Senior Manager – Stakeholder Relations

Jobtailor; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Absa invites a senior stakeholder relations leader to translate corporate strategy into priorities, deliver measurable outcomes, and support governance and industry engagement.

You will build and maintain relationships with internal and external groups, monitor developments, and coordinate reputation initiatives while providing executive updates on progress and escalation matters.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or advanced diploma in a related discipline (NQF 7).
• Excellent communication and networking skills across levels.
• Strong financial and budget planning, analysis and management acumen.
• Strategic thinking, planning and critical analysis experience.

Responsibilities

• Translate the Group Corporate and Stakeholder Relations strategy into functional priorities and measurable outcomes.
• Provide senior-level business management support for stakeholder relations and public-institution priorities.
• Monitor socio-economic developments to identify risks, opportunities and positioning platforms.
• Coordinate reputation-enhancing initiatives and issues-management responses.
• Build and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholder groups.

Skills

Stakeholder Management

Strategic Planning

Governance

Communication Skills

Relationship Building

Project Management

Budget Analysis

Process Improvement

Interpersonal Skills

Teamwork

Problem-Solving

Adaptability

Leadership

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Studies

Advanced Diploma in Public Relations

Tools

Budgeting Tools

Governance Frameworks

Job description

• Translate the Group Corporate and Stakeholder Relations strategy into functional priorities, delivery plans and measurable outcomes
• Provide senior-level business management support for stakeholder relations, industry engagement and public-institution priorities
• Monitor socio-economic, industry and stakeholder developments to identify risks, opportunities and positioning platforms
• Coordinate reputation-enhancing initiatives, thought-leadership platforms and issues-management responses
• Strengthen Absa’s voice and influence in business, professional and industry forums
• Build and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholder groups
• Advise internal stakeholders on engagement approaches, reputational considerations and escalation pathways
• Represent the function in planning, governance and delivery forums
• Manage stakeholder concerns, requests and deliverables through to closure
• Provide executive management with updates on stakeholder developments, delivery progress, risks and escalation matters
• Own annual, monthly and ad hoc planning cycles
• Lead multiple initiatives concurrently and deliver within agreed timelines and quality standards
• Design, implement and improve processes supporting GMCA initiatives and cross-functional collaboration
• Coordinate resource planning, capability requirements and operational support
• Oversee governance, risk and control activities, including audit, risk and control items
• Ensure alignment with Absa strategy, business plans, policies and governance requirements
• Track and close corrective actions within the Governance process
• Promote compliance awareness and maintain effective governance and decision-support frameworks

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or advanced diploma in Communication Studies, Language, Public Relations, Stakeholder Management or a related discipline (NQF 7)
• Excellent communication and networking skills, with the ability to engage stakeholders at all levels
• Strong financial and budget planning, analysis and management acumen
• Creative, resourceful and strategic problem-solving ability
• Ability to motivate others to achieve desired objectives
• Strong interpersonal and teamwork skills, with a constructive and solutions-focused outlook
• Demonstrated experience in strategic thinking, planning and critical analysis
• Flexible, adaptable and resilient, with strong coordination, facilitation, organisational, administrative, logistics and protocol management skills
• Results-focused and deadline-driven, with the ability to deliver high-quality outcomes and exceed objectives under pressure
• Experience in assessing the success of programmes, projects and events to ensure services are delivered fairly, effectively and sustainably
• Strong leadership and capability-building skillsFive to eight years’ experience in a similar management-level environment
• Ability to work in a deadline-driven, time-sensitive environment
• Willingness to manage internal and external relationships
• May be required to work outside regular business hours

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in Stakeholder Management, Strategic Planning, and Governance, with a strong focus on Communication and Relationship Building. Proven ability to lead initiatives, manage risks, and deliver high-quality outcomes in a fast-paced environment.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Stakeholder Management
• Strategic Planning
• Governance and Risk Management
• Financial and Budget Planning
• Communication Skills

ATS Optimization Keywords

Hard Skills

• Stakeholder Engagement
• Strategic Thinking
• Budget Analysis
• Process Improvement
• Project Management

Soft Skills

• Interpersonal Skills
• Teamwork
• Problem-Solving
• Adaptability
• Leadership

Certifications & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Studies
• Advanced Diploma in Public Relations

Industry Keywords

• Corporate Relations
• Reputation Management
• Governance Frameworks
• Compliance Awareness
• Industry Engagement