Manager, Business Transformation and Program Management at Standard Bank Group

Job Purpose
Plays a strategic role in the implementation of the Bank’s Strategic initiatives which may be of a transform or disrupt nature.

As part of the integrated Business Transformation Office, the Manager, Business Transformation and Program Management will partner with the Head, Business Transformation Office in the implementation of the Transformation Agenda of the Bank with a view to promote scale and revenue growth, helping drive the Bank forward in the implementation of the Bank’s strategy.  

To achieve this, the manager will play an activist role and act as:

a) an agent of transparency by ensuring that program governance structures and processes are adhered to and provide transparency on the areas that matter for the program’s success.  The manager will challenge and verify program priorities, business cases and targets of program teams.

b) a forward-looking interventionist by proactively monitoring and challenging teams for potential issues and intervening where required without hesitation.  In this regard, track leading indicators to identify hotspots which inform early interventions.

c) a facilitator who takes a holistic view and can bridge across business units and help enforce collaboration and ensure that programs remain business-led and IT-enabled where applicable.  In this regard, maintain open communication with business about progress.

d) an active Shareholder ensuring successful program delivery and actively involved in some components of program/project delivery – program risk management and communications (actively manage communications and change management and own the narrative of “case for change”) and proactively responds to project/program data.

Key Responsibilities/Accountabilities

• Program Management
  • Champion and provide an enterprise/program-wide view of progress of all initiatives – Roadmap achievement.
  • Ensures overall program/project design, targets and governance are adhered to.
  • Ensure project quality and compliance through effective integration into the Agile Project Office (APO) and the adherence to established standards and methodology.
  • Provide line of sight, exception-based transparency to senior executives on program/project progress escalate critical issues as required.
  • Provide high-touch supervisory role on exception basis for at-risk, high-value initiatives.
  • Performs an administrative function of facilitation and reporting across the program; creating visibility through exception-based reporting.
  • Actively monitors cross-team and initiative interdependencies.
  • Manages and monitors program/project issues and risks to delivery and elevates for resolution.
• Stakeholder Engagement
  • Promote a close working relationship with initiative/project owners that helps ensure leadership engagement.
  • Undertake proactive and effective regular stakeholder engagements to ensure synergies, cohesion and a tightly aligned senior team with clearly defined accountability structure.
  • Hardwired outcomes lock down commitments by way of measurable benefits and key performance indicators of initiatives/projects.
  • Desired behaviors continually reinforced by way of high touch interface with BUs/functions to ensure transparency and value capture.
• Monitoring, Control and Reporting
  • Supporting operation of minimalist program tracking and reporting methodology for milestones and impacts, within assigned portfolio:
  • Track activities, milestones and progress of critical initiatives with focus on leading
  • indicators to quickly detect off-course initiatives to inform early interventions.
  • Frequently compare roadmap progress against initial planning.
  • Manage interdependencies and risks with mitigation plans.
  • Gather and monitor feedback on the delivery.
  • Foster transparency on actions, issues and next steps for each initiative to foster trust and collaboration.
  • Undertake ongoing assessment of whether needed resources, capabilities and support are in place to achieve results.
• Design appropriate program reporting metrics and dashboards and complete reports addressing but not limited to providing an enterprise/program-wide view of progress on agreed to initiatives (roadmap achievement), achievement of targets, program risks, program costs and benefit realization. Focus on value-based outcomes both quantitatively and qualitatively. These to be provided to senior management and relevant forums on a regular basis/set frequency.
• Communication and Change Management
• Lead the delivery of project change management requirements in allocated portfolio. In this regard;
• Develop detailed change management plans with input from all key project stakeholders, including stakeholder engagement plans, training and development plans, communication plans, risk mitigation and resistance management plans.
• Engage with Communications business partners to define communications plan including determining the types of communications channels (for example broadcasts, email newsletters, printed brochures) and the timing and governance that would be required for each communication action.
• Review change management communication materials to promote stakeholder awareness of strategic change initiatives and their full impact on the business.
• Drive change and release management process in allocated portfolio, with post-implementation reviews completed and lessons learnt reports developed.
• Work with the marketing team to understand the branding and tag lines for key programmes and projects. Collaboratively determine the most appropriate communications actions for the type of change, including, but not limited to: hand-outs, stickers and posters or branded gifts, roadshow presentations, email communications or other creative means of effectively landing the messages.
• Review change effectiveness once changes are implemented.
• Handover change initiatives to businesses, with documented records and assigned long-term owners.
• Deliver effective change management services, including the promotion of business vision, and maintaining the benefit framework linking project delivery to achievement of business benefits,
• Deliver customer facing and internal change management activities to ensure ongoing stakeholder and user engagement.
• Ensure any programme change risks or issues are highlighted in good time to senior management and appropriate boards.
• Market Trends and Analysis
• Acknowledging that the industry is ever-changing and in order to stay ahead of the curve constantly monitor disruptive trends and where appropriate recommend proactive or reactive interventions to counter/exploit these trends.
• To move with the times and keep abreast with market trends, assess and make comparisons of industry data, designed to recognise any consistent trends or results that could be used to map the Bank’s strategy. In this regard, carry out industry trend analysis to inform the Bank’s innovation agenda and decision making including but not limited to:
• Keeping track of industry developments and behaviour by absorbing industry research and trend reports to ensure an up-to-date real picture of the operating landscape is maintained and direction it is heading in is determined.
• Propose and/or analyse customer survey reports to learn more about their pressure points and determine what more your business can do to help them, recommending to senior management as appropriate.
• Competitor observation to provide a picture of their market positioning and whether they are reacting to what could be seen as an emerging trend and understand how you compare to your competitors.
• Compliance
• Ensure adherence to all compliance, Anti money laundering and sanctions related requirements contained in the Bank’s policies, procedures and processes.

Preferred Qualification and Experience

• First Degree in Commerce/Business Management or equivalent
• 7-10 years of working experience, 5 years of which must be experience in managing strategic change and projects
• Masters Degree in Business/ Commerce will be added advantage
• Other Qualifications, certifications or professional memberships (Advantage)
• Professional change management qualification e.g. Prosci
• Professional project management qualification e.g. PMP and membership to a relevant body e.g. PMP