Executive: Information Technology - AIC

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Job Summary

THE OPPORTUNITY:
This is a rare and compelling opportunity for a senior technology executive to take ownership of the entire IT function of a large, complex national insurer. The suitable leader will serve as a key member of the Executive Committee, working closely with the business Executive team to define and execute an enterprise-wide technology vision that enables competitive advantage, regulatory compliance, and transformational growth.
The Executive: Information Technology will have regular exposure to the Board of Directors and be expected to communicate technology strategy clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences at senior levels.
Essential Experience & Qualifications:
• Minimum 15 years' progressive experience in senior IT leadership, with at least 5 years at an Executive level.
• Demonstrable track record of delivering large-scale digital transformation programmes within a complex, regulated financial services or insurance environment.
• Deep expertise across IT infrastructure, enterprise architecture, cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP), and cybersecurity.
• Proven experience managing substantial IT budgets and leading large, geographically distributed IT teams.
• Strong understanding of insurance sector regulatory will be advantageous
• Experience presenting to and influencing at Board level, with the ability to translate complex technology topics into business language.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field; Master's degree preferred.
Leadership & Behavioural Competencies:
• Exceptional strategic thinking and ability to translate vision into actionable roadmaps.
• Outstanding stakeholder management and executive-level communication skills.
• Collaborative leadership style with the ability to influence without authority across the C-Suite.
• High commercial acumen with a strong understanding of technology ROI and business case development.
• Resilient, decisive and calm under pressure; able to navigate complex organisational change.
• Passionate advocate for technology-enabled customer outcomes and business value creation.

Job Description

1. Digital Transformation & Strategic Leadership

• Define, own and execute a multi-year digital transformation roadmap aligned to the Absa Financial Services strategic objectives and customer experience goals.
• Champion the adoption of emerging technologies — including AI, machine learning, cloud, and automation — to drive operational efficiency and competitive differentiation.
• Partner with the CEO and Executive Committee to embed technology as a core business enabler across all product lines and functions.
• Lead the evaluation and modernisation of legacy core insurance platforms (policy, claims, billing) to future-ready architectures.

2. IT Infrastructure & Operations

• Oversee the design, delivery, and performance of the entire IT infrastructure, including on-premise, hybrid and cloud environments.
• Ensure 99%+ system availability and service reliability across all customer-facing and key internal platforms.
• Drive cost efficiency and value for money in technology operations managing an IT budget effectively.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with key technology vendors, partners, and managed service providers.

3. Cybersecurity & Risk Management

• Own the enterprise cybersecurity strategy, ensuring robust protection of customer data, intellectual property, and critical business systems.
• Maintain and enhance compliance with our regulatory obligations, and proactively manage cyber risk.
• Lead the development and testing of business continuity, disaster recovery, and incident response frameworks.
• Foster a culture of security awareness across the organisation and lead regular risk reporting to various risk governance forums.

4. Data & Analytics

• Establish and evolve the data strategy, including data governance, data quality, and a modern analytics and reporting capability. Leveraging efforts in play across the ecosystem.
• Enable the business to leverage data as a strategic asset — from pricing and underwriting analytics to customer segmentation and claims intelligence.
• Oversee the development of enterprise data platforms, including data lake and data warehousing architecture.
• Work with the Chief Data Office and business executive team to drive AI and advanced analytics adoption across business units.

5. Leadership Development & Team Building

• Lead, inspire and develop a high-performing IT organisation of 100+ professionals, spanning engineering, operations, architecture and data.
• Build and sustain a culture of innovation, accountability, agility and continuous improvement within the IT function.
• Define and execute an IT talent strategy including hiring, succession planning, capability development, and retention.
• Act as a visible, accessible leader who develops future technology leadership talent and champions diversity within the team.

Product & Service Direction Setting, Solution Design & Performance Management
• Work with the CIO & business product owners to define the product & technical strategy (Full Stack – End to End)
• Act as the single point of partnership & assume responsibility for managing the senior business interface (product owner) relationship
• Assume one stop shop accountability for the delivery of the product & solutions (risk cannot be outsourced to vendors)
• Apply design thinking practices to deliver architecturally sound technical product & service solutions (and explain / guide / coach others on this architecture holistically and technically)
• Lead & facilitate the design of the product & or service solution blueprints aligned to the organization strategy (Short, Medium & Long Term)
• Collaborate across the tech value chain (CSO, CTO, etc.) to guide the business on the appropriate technical solution (cost to value) & the range of strategic technical choices to be made
• Lead the detailed scoping, prioritisation & integration planning for the design & deployment of products & services with & across multiple stakeholder groups (Front End, Back End & Integration) – (aligned to solution blueprints)
• Meaningfully contribute & ensure solutions align to the design & direction of the Group Architecture standards, principles, preferences & practices. Short term deployment must align to strategic long term delivery.
• Meaningfully contribute & ensure solutions align to the design and direction of the Group Infrastructure standards and practices e.g. OLA’s, IAAS, PAAS, SAAS, Containerisation etc.
• Strategically & operationally monitor the performance of products and services (all applications) – ensuring ongoing optimization & cost to value for our businesses (think bank wide)
DevOps (with deep knowledge & understanding of context within which we develop architecturally & infrastructurally)
• Leverage the required expert level (own) skill & knowledge in architecture & Infrastructure, design and manage all development & development practices & outputs across squads (apply knowledge on virtualization, containerization, automation, storage & serverless technologies (e.g. AWS, Azure, Google, & on prem-Cloud, etc.)
• Ensure the most optimal design & deployment of technical products and services in the organization (via pipeline – not manually)
• Design & Implement Automation Testing, Continuous Integration & Continuous Delivery Strategies & frameworks across squads for effective solution development & deployment (understand and apply expert knowledge in e.g. Kubernetes, Jenkins, TeamCity, Arifactory, MS Powershell, Collaborative Lifecycle Management (CLM) Tools, APM Tools (e.g. NewRelic & Splunk) etc.
• Ensure solution designs deliver on the key technical principles of: self-service, repeatability, testability, scalability & resilience
• Guide code development practices and processes through an understanding of complex concepts and developmental practices such as threading, parallel processing, asynchronous programming, domain driven design, lambdas etc. & coding language expertise (e.g. Java, C++, Groovy, Python, Bash, Perl, Ruby etc.)
• Guide & ensure the delivery of quality development (code) based on own experience in developing across a range of applications including but not limited to: server side, client side, web (SOAP, REST, JSON), socket based programming, batch & real time, building architectural patterns, security / security domains)
• Effectively manage the DevOps pipeline & associated releases for maximum customer impact & minimum business risk
• Manage the maintenance & optimization of applications, products & services as a ‘way of doing things / culture’ within the development teams. You are fully accountable for the longevity of applications aligned to Group Architectural practices.
• Coach & Mentor senior developers across squads on the technical competencies to effectively deliver on DevOps solutions (see Dev competency model in skills & competencies section). To do this, display proficiency in the Senior level competency requirements.
Delivery Management (where there is a specific product / service you manage)
• With fluency in the deployment of agile methodologies, resource & manage the appropriate number and nature (skill & capability) of squad based teams to execute on both Run & Change elements of delivery
• Work in collaboration with transformation & change teams for effective resourcing and delivery management of various programmes at all levels (SI, BU etc.)
• Ensure agile practices are implemented and sustained for effective delivery to business e.g. RETRO’s etc.
• Positively & proactively manage product owner relationships including building product owner technical capability to enable balanced & best fit decision making
• Proactively engage with & partner CTO, CSO, SE, Risk and broader enablement functions to drive alignment & leading practice in technology design & deployment
People
• Proactively attract, recruit, develop, retain, reward & deploy a diverse resource base aligned to an ever evolving tech environment (ahead of demand)
• Build a high performance team environment through self-directed teams by driving performance management & measurement that is aligned with agile working practices (including daily, weekly, etc. sprint routines, regular & honest feedback etc.)
• Accountable for the right people in the right teams to deliver on our tech strategy (always!)
• Leverage coaching techniques in all squad related activity to drive a higher quality design and deployment of technical products and services
Financial & Vendor Management, Risk & Governance
• Carry the ‘one stop shop’ accountability for all risk associated with technical decision making (from ideation to deployment)
• Manage & Apply the organization risk & governance frameworks
• Ensure decisions on infrastructure & product design are aligned to chapter & guild guidelines & are sustainable for the enterprise
• Proactively involve / engage chapter & guild leads in product design & infrastructure decision making, applying an enterprise wide lens to product & service development
• Manage all vendor selection processes & take full accountability for all related commercial impact
• Negotiate best fit contracts for the organization at an enterprise level and align decision making to our key business principles of scalability, resilience, captivity etc.
• Deliver on time & on budget (always)

Education

Bachelor's Degree: Information Technology

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