Senior Specialist Payments Operations

Absa Bank; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 200 000 - 300 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial institution is seeking an experienced leader to oversee payment operations across African Regional Operations. The role demands operational excellence and regulatory compliance across various jurisdictions. Candidates should have extensive experience in payments, strong leadership skills, and a deep understanding of compliance requirements. Ideal for those with a proven track record in managing payment operations and fostering stakeholder engagement. This position offers an opportunity to influence the future of payments in the region.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in payments and payment operations, or 15+ years in a senior role.
• 7–10 years of payment operations experience across Africa.
• Understanding of regulatory requirements impacting payments.

Responsibilities

• Lead the implementation of the Payments & Reporting Centre of Excellence.
• Facilitate compliance, risk, and performance indicator visibility.
• Represent ARO countries on payment processing matters.
• Ensure adherence to South Africa's regulatory requirements.
• Establish payment operations governance forums.
• Maintain a network for oversight across ARO entities.
• Collaborate with audit functions to ensure compliance.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder Engagement

Compliance Monitoring

Risk Management

Network Building

Education

Undergraduate degree

Advanced Diploma

Job description

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

With over 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

Absa Group is seeking an experienced and visionary leader to drive payment operations across our African Regional Operations. This is a high-impact role responsible for ensuring operational excellence, regulatory compliance, and strategic alignment across multiple jurisdictions.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Oversight & Governance: Lead the implementation of the Payments & Reporting Centre of Excellence (P&R COE) across ARO countries, ensuring alignment with domestic, regional, pan-African, and international standards.
• Performance & Compliance Monitoring: Facilitate visibility of compliance, risk, performance indicators, and strategic alignment with both bank and ecosystem requirements.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Represent ARO countries at the Centre on all matters related to payment processing—including change initiatives, compliance, strategic alignment, risk events, and audit findings.
• Regulatory Assurance: Provide assurance that South Africa's prudential requirements are upheld and that ARO payment operations do not contribute to any deterioration in compliance.
• Governance Leadership: Establish and lead payment operations governance forums to ensure transparency, accountability, and alignment with broader business conduct requirements.
• Network Building: Create and maintain a robust network to support Centre oversight and supervision across all ARO entities.
• Risk & Audit Collaboration: Work closely with 1st and 2nd line defence functions and internal audit to ensure payment operations are independently validated and compliant with all relevant norms and regulations.

Education & Experience Required

• Academic Qualifications: Undergraduate degree with 10+ years of experience in payments and payment operations, or Diploma with 15+ years in a senior role in payments and payment operations.
• Professional Experience: 7–10 years of payment operations experience across the African continent; 5+ years of experience in national, regional, and cross-border payment ecosystems; deep understanding of regulatory requirements impacting domestic and international payments; strong knowledge of risk and compliance governance; experience managing Head Office oversight of payment operations across multiple jurisdictions.

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 … 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.