Head, Debt Financing

Empowering Africa’s tomorrow, together…one story at a time.

My Career Development Portal: Wherever you are in your career, we are here for you. Design your future. Discover leading-edge guidance, tools and support to unlock your potential. You are Absa. You are possibility.

Job Summary

The role is
• Accountable for providing leadership to the Business and CIB Debt businesses at a country level.
• Responsible for client acquisition, retention, share of wallet optimization, driving growth in market share, enterprise development and transformation.
• Accountable for facilitating tradeoffs between segment, sectors, and product to achieve the desired commercial shape in the country.
• The incumbent will be accountable for the performance of CIB Debt in-country.
• Manage the Debt product at Absa Bank Ghana LTD CIB
• Lead all the activities required to grow the franchise in an effective manner, including appropriate pricing (RORC/RORWA) and structuring, focus on cross sell, and becoming the leading bank in Ghana

Job Description

Key Responsibilities

Business management (60%)

• ‘Own’ the Debt Balance sheet and P&L targets – along with the relationship managers in each sector  
• Formulate overall strategy across sectors including products, customer proposition, lending approach.
• Assist RMs in originating and executing debt transactions across all teams.
• Work with specialist product areas to offer clients a comprehensive and competitive package to meet their requirements.
• Ensure arrangements with key internal product providers operate in an efficient manner.
• Implement Debt Pricing Policy and ensure appropriate product and relationship pricing.
• Lead New Product Assessment process for Debt products at a country level.
• Be fully aware and compliant with all governance issues affecting Debt Finance and address these issues accordingly.
• Attend team meetings on a regular basis to maintain dialogue / sharing of information to ensure up to date knowledge of market place, business development activity / initiatives, competitors and people issues etc.
• Maintain an up to date Debt pipeline (weekly)
• Understand dynamics of Debt portfolio and identify opportunities.
• Identify and implement best practices across sectors

Accountability: Strategy Development and Execution – 10%

• Develop a Country CIB Debt financing strategy
• Accountable for the execution of the bank’s in-country Debt financing strategy
• Collaborate with pan Africa Sector to ensure strategies are aligned across West Africa.

Accountability: Customer Experience – 10%

• Develop and implements strategies to enhance and broaden customer value proposition, service, delivery, and client engagement in line with the overall product strategies
• Accountable for driving and monitoring in-country debt standards and collaborate with Segment, Sector and Product Heads to develop corrective actions to proactively remediate issues to uphold a high level of customer experience.

Accountability: People and Culture – 10%

• Lead and drive the colleague agenda
• Build and sustain a culture that aligns to CIB’s aspirational colleague experience to deliver the target customer experience
• Accountable for cascading the CIB strategy to Debt teams.
• Accountable for strategic workforce planning, balancing short and long-terms strategic sourcing requirements to ensure that CIB Sector is appropriately resourced to meet demand, compliance, and customer experience requirements.
• Develop skills and knowledge, supporting Relationship Managers (RMs) in country in understanding Debt products more comprehensively.
• Grow capabilities in country.
• Build collaborative network with Corporate Credit Director, Head Credit, CCMs
• Ensure compliance with all relevant Absa policies.
• Establish and embed the values, behaviours and risk appetite that will underpin the achievement of business objectives.
• Provide opportunities for learning and development for the country teams.

Accountability: Maintain healthy Risk profile & Control – 10%

• Identify and take accountability for the assigned principal risks relevant to the area in terms of the Absa Bank Ghana Operational Risk Management Framework and ensure that adequate controls are in place within the role’s area of responsibility.
• Monitor all business risk activities (including business assurance and operational risk management) within the remit of this operating environment through obtaining feedback and providing guidance for tactical plans to ensure compliance to Group standards.
• Drive a culture of proactive compliance and risk management within the executive team and the function.
• Review the risk management and compliance practices of this function as a whole and highlight areas that require improvement to leaders in the team. Ensure that they understand their responsibility for risk ownership.
• Accountable for ensuring an optimal and compliant control environment within CIB in that appropriately balances risk appetites and customer demand with the need to grow to achieve the financial ambitions and balance sheet aspirations of CIB.
• Ensure that CIB sector colleagues possess the required capabilities (infrastructure, people, process and culture) to comply with relevant regulations & governance.
•  

  Education and experience required

• Advanced/Master’s degree in Finance/Business Administration s or a relevant qualification
• 5-10 years’ experience in Debt Financing which must include proven experience
• 5 years’ experience of senior management level in Debt
• 5 years’ Corporate and Investment Banking Experience
• Regional Exposure
• Professional Certification / relevant accreditation or equivalent (ACIB, CFA, CIMA, ACCA etc.

Knowledge and skills:  

• Strategic thinker
• Strong Leadership ability
• Effective communication skills
• Experience managing diverse teams
• Experience of operating in a changing environment
• Combination of risk awareness and commercial savvy
• Relevant senior business leadership experience
• Product expertise and client acquisition experience is essential.

Competencies:

• Adapting and responding to change
• Coping with pressures and setbacks
• Formulating strategies and concepts
• Deciding and initiating action
• Delivering results and meeting customer expectations
• Leading and supervising
• Working with people

Education

Bachelor`s Degrees and Advanced Diplomas: Business, Commerce and Management Studies (Required)