Lead Change Manager

Absa Group; Sandton; On-site; ZAR 800,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading bank in South Africa seeks a Lead Change Manager to drive digital transformation across the organization. This strategic role requires a professional with expertise in change management, stakeholder engagement, and cultural transformation. The successful candidate will be instrumental in shaping a digital-first mindset within the bank and will work closely with various teams to ensure smooth adoption of digital initiatives, contributing to an exciting growth journey.

Qualifications

• Minimum 8 years' experience in change management.
• Previous people management experience is compulsory.
• Expertise in business process improvement and organizational change management.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement enterprise-wide change management strategies.
• Identify and manage relationships with key stakeholders.
• Lead initiatives that embed agility and collaboration into the culture.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Stakeholder Management

Empathy

Change Management

Project Management

Communication excellence

Innovation mindset

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Business or Commerce

PROSCI certification

Tools

Miro

Microsoft Viva

SharePoint

O365

Workday

ServiceNow

Job description

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

With over 100 years of rich history and strongly positioned as a local bank with regional and international expertise, a career with our family offers the opportunity to be part of this exciting growth journey, to reset our future and shape our destiny as a proudly African group.

Job Summary

The Chief Digital Technology Office's (CDTO) core responsibility is to enable a coordinated digital transformation effort that balances BU autonomy with the Group’s digital ambition, such that digital transformation is done in a cohesive and mutually reinforcing way across BUs and Functions.

The Lead Change Manager plays a pivotal role in driving the human side of digital transformation across the enterprise. This strategic position is responsible for designing, coordinating, and executing integrated change management strategies that ensure the successful implementation, adoption, and sustainability of digital initiatives. The role requires a seasoned professional who is adept at navigating complex organizational structures and capable of championing a digital mindset and new ways of working. The ideal candidate will bring a proven track record of influencing organizational culture, building change capability, and leading teams through large-scale transformations, while aligning people initiatives with business goals and customer value.

Job Description

What you’ll get to do:

The role is within the Strategic Change team in CDTO, with you reporting directly into the Head of Digital Transformation Enablement Office and your responsibilities will include the following:

Change Strategy Development

• Design and implement comprehensive, enterprise-wide change management strategies tailored to support the digital transformation roadmap and specific initiatives.
• Perform detailed change impact assessments, stakeholder analyses, and readiness reviews to inform planning and execution.
• Align change strategies with business objectives, culture evolution, and transformation success metrics.

Stakeholder Engagement & Communication

• Identify and manage relationships with key stakeholders across all levels of the organization, including executive sponsors, functional leads, and front-line employees.
• Develop and execute structured engagement plans to foster ownership, address concerns, and build trust and transparency.
• Create and deploy engaging communication campaigns across multiple channels (e.g., townhalls, newsletters, intranet, videos) that clearly articulate the "why," "what," and "how" of the transformation.

Culture & Capability Building

• Lead initiatives that cultivate a digital-first mindset and embed agility, collaboration, and continuous learning into the organizational culture.
• Design and roll out training programs, upskilling pathways, and change agent networks to build internal change capabilities and foster resilience.
• Facilitate workshops, leadership sessions, and innovation labs that drive alignment and accelerate cultural change.

Change Enablement & Adoption

• Partner with program managers, product owners, HR, L&D, and IT to integrate change management into project lifecycles.
• Develop tools, resources, and playbooks to support consistent change delivery and adoption tracking.
• Continuously monitor adoption levels, engagement, and resistance through surveys, feedback loops, and performance metrics; adjust plans as needed.

Measurement & Continuous Improvement

• Define and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess change effectiveness, including behavior shifts, system usage, and employee sentiment.
• Establish feedback mechanisms to capture lessons learned and drive continuous improvement of change practices.
• Maintain a repository of change assets, frameworks, and success stories to inform future initiatives.

People Management:

• Proactively attract, recruit, develop, retain, reward & deploy a diverse resource base aligned to an ever-evolving environment
• Build a high-performance team environment through self-directed teams by driving performance management & measurement that is aligned with agile working practices
• Accountable for the right people in the right teams to deliver on our strategy

What do you need to get in?

• Commerce or business administration, compulsory
• PROSCI (Professional and Sciences) (or other recognized OCM) certification, compulsory
• Minimum 8 years’ Experience
• Previous People Management experience
• Coaching and Mentoring Experience, compulsory
• Experience working at change consultant level on projects in a multi-functional organisation, compulsory
• Experience in project managing change initiatives or other relevant business experience, compulsory
• Expertise in Benefits Management
• Expertise in Business process improvement
• Expertise in Knowledge of Banking and Financial Services Business
• Expertise in Organizational Change Management
• Expertise in Stakeholder Management
• Familiarity with digital productivity and collaboration tools such as Miro, Microsoft Viva, SharePoint, O365, Workday, and ServiceNow.

Key Competencies:

• Strategic thinking and systems orientation
• Empathy, emotional intelligence, and active listening
• Influencing and communication excellence
• Adaptability, grit, and resilience in ambiguity
• Project management and change delivery discipline
• Innovation and continuous learning mindset

If you’re passionate about working in a fast-paced environment and contributing to the exciting world of Digital Transformation by leading from the front, we would love to hear from you!

Education

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

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