Chief Information Officer

Nedbank; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 1 200 000 - 1 800 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial institution in Johannesburg seeks an experienced Chief Information Officer (CIO) to drive technology strategy and leadership. The ideal candidate will have over 15 years of progressive experience in technology leadership, specifically in the banking industry. Responsibilities include developing technology strategies that align with business objectives, overseeing technology infrastructure, and ensuring compliance and security across all systems. The role offers an opportunity to lead digital transformation initiatives and foster a culture of innovation within the organization.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Bonus structure

Professional development opportunities

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive experience in technology leadership roles, especially in banking.
• Proven record in delivering scalable, secure, and compliant technology solutions.
• Knowledge of banking regulations and cybersecurity best practices.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a technology strategy that drives growth.
• Partner with business leaders to identify technology opportunities.
• Oversee technology infrastructure to ensure scalability and compliance.

Skills

Strategic vision to align technology and data with cluster business goals

Effective communication to bridge technical and business stakeholders

Leadership ability to manage tribe tech leads

Technical know‑how to inspire and support engineering craft development

Education

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Technology, or related field

Master’s degree (e.g., MBA) or advanced certifications (e.g., ITIL, TOGAF, PMP)

Job description

The CIO is a technology leader tasked with enabling the business objectives of Business and Commercial Banking (BCB) through innovative use of technology and data. Operating within an “n-in-a-box” model, they collaborate closely with BCB counterparts (e.g., Chief Product Officer) while overseeing tribe tech leads and balancing both BCB‑specific and Enterprise‑wide technology responsibilities.

Job Responsibilities

Technology strategy and leadership

• Develop and implement a technology strategy that aligns with the BCB’s business objectives, leveraging technology and data to drive growth.
• Partner with the Chief Product Officer and other cluster leaders in BCB to identify and prioritize technology‑enabled opportunities.
• Oversee the adoption of an “n‑in‑a‑box” operating model, ensuring seamless integration of technology solutions within BCB.
• Monitor and manage BCB’s KPIs, such as business value generation, lead time, release frequency, change failure rates, system performance, data utilisation, and customer satisfaction, to measure success.

Tribe Management & Tech/Engineering excellence

• Provide direct leadership to tech leads within BCB’s tribes, fostering innovation, accountability, and technical excellence.
• Guide tribe teams and engineers in delivering technology and data solutions that support BCB’s priorities, such as product development or operational efficiency.
• Facilitate collaboration between tribe tech leads and cluster business / product leaders to ensure alignment on goals and deliverables.
• Build a high‑performing technology and engineering culture within BCB, focusing on engineering skill development and agile practices.
• Oversee integration and optimisation of data analytics tools and technologies, focusing on enhancing processing, storage, and analytics capabilities.
• Ensure continuous availability of data solutions, tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) such as data quality scores and uptime.
• Embed data governance policies to ensure data quality, integrity and compliance with regulations.
• Maintain data security protocols across all data practices, working to minimise breaches and uphold compliance with privacy laws.
• Regularly review data governance frameworks with BCB’s Data and Analytics Executive to ensure adherence to group standards, with a focus on audit readiness and risk management.

BCB‑Specific Technology Enablement

• Drive the deployment of BCB‑specific systems, applications, and data platforms (e.g., customer analytics tools, product‑specific apps) across the full SDLC (design, build, deploy, operate).
• Ensure the BCB’s technology infrastructure supports business needs, including scalability, security, and regulatory compliance, working in partnership with other teams within Group Technology.
• Champion the use of data‑driven insights to enhance BCB decision‑making and customer experiences.
• Lead digital transformation initiatives unique to BCB, such as adopting AI or automation for BCB’s processes.

Group Technology Project Delivery

• Take ownership of non‑BCB / Enterprise responsibilities by contributing to bank‑wide technology projects that span multiple clusters.
• Collaborate with other CIOs and group‑level leaders to deliver enterprise initiatives, such as core system and platform upgrades or cybersecurity enhancements and vulnerability management.
• Ensure BCB’s interests are represented in Enterprise technology strategies while balancing resources between cluster and bank‑wide priorities.
• Manage dependencies and timelines for Enterprise projects, ensuring minimal disruption to BCB’s operations.

Risk, Compliance & Innovation

• Implement robust cybersecurity and data protection measures to safeguard BCB operations and comply with relevant regulations.
• Proactively identify and mitigate technology risks, such as system failures or data breaches, within BCB.
• Stay ahead of industry trends, integrating emerging technologies (e.g., cloud, blockchain) into both BCB and Enterprise initiatives.
• Ensure all technology and data practices adhere to internal governance standards and external regulatory requirements.

IT Service Management

• Run the bank with clear objectives being availability, reliability, resilience (DR | BCP | Continuous Processing), security, compliance and efficiency.
• Prioritise asset health with clear asset roadmaps to ensure applications remain relevant.

Data Analytics and Insights

• Support BCB’s analytics team to design impactful analytics projects, focusing on actionable insights that drive business performance.
• Align BCB’s data and analytics priorities within the overall technology priorities of BCB.
• Guide the data strategy regarding infrastructure and architecture that supports the execution of the data and analytics use cases for BCB.
• Provide thought leadership on modern technologies such as AI and Gen‑AI, collaborating with the Group Analytics team for alignment.
• In collaboration with BCB Chief Product Officer, develop self‑serve analytics capabilities to empower more users within BCB with data‑driven decision‑making tools.
• Support innovation by implementing new analytical approaches, staying updated with industry trends and advancements.

Knowledge

• Relevant regulatory knowledge.
• Knowledge of banking regulations and cybersecurity best practices.
• Deep understanding of banking systems, data analytics, and emerging technologies (e.g., AI, cloud).
• Proficiency in data‑driven decision‑making and analytics platforms.
• Understanding of modernised engineering practices, agile methodologies, data, (cyber & information) security, AI / GenAI / ML.
• Expertise in advanced data analytics, data strategy development, and data governance to drive business insights and ensure regulatory compliance.

Essential Qualifications – NQF Level

• Professional Qualifications / Honour’s Degree.

Preferred Qualification

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Technology, Data Science, Business Administration, or a related field.
Master’s degree (e.g., MBA) or advanced certifications (e.g., ITIL, TOGAF, PMP, or data‑related credentials like CDMP) strongly preferred.

Essential Certifications

• Formal certification from relevant professional bodies.

Skills

• Strategic vision to align technology and data with cluster business goals.
• Effective communication to bridge technical and business stakeholders.
• Adaptability to manage cluster, non‑cluster and Enterprise responsibilities.
• Planning and Organising.
• Builds & maintains relationships.
• Business acumen.
• Holistic, integrative, end‑to‑end thinking and problem solving.
• Technical know‑how to inspire and support engineering craft development.
• Leadership ability to manage tribe tech leads and foster collaboration with cluster counterparts (e.g., Chief Product Officer).
• Financial acumen for budgeting and ROI analysis of tech investments.

Minimum Experience Level

• +15 years of progressive experience in technology leadership roles, with at least 5 years in a senior IT position within the banking or financial services industry with expertise in delivering scalable, secure, and compliant technology solutions.

Technical / Professional Knowledge

• Budgeting
• Business administration and management
• Business principles
• Business terms and definitions
• Capacity planning
• Change management
• Communication Strategies
• Diversity management
• Employee training / development
• Financial Accounting Principles
• Governance, Risk and Controls
• Organisational behaviour theory
• Principles of project management
• Relevant regulatory knowledge
• Stakeholder management
• Strategic planning
• Talent management
• Business writing skills
• Management information and reporting principles, tools and mechanisms
• System Development Life cycle (SDLC)
• Service orientated Architecture (SOA)
• IT Risk and security principles
• ITIL
• IT Architecture
• IT Concepts
• Client Service Management

Behavioural Competencies

• Energizing the Organization
• Establishing Strategic Direction
• Operational Decision Making
• Business Savvy
• Cultivating Networks and Partnerships
• Financial Acumen
• Strategic Influence
• Leading Change

Please contact the Nedbank Recruiting Team at [phone]

C1IO