Head, Agile Portfolio Office & Innovation at Standard Bank Group

Job description

Information Technology: Systems development, business analysis, architecture, project management, data warehousing, infrastructure, maintenance and production
Job Purpose
Responsible for the overall Project Management function, providing leadership, coordination and management of the APO Team, processes, functions and stakeholders

The role serves as a conduit for communication between APO Managers, the IT Executive and the Bank Executives who make the strategic decisions for IT projects

The Head APO provides leadership and coaching to the team that provides project management support functions and offers administrative support.

To manage execution of the Innovation function across Stanbic Bank and ensure an embedded innovation capability across the area.

Encouraging creation of new ideas and solutions.

Key Responsibilities/Accountabilities

• Project Management and Solution Development Governance
• Advises leadership and/or business executives at the highest levels about Project Management portfolio, status and resource planning for delivering strategic business Initiatives.
• Plans, directs, and ensures the successful management of designed business solutions utilizing the complete resources of the APO Office and assigned IT Delivery teams.
• Review and report on change control process for “Change the Bank” projects.
• Defines and manages the standards, tools and methodologies for Project Management across the business by:-
• Ensuring that the project has been approved by the respective committees and boards (Change Committee, CAB, and Project Boards).
• Participate in ensuring that the relative initiatives are aligned to Group strategy and Governance standards.
• Provides technical assistance in identifying, evaluating and developing methods and procedures that are efficient, effective and meet good business practice.
• Ensure all deadlines are communicated on time and achieved by facilitating the monthly Process & Technology SteerCo approval process and submission of all
• Project Governance documents and Business Cases.
• Review and escalate project risks, issues, and their interdependencies, as well as escalation to the appropriate governance forum.
• Perform project and financial health checks as requested or as predefined across the entire Country Projects portfolio.
• Ensure that project teams submit status reports on time; review and ensure the quality and accuracy of these reports.
• Maintain excellent communication with upper management both within and across organizations to ensure smooth running of all projects undertaken by team.
• Ensures close alignment and cooperation with other APO’s in the group
• Project Portfolio & Solution Delivery Management
• Responsible for ensuring that individual projects within the portfolios are delivered to agreed cost, time and quality
• Coordinate the submission and management of Business Cases
• Provide input into the categorisation of projects for streamlined implementation
• Manage stakeholder engagement by way of a stakeholder map by providing project status, conformance to governance, methodology and points of discussion.
• Responsible for providing support to Project sponsors and Executives with project management governance within their portfolio
• Responsible for managing submissions to Process & Technology SteerCo from Business units by giving a holistic view of projects within their portfolio
• Responsible for maintaining the portfolio plan of projects, that all projects are effectively sequenced, and any inter-dependencies are identified and managed appropriately
• People Management
• Responsible for leading APO in a mature and organization-focused manner, providing help where necessary to project a professional image. Has expert experience in Project/Program Management and able to lead in the coaching and mentoring of team members and indirect reports to help them achieve individual expectations and deliverables.
• Determine and analyze development needs for the team and ensure that identified training requirements are budgeted for and executed
• Interview and recruit new members of the team, including determining appropriate compensation levels with input from Human Resources
• Defines and manages the financial standards and governance of projects within the Organization
• Review and update the department’s organization structure and role description on at least an annual basis to ensure that they are fit for purpose and contain all the accountabilities of each team member
• Provide project team with direction and guidance.
• APO Activities
• Act as Liaison and provide leadership for team and area of responsibility. Provide leadership, direction and coaching on project specific tasks as well as individual professional development. Ability to see, account for, and coach others in the “big picture” as well as the details and to be able to tie initiatives to Corporate Goals
• Allocates appropriate resources to ensure that projects, enhancements and support is/are completed within committed time, scope and budget.
• Ensure coverage of all areas of expertise necessary to support and grow the business within area of responsibility.
• Create and maintain staffing plan to support the current and future work demands and project deliverables.
• Responsible for career development, performance management and pay determination and communication for both direct reports, and the larger PM community on an advisory basis
• Creation and Support of Methodologies, Toolsets, Standards, Processes and Procedures necessary to produce the deliverables from the team and to work effectively with the other teams
• Establish and Nurture positive relationships with and customer organizations.
• Ability to adapt to and lead, change, and coach others in the acceptance and support of change
• Ability to coach the team to initiate and present the right questions to gain insight into the business issues and needed resolutions
• Provide ongoing reconciliation between long-term goals and short-term actions
  Take ownership and delivery responsibility for special projects and company initiatives.
• Presents information on projects, initiatives or other subjects to peers, teams and upper management.
• Assumes a leadership role in educating the business and technical community on Project and Program management processes and areas of expertise.
• Drive the Innovation capability in Stanbic Bank to ensure an embedded innovation capability across the area
• Lead the Innovation function across Stanbic Bank to encourage creation of new ideas and solutions.
• Drive the prioritisation of innovation ideas across the bank.
• Create Innovation campaigns to drive key business imperatives and challenges, e.g. Hackathons.
• Promote Women In IT events.
• Ensure good working relationships with Vendors and ensure that we are working in the most cost-effective way.
• Ensure that the innovation strategy promotes commercial pragmatism.
• Drive an Innovation Culture in Stanbic Bank to ensure adherence to the innovation strategy
• Facilitate Design thinking sessions.
• Ensure Design thinking Methodology is being encouraged across the bank.
• Develop new and imaginative ways of stimulating and encouraging innovation mind set within Stanbic Bank.
• Identify opportunities to enable a culture of service across the bank.
• Develop and share global insight and learning on key platforms on service and innovation.
• Design and model solutions for customer innovation and experience along with similar initiatives variants.
• Manage effective stakeholder engagements to ensure that all stake holders are kept informed of relevant changes
• Engage with stakeholders when required
• Ensure coordination of relationships between key stakeholders
• Attend regular meetings with stakeholders to address innovation issues.
• Build strong relationships with stakeholders, internally within the bank as well as within the broader Group.
• Engage innovation development groups to conduct insights as well as design outputs to their work.
• Drive Marketing and Outreach Programmes to increase awareness of Stanbic Bank IT Learning and Recruitment Programmes, particularly in disadvantaged communities
• Facilitate engagements with Organisations, Institutions, Universities, Schools, etc. on the IT Programmes.
• Visit and engage Youth from various communities to take advantage of learning opportunities provided.
• Develop and Maintain the Online Platforms for marketing the bank’s IT Learning Programmes.
• Contribute to the Recruitment process of candidates coming into IT Engineering.
• Support the briefing and delivery of specific primary marketing research insights required in development of programmes.
• Build an effective resource pipeline for Stanbic Bank to ensure multiple sources of Talent
• Support the purpose of building an effective resource pipeline.
• Prioritise building a pro-active pipeline.
• Engage HC Teams to ensure that there is alignment with all recruitment practices, pipelines and outcomes.
• Prioritise and oversee the resource pipeline in relation to innovation communication and change plans.
• Mentoring learners to provide practical guidance and thought leadership in exploring computer coding and programming concepts
• Coach and Mentor learners to ensure comprehensive support is provided for the success of the programme.
• Quarterly review progress of the learners through reports from suppliers on the performance of the learners and the conditions of learning.
• Actively look for opportunities to improve the learning programme, looking at aspects of duration, tools, learning environment and learner support, etc.
• Act as a mentor in support of skills development is a culture to be adhered to.
• Provide impactful feedback that help individuals, teams and the organisation to adapt to the new way of working.
• Enable others to learn, grow, and become better professionals.

Preferred Qualification And Experience

• Bachelor's degree in related field.
• 7-10 years of Technical Experience in Project Management, Technical Strategy and or Knowledge Management

Knowledge/Technical Skills/Expertise

• Project Management (PRINCE 2), Leadership, Design Thinking, Innovation, Digitisation, Agile Methodologies
• Masters degree in IT and Computer Sciences and/or People or Human Development is an added advantage