Officer, Business Process Improvement at Standard Bank Group

Job Purpose 

Provide project leadership and coordination for Process Improvement and Automation Projects. Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Operations through the application of Continuous Improvement and Lean methodologies. Ensure successful implementation of organizational change initiatives.

Key Deliverables

Strategy

• Constantly review key business processes to identify bottlenecks for process improvements and put in place remedial plans. Identify areas of concern, with a focus on risk and loss management, either proactively or reactively (based on actual loss event or audit finding).Lead remedial actions to address risk and loss (e.g., implement agreed actions identified by Internal Audit).Commission the mapping of new processes with relevant stakeholders
• Update business policies that relate to process improvement. Monitor processes to ensure that the loss or risk is sustainably mitigated. Once a new process is implemented, ensure the new process meets its objectives.
• Update business policies that relate to process improvement. Monitor processes to ensure that the loss or risk is sustainably mitigated. Following implementation of a new process, ensure it meets its objectives.
• Report on the performance of the quality management system and on prospects for development. Certify that the quality management system conforms to the requirements of the International Standards Maintain the integrity of the quality management system when changes to the quality management system are planned and executed

Assess existing business processes for their relevance and efficiency

• Work with business process owners to define the priority list of business processes that could be automated or simplified.
• Review the processes using productivity data, cost analysis and other means to determine what the improvement opportunities are. Determine if more research or analysis is required and what the most appropriate research would be. Further research could include activities such work study with people performing the process steps, desk-based research on alternative processes or reviews of incident logs and audit/assurance reviews.
• Make recommendations to process owners and other leaders in the business unit on which processes should be prioritized based on the research findings.
• Contribute to the development of business cases for process re-engineering that will require direct expense or formal projects to be launched by providing a view on the effort that will be required and the types of resources that will be needed.
• Develop the needs case for internal process changes or small enhancements and obtain approval from the business unit leadership and the process owner before commencing redesign work.

Drive the design of new and refined business processes

• Facilitate process design workshops with participants from across the process value chain. Document the to-be processes using process flow diagrams and supporting documents in the format as required by the bank (for example Aris or MS Visio maps).
• Engage with operational risk and compliance teams to review the new processes from a control and compliance perspective. Improve the control points if required.
• For processes that are completely new, work with business teams and project managers to conduct proof of concept exercises to test the viability of the processes. If required, make changes in the process steps.
• Identify processes changes that would benefit from running in live pilots before rolling out to the larger organization. Ensure that there is a mechanism in place to obtain critical feedback from pilot sites or divisions. Incorporate improvements into the processes before deploying.
• Where required, conduct process-based cost analysis on the different parts of the process including determining the commercial impact of the process changes in relation to previous processes. Ensure that any financial benefits that are realized in the new process are validated by Finance and accounted for in the project benefits.
• Lead the updating of requirements and process designs as new information comes to light.
• Assess the risks and potential impacts of new or updated processes on systems, related processes and control measures. Highlight the risks to the process owner together with recommendations for mitigating actions. Where technology changes are required due to process or control changes, participate in the development of the system specifications.
• For newly designed processes, ensure that the processes pass control assessments conducted by operational risk and audit teams. Close any gaps that they may identify and own the action items related to the process design.
• For selected processes, work with execution teams or back office teams to develop supporting service level agreements, uptime requirements and other key metrics.

Lead automation projects based on process improvements

• Assist all business functions in the organization in identifying areas of improvement by automation
• Coordinate automation initiatives
• Analyze and communicate the benefits derived from automation initiatives

Process governance and standardization

• Ensure that strict version control and document management is applied to process maps and supporting work instructions and RASCI charts.
• Act as a key point of contact during audit reviews of processes. Ensure that all the documentation auditors need to review processes are made available.
• Provide guidance to external contractors or consultants that are contracted to do process design work on the process standards, tools and methods used in the bank. On request, perform quality assurance on their process documentation.
• Track and monitor that all process changes are aligned to supporting items such as policy documents, detailed work instructions, job aids and reference guides

Risk, Regulatory, Prudential & Compliance

• Responsible for the implementation and adoption at a functional level  of all Compliance, Anti-Money Laundering and Sanctions related requirements contained in policies, procedures and processes.
• This includes the consideration and approval of customers including those that require being subjected to Enhanced Due Diligence for on-boarding and continued business

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications
Type of Qualification: First Degree
Field of Study: Commerce 

Other Minimum Qualifications, certifications or professional memberships

• Project Management Lean Six Sigma Certification (Black or green belt certification will be an added advantage) 

Experience Required
Intelligent Automation
Project Management & Business Process Management
3-4 years
Should have previous experience in a client facing organization and bank functions. Experience in continuous improvement is also preferred.

Analysis and Design
3-4 years

Substantial experience in process design in a services industry

Additional Information

Behavioral Competencies:

• Adopting Practical Approaches
• Challenging Ideas
• Checking Details
• Documenting Facts
• Examining Information
• Exploring Possibilities
• Generating Ideas
• Interacting with People
• Interpreting Data
• Seizing Opportunities
• Taking Action
• Team Working

Technical Competencies:

• Automation Acumen
• Automation Delivery
• Automation Literacy
• Continuous Improvement
• Continuous Process Improvement
• Creative Problem Solving