Senior Specialist: Product Risk Governance

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

Job summary

A leading banking institution in Johannesburg seeks a Product Risk Specialist to oversee product risk management and ensure compliance across business units. Responsibilities include providing leadership to the Product Risk Governance Team, advising on compliance obligations, and implementing product risk frameworks. Candidates should have a Bachelor's Degree in relevant fields and strong collaboration skills. The role offers a dynamic opportunity to contribute to the organization’s growth while ensuring robust product governance.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to lead teams and mentor staff effectively.
• Experience in risk management and compliance oversight.
• Strong collaboration skills across various business units.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and strategic direction to the Product Risk Governance Team.
• Advise business units on compliance and control obligations.
• Participate in committees to assist in direction and best practices.

Skills

Leadership

Collaboration

Risk Management

Compliance

Communication

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Business, Commerce or Management Studies

Job description

Overview

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 main responsibility of the Product Risk Specialist role is to advise, implement, and coordinate with Business Units (BUs) regarding the translation, alignment, reporting, and compliance aspects of the Product Risk Standard. Ensures effective product risk management and governance across businesses by embedding and maintaining the Product Risk processes. This includes ensuring robust oversight during product lifecycle events and facilitating comprehensive post-launch risk and product family reviews and the withdrawal of a product.

Proactively implements measures to identify, mitigate and manage product-related risks throughout the product lifecycle, ensuring compliance with internal policies, and business expectations. The role requires strong collaboration across all levels of the organisation including team leaders, senior management, and Exco members to drive consistent service delivery and compliance with internal policies, standards, and regulatory requirements. The Specialist works cross-functionally to embed risk-conscious practices into product development and governance frameworks.

The main responsibility of the Product Risk Specialist role is to advise, implement, and coordinate with Business Units (BUs) regarding the translation, alignment, reporting, and compliance aspects of the Product Risk Standard. Ensures effective product risk management and governance across businesses by embedding and maintaining the Product Risk processes. This includes ensuring robust oversight during product lifecycle events and facilitating comprehensive post-launch risk and product family reviews and the withdrawal of a product. Proactively implements measures to identify, mitigate and manage product-related risks throughout the product lifecycle, ensuring compliance with internal policies, and business expectations. The role requires strong collaboration across all levels of the organisation including team leaders, senior management, and Exco members to drive consistent service delivery and compliance with internal policies, standards, and regulatory requirements. The Specialist works cross-functionally to embed risk-conscious practices into product development and governance frameworks.

Job Description:

Leadership and Management:

• Provides leadership, mentorship, and strategic direction to the Product Risk Governance Team, fostering skills development, accountability, and resilience throughout all portfolios
• Set up necessary succession plans
• Provide coaching, mentorship, and guidance to team members and colleagues as needed
• Acts as a trusted advisor to business and establishes collaborative engagements with the team and business
• Proactively advise and guide business units / Exco on compliance and control obligations pertaining to the product risk process
• Participate in forums, committees, and structures within area of expertise to offer assistance and direction
• Engages proactively with Group, CIB, PPB and other cluster stakeholders to ensure alignment and best practice sharing

Collaboration:

• Partner with the Product Risk Standard Owner to co-design and refine the Product Risk Standard, ensuring requirements are practical and implementable across business units

Coordinative support:

• Provide structured support to product owners at all stages of the product lifecycle, including authorisation, post-launch risk reviews, product family reviews, and product withdrawals to ensure risk considerations are embedded throughout

Governance and oversight:

• Owns and drives the implementation and embedment of the Product Risk Management Tool across all business units
• Oversees the end-to-end governance of new, amended and withdrawn products, ensuring alignment to the Product Risk Standard. This includes ensuring oversight during product lifecycle events and facilitating comprehensive post-launch risk and product family reviews
• Ensure the Product Risk Governance Committee (PRGC) Terms of Reference includes provisions for secretarial duties, including accurate minute-taking and documentation of key decisions
• Preparation of the PRGC documentation and submits to the PRGC Secretariat for distribution
• Participates in PRGC meetings to provide guidance and ensure compliance with the Product Risk Standard
• Support the business units with the monitoring and tracking fulfilment of post-launch conditions and / or remediation actions within prescribed timelines
• Ensure business units maintain a complete, accurate, and up-to-date product register
• Ensure a product risk critical process assessment is in place, reviewed, updated and aligned to relevant standards
• Reviews, challenges, and validates risk assessments and submissions to ensure compliance with governance expectations

Reporting and escalation:

• Escalate actual and anticipated deviations from the Product Risk Standard to the Standard Owner, in line with the Management of Dispensations, Waivers and Breaches Standard
• Compile and submit monthly reports (where required) on reviews conducted to the Product Risk Standard Custodian
• Track and report on the progress of product risk control remediation, confirm closure, and escalate any delays or overdue actions
• Escalates significant risks or emerging issues
• Prepare and submit monthly reports to Business Units and relevant infrastructure teams, such as Compliance, offering insights into the product’s risk profile related to Conduct Risk

Training and Awareness:

• Conduct training and / or awareness sessions to educate business units on the Product Risk requirements, governance processes, and best practices

Stakeholder management:

• Collaborate with stakeholders across all functions including Central Compliance, Financial Crime, Legal, and other relevant stakeholders or clusters to ensure alignment and streamline risk-related processes

Relationships:

• Build and maintain long-term, trust-based relationships with business and support functions to foster open communication, ensure effective information flow, and promote proactive risk identification and compliance

Continuous Improvement:

• Identify opportunities to enhance the product risk processes, tools, and frameworks, and contribute to the evolution of risk practices across the organisation

Education:

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

Equal Employment Opportunity: 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