Technical Operations Lead

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

Job summary

Absa Bank Limited in South Africa seeks a senior Technical Operations Lead to drive technology operations transformation for the CIO: Digital & AI. You will lead cross‑functional teams, define the operating model, and deliver measurable improvements in cycle time, throughput and automation adoption.

The role requires a relevant degree and Power BI certification, plus Lean/Six Sigma or process mining experience to build governance and value.

Qualifications

• A relevant degree is required.
• Power BI certification is mandatory.
• Experience in Lean, Six Sigma, process mining, workflow or RPA exposure.

Responsibilities

• Leads transformation of internal technology operations across the organisation.
• Improves cycle time, throughput, and reduces ageing and frictions.
• Automates repeatable work using RPA and workflow technologies; defines governance.
• Creates an improvement roadmap and investment cases with measurable benefits.

Skills

Leadership

Process improvement

RPA

Workflow automation

Process mining

Lean

Six Sigma

Education

Bachelor's Degree: Information Technology

Tools

Power BI

RPA

Process Mining

Workflow Automation

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 Technical Operations Lead is a senior role driving technology operations transformation for the Chief Information Officer: Digital AI. The role combines process improvement, performance insight and intelligent automation to improve delivery and control.

• It establishes the target operating model, improvement roadmap, governance routines and operational metrics for cycle time, throughput, ageing, rework and work in progress.
• It leads multidisciplinary teams and owns portfolios, finances, suppliers and talent while partnering with Risk, Compliance, Cyber Security, Architecture and Finance.
• First-year priorities include baseline assessment, quick wins, automation governance and sustainable capability; a relevant degree and mandatory Power BI certification are required.

Job Description

VP leadership role reporting to the Chief Information Officer: Digital & AI. Leads transformation of internal technology operations through end-to-end flow visibility and measurable improvement. Improves cycle time, throughput and work ageing while reducing failure demand and operational friction. Progressively automates repeatable work using RPA, workflow and task-automation technologies. Defines the internal operations strategy and target operating model for process management and intelligent automation. Prioritises processes that constrain delivery throughput, colleague productivity, service quality or control effectiveness. Creates a sequenced improvement roadmap, investment cases and quarterly outcomes. Establishes common definitions and instrumentation for lead time, cycle time, throughput, WIP, queue time, ageing and rework. Creates executive and operational views that expose bottlenecks, trends, service-level risks and improvement opportunities. Leads value-stream and process diagnostics to remove delays, unnecessary approvals, duplication and hand-offs. Turns operational insight into owned corrective actions and measurable benefits through governance routines. Builds and governs an automation opportunity funnel based on value, feasibility, risk, stability and total cost of ownership. Requires processes to be simplified, standardised and controlled before automation is implemented. Oversees automation adoption, controls, exception handling, monitoring and ongoing support. Tracks benefits after implementation and retires automations that no longer provide sufficient value or assurance. Leads multidisciplinary teams across operational excellence, process analysis, automation delivery and performance insight. Owns portfolio, finances, suppliers and talent while partnering with Risk, Compliance, Cyber Security, Architecture and Finance. Measures success through cycle-time reduction, improved throughput, fewer manual touchpoints, realised capacity, control effectiveness and adoption. Requires senior experience in operations, process transformation or intelligent automation, with Lean, Six Sigma, process mining, workflow or RPA exposure. A relevant degree is required and Power BI certification is mandatory; first-year priorities focus on baseline, roadmap, governance, quick wins and sustainable capability.

Education

Bachelor's Degree: Information Technology

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.