Senior Manager: Credit Risk Strategy (Home Loans)

1001 Absa Bank; South Africa; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Absa Bank Limited is seeking a Senior Home Loans risk and collections specialist to lead strategy development and implementation for Home Loans payments and collections in South Africa. The role emphasizes data-driven techniques, predictive modelling, and aligning strategies with risk appetite to improve impairment outcomes while collaborating with risk, IT and business units.

You will own end-to-end strategy testing, monitoring and optimization, supported by management information and incentive

Qualifications

• Honours Degree in Mathematics and/or Statistics (NQF8) preferred.
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Responsibilities

• Implement leading-edge payment and collection strategies in Home Loans.
• Coordinate with BUs, Risk, IT, Enablement and HR to deliver collections programs.
• Review and optimize forbearance strategies to maximize recoveries and rehabilitate customers.
• Lead strategy design for payments across types (DebiCheck, RMS, etc.) and ensure MI is in place.
• Ensure portfolio reviews are completed and recommendations are provided to business leaders.

Skills

Retail bank clients

Sanctioning

Financial analysis

Stakeholder management

Predictive models

SAS

Education

Bachelor Honours BMI/Business Management and Informatics

Bachelor Honours Statistics

Job description

Job Summary

To manage Home Loans collections risk strategies within SA, focusing on developing, implementing and monitoring payments and collections and strategies. An outcome of the role is to ensure strategies are developed, implemented and maintained payments collections and recoveries strategies to achieve stated impairment rates within risk appetite. Collaborate with other stakeholders and teams to develop leading‑edge predictive techniques and modelling is applied to ensure competitive and sustained advantage.

Job Description

Accountability: Strategy, Planning and Risk Management Manage the implementation of leading‑edge payment and collection strategies in Home Loans. Manage and development collections and high‑risk account management strategies (preventing a customer rolling into collections) using leading‑edge techniques / scoring to maximize collections, including the ownership of implementation of the strategies (Example TRIAD, Collections Scorecards). Review and optimize Forbearance strategies for Home Loans to ensure recoveries are maximized whilst rehabilitating the customer. Participate in the strategy setting and design of the Collections Operations and External Debt Collectors incentive programmes to ensure their effectiveness in motivating collectors and ensuring performance is improved to attain budgeted targets. Participate in strategy setting and design for the payments solution across the different payment types, including DebiCheck, RMS and other, to ensure improved instalment collection performance. Maintain documentation of end‑to‑end credit collections strategy. Develop strategy and policy tests to challenge and enhance current strategies. Understand the interaction between the macro environment and credit performance and adjust credit collections strategies to accommodate stressed events – based on macro expectations. Ensure Management Information (MI) in place or is developed to monitor strategy performance and effective implementation/adherence by quality checking MI teams reports and reviewing the information the relevant product committees. Ensure that the required portfolio reviews are completed, review the results and make recommendations to the business leaders on how their business activities should be tweaked to improve portfolio performance. Ensure systems used for implementing collections strategies are fit for purpose and identify and specify enhancements by confirming strategies are working as required and as per implementation plans.

Accountability: Stakeholder and Relationship Management Coordinate and communicate collections activities with the respective BUs, Risk, technology and Operations teams. Drive close collaboration with the Operations and Technology teams and instill a co‑operative and conducive working relationship. Secure support from Collections and Recoveries Operations, Risk Teams, MI, Business teams, Finance and HR to deliver collections programs. Participate in the BU / Manco meetings to ensure adequate communication and understanding of senior managers in the BU around the analytics‑based methodology used by Risk and decision‑making, and the benefits thereof. Support the BUs to deliver impairment targets and Loan Loss Rates aligned with the forecasting by providing proactive analysis and guidance on how to manage credit risk within acceptable levels. Liaise with various internal stakeholders (e.g. Risk Management, Collections Operations, Risk Head, IT and Enablement, Group Risk) to secure their respective support in the implementation of changes to the strategies and support implementation. Review and report strategy performance and trends to the Head: Home Loans collections and recoveries strategy, Operations Manco, Home Loan Exco and other relevant committees as required.

Accountability: People and Culture Builds and sustains a culture that aligns to RBB’s aspirational colleague experience to deliver the target customer experience and financial performance. Ensure delivery of business goals by aligning Performance Development (PD) Plans of direct reports to the business goals. Instil a performance development culture through directing the PD process and adhering to the PD calendar. Ensure delivery of business goals by managing and developing colleagues on a project‑by‑project basis to deliver on the desired business goals. Pro‑actively identify development areas of indirect reports within the HL collections strategy team and assist with development plans to address them. Assist with the interview process for HL Risk function to attract and retain talent, with the assistance from the HR Business Partner. Identify team capabilities and develop a succession plan, with the assistance from the HR Business Partner. Initiate disciplinary action process as and when required, with the assistance of the Employee Relations Consultant. Effectively lead team members and ensure their efforts are recognized. Ensure execution of plans seeking to address employee related issues – e.g. Employee Survey (EOS) action plans.

Accountability: Control Accountable for ensuring an optimal and complaint control environment within the product that appropriately balances collections activities and customer experience with the need to grow to achieve the financial ambitions and balance sheet aspirations of RBB.to address employee related issues – e.g. Employee Survey (EOS) action plans.

Education and experience required

Honours Degree in Mathematics and / or Statistics or equivalent NQF level 8 qualification. (Preferred) 3 years of relative banking experience of which 2 years should be in a senior role (preferably Retail Banking). Highly numerate and literate. Well‑rounded credit professional with sufficient management experience.

Knowledge and skills:

• Knowledge of / in dealing with Retail Bank clients (Expert).
• Proven record of accomplishment in credit management & Sanctioning (Expert).
• Financial analysis and interpretation skills (Advanced).
• Stakeholder Management Skills (Advanced).
• Decision Management using predictive models (Expert).
• SAS Skills (Expert).

Competencies:

• Problem Solving Leadership The ability to analyze and quickly grasp the implications of a situation, relating data from different sources, critically evaluating and integrating information / facts, and diagnosing a problem.
• Results Orientation The ability to set ambitious goals, maintain a bias for action, drive delivery and take accountability for the outcome.
• Customer Focus Extensive understanding of best practices for a customer focused culture and the management of customer experiences.
• Business Acumen The ability to understand financial and economic concepts / drivers; to identify, create and / or exploit opportunities.
• Innovation Leadership Demonstrates ingenuity and curiosity to do things better and fosters an environment of disruptive thinking and action.
• Collaboration and Influencing Ability to build an extensive and collaborative network amongst different stakeholders within and externally of the organization (at the most senior levels) that supports the achievements of the business goals.
• Strategic Capability The ability to continuously evaluate and redirect business strategy and value proposition thereby promoting the competitive viability of the organization.
• Inspirational People Leadership The ability to build, inspire, and develop teams towards high performance.

Education

• Bachelor Honours Degree: BMI - Business Management and Informatics
• Bachelor Honours Degree: Statistics

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.

At Absa, our story is not a single narrative. It’s thousands of individual journeys unfolding across Africa and beyond. From colleagues serving customers in local communities to teams shaping financial solutions across borders, Absa is built on people who bring their lived experiences, ambitions and perspectives into the workplace every day. Whether you’re starting your career, a seasoned leader or somewhere in between, your contribution is seen, valued and connected to something bigger. Our presence across Africa – which spans personal and business banking, corporate and investment banking, wealth and investment management, and insurance – exists because of the people who show up in their roles with purpose. Across Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, our colleagues are shaping what Absa becomes in each market. Beyond the continent, teams in global offices and a technology hub support and extend the stories that prove that African talent can lead, influence and innovate on the global stage. At Absa, your story matters because progress is driven by human experience, not hierarchy. When people are enabled to bring their whole selves to work, they don’t just build careers. They help shape the future of Africa’s financial services landscape.