplines.
• Proven experience leading customer-centric transformation programmes.
• Demonstrated success in customer journey redesign and service improvement.
• Experience within financial services, banking, telecommunications, retail, or customer-intensive industries.
• Strong track record of delivering measurable customer and commercial outcomes.

Education

Bachelor`s Degrees and Advanced Diplomas: Business, Commerce and Management Studies (Required)

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