Managing Executive: Chief Data & Analytics Officer

The future of banking in Africa is being shaped by data, and Absa is seeking a visionary leader to drive this transformation within its Business Bank. This is a critical executive role, focused on elevating data and analytics from a supporting function to a strategic imperative, unlocking new avenues for value creation and competitive advantage. The successful candidate will be instrumental in embedding a data-driven culture, ensuring that insights are not merely generated but are actively leveraged to inform decision-making, foster innovation, and ultimately, accelerate growth.

About the Role

At its core, this position is about strategically positioning the Business Bank as a leader in intelligent, data-driven operations. You will be responsible for charting an ambitious data strategy that leverages the bank's extensive datasets to foster a deeper understanding of clients and markets. This involves not only the technical aspects of data management and analysis but also the crucial element of cultural change. You will champion the development and commercialisation of data products, transforming raw data into tangible assets that provide a distinct competitive edge. Furthermore, you will play a pivotal role in advancing the bank’s overall data maturity, ensuring robust governance, sophisticated engineering practices, and uncompromising data quality. This includes reimagining traditional business intelligence functions to evolve into proactive, strategic foresight capabilities, anticipating market shifts and client needs.

The responsibilities associated with this senior role are broad and impactful, spanning strategy, execution, and leadership. You will be tasked with:

• **Formulating and executing a comprehensive data and analytics strategy:** This involves embedding data as a core business capability, driving uplift in data maturity through best practices, platform enablement, and the activation of insights.
• **Championing data product creation and monetisation:** Leading the charge to develop and commercialise enterprise data products that unlock new revenue streams and deliver tangible business value.
• **Shaping a long-term vision for the Business Bank:** Developing and clearly articulating a strategic vision that aligns with overarching organisational goals, fosters innovation, and influences industry discourse.
• **Building strategic partnerships and industry influence:** Engaging proactively with stakeholders, industry bodies, and regulators to shape strategy in response to evolving market dynamics and policy landscapes.
• **Ensuring disciplined strategic execution:** Overseeing the diligent implementation of strategic priorities, ensuring operational readiness and delivering transparent reporting on progress, risks, and outcomes.
• **Driving customer-centricity through data:** Enabling a unified customer view and leveraging insights for personalisation and value creation. This involves fostering cross-functional partnerships to deploy data-driven insights across digital, product, and channel teams, and applying deep customer understanding to guide capability development.
• **Accelerating sustainable growth:** Driving commercial outcomes through data-driven performance management and identifying monetisable use cases. This includes collaborating with the Business Bank Executive team to translate strategic intent into executable growth plans and ensuring investment decisions align with strategic imperatives and financial sustainability.
• **Embedding data-led innovation:** Facilitating rapid prototyping, predictive modelling, and advanced analytics. You will influence business decisions and capability development to support innovative, client-centric solutions across the entire value chain.
• **Leading and managing change:** Driving transformation initiatives with discipline and empathy, ensuring clear articulation of outcomes while maintaining business continuity.
• **Building and leading high-performing teams:** Cultivating multidisciplinary teams across data engineering, analytics, business intelligence, and data science.

What They're Looking For

Absa is seeking a leader with a proven track record in shaping and executing data and analytics strategies within complex organisations. A deep understanding of how to leverage data as a strategic asset to drive business value is paramount. The ideal candidate will possess:

• **Strategic Vision:** The ability to formulate and articulate a compelling long-term data strategy that aligns with business objectives and drives competitive advantage.
• **Leadership Acumen:** Demonstrated experience in building, mentoring, and leading high-performing, multidisciplinary data teams.
• **Innovation Mindset:** A passion for exploring new technologies and methodologies in data science, analytics, and AI to drive innovation and solve business challenges.
• **Commercial Acumen:** A strong understanding of how data can be monetised and used to accelerate commercial outcomes and sustainable growth.
• **Stakeholder Management:** Excellent communication and influencing skills to engage with diverse stakeholders at all levels, including executive leadership, regulators, and industry peers.
• **Data Governance & Engineering Expertise:** A solid grasp of data governance principles, data engineering best practices, and data quality management to build scalable and reliable data infrastructure.
• **Customer Focus:** A commitment to using data to enhance customer experience, satisfaction, and loyalty.
• **Change Management Skills:** The ability to lead and manage complex change initiatives effectively.

This executive position at Absa offers a unique opportunity to make a significant impact on the future of banking in South Africa. Roles at this level, especially those involving the strategic oversight of data and analytics for a major business unit, typically command competitive remuneration packages reflecting the seniority and critical nature of the responsibilities. Such positions are commonly found within large financial institutions, telecommunications companies, and major retail groups, offering significant potential for career progression into broader executive leadership roles.

 

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

 

• Education/ Qualification:
  Post Graduate Degree: Honours Degree, Post Graduate Diploma and Professional Qualifications [NQF8]

 

Field of Study:

• Data Science, Information Systems, Business Analytics, or related disciplines

 

Work Experience:

• 15+ years of experience in Financial Services, including at least 7 years in executive roles across strategy and/or transformation in large, complex enterprises.
• Demonstrated success in leading enterprise data strategy, commercialising data products, and driving data maturity
• Experience in engaging executive stakeholders in strategic data initiatives, governance alignment, and innovation enablement

 

COMPETENCIES

 

Leadership Competencies:

• Strategic Thinking
• Business Acumen
• Communication
• Influence
• Leadership
• Creativity and Innovation
• Delivering Results
• Collaboration

 

 

Knowledge and Skills:

• Corporate and competitive strategy formulation
• Business transformation orchestration
• Enterprise Data Strategy
• Data Governance & Compliance
• Advanced Analytics & Data Science
• Business Intelligence & Reporting
• Data Engineering & Platform Enablement
• Predictive Modelling & AI/ML
• Data Monetisation & Commercialisation
• Strategic Foresight & Insight Activation
• Stakeholder Engagement & Change Leadership
• Digital Transformation & Innovation

 

Education

Postgraduate Degrees and Professional Qualifications: Physical, Mathematical, Computer and Life Sciences (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