Senior Manager Product Governance at Standard Bank Group

JOB PURPOSE

This role supports both the Bank’s New and Amended Client Solutions Committee to execute their mandate.
Ensures that all the necessary governance and risk assessments associated with the introduction of New Solutions, are identified and addressed prior to product execution for BCC, CHNW and CIB (for Pan Bank solutions).
Risk manage products by challenging Business regarding alignment to overall business strategy and whether the offering is within the defined risk appetite and control environment of the Bank. Identify preliminary issues and gaps ensuring accuracy and completeness of product information.
Drive collaboration between business and stakeholders to ensure they work together to identify key risks and appropriate controls around the booking, processing, reporting and settlements of products to ensure it is conducted in a controlled method within the capabilities of the Bank’s infrastructure and that the reputation of Standard Bank will not be harmed.
Manage the New and Structured Product reporting process utilising cross product expertise ensuring key information is highlighted.
Challenge business thought process at institution and periodically to ensure products are fit for purpose and competitive in the market. Also continuously ensures that the solutions are meeting strategic objectives of the Bank and those specified at the onset

KEY RESPONSIBILITES

Upholding governance with effective decision making and policy application

1. Co-ordinates in driving and implementing the NACS policy across all product lines and business units, ensuring consistent application of standards.
2. Ensures the policy remains up to date, taking into account changes in the Bank and its environment.
3. Embed the policy and NACS processes across business units and effectively interpret the policy, providing guidance on its application to stakeholders. Maintain and further develop a thorough knowledge of the front to back operating models in the bank as well as the control environment to support effective decision making and risk management in the new products process
4. Continuously explains new products to committee members.
5. Co-ordinates the management of the NACS committee meetings for all business units. These are formal committee structures, chaired by the NACS Chair (Head, Client Solutions, or their alternate) and is attended by senior/executive representatives of the Bank. There are often detailed discussions and that can be very technical therefore organisational knowledge is required as well as background to the product offerings for each BU’s.
6. Prepare minutes of the above mentioned Committee meetings as required under the NACS policy.
7. Perform detailed reviews of stakeholder minutes, that may include minutes performed by other team members

Management of new Solutions;

1. Exhibits cross product expertise to perform comprehensive analysis of the impact of new products on the current operating environment to ensure risk and solutioning adequacy is appropriately addressed.
2. Upfront intelligent challenge of the new product information received from product owners and business, identifying gaps, in order to ensure accuracy, completeness and fit to strategy requirements. Requests information that has not been provided to ensure product papers provide the requisite level of product and risk information for stakeholders to ascertain the impact of the new product on their areas.
3. Manage new products, ensuring product papers are updated for any changes, progress and any risks that arise during the process.
4. Effectively manage the stakeholder requirements process, supporting product requirements and formal product sign-off.
5. Hold and manage stakeholder meetings with Business and the risk and operational areas to drive the requirements process, agreeing action plans and timelines to resolve any outstanding issues.
6. Ownership of the post implementation review process, ensuring issues encountered are raised, reported on, monitored and subsequently addressed.
7. Maintain strong control environment;
8. Highlight control weaknesses and drive remedial action.
9. Identify policy breaches and escalates via the Operational Risk Incident process.
10. Escalates matters of urgency and/concern to line manager
11. Tracks business case KPIs and ensures adequate engagement to facilitate alignment to strategic priorities in liaison with the business transformation office.
12. Effective stakeholder management and collaboration;
13. Maintain clear communication channels with all stakeholders and business as well as the line manager to align expectations in terms of timelines and ensure full awareness at all times.
14. Proactively develop and manage relationships with the various key internal stakeholders and external stakeholders.
15. Ability to discuss products and identify key requirements for go-live, influencing the actions to be followed and the resolution of issues. Challenges discussions where required and is credible.
16. Liaises with other internal risk and governance forums to provide the necessary information.

Engagement and management of internal and external auditors

1. Provide support to ensure successful and timely completion of internal and external audit engagements.
2. Liaise with internal and external audit to provide necessary information
3. Driving process efficiencies and prioritisation
4. Participate in the agile change framework by proactively driving continuous improvements to the NACS process and the operating environment.
5. Drive prioritisation of new products and ad hoc investigations by highlighting urgent issues to the committee and enforcing solutions.
6. Provide efficiencies for the team by streamlining tasks through automation.
7. Be prepared to perform tasks outside the perceived role’s responsibility where the team’s performance requires it.
8. Management information & reporting processes
9. Preparation of management information (MI), for products under his/her management, that provides concise and relevant feedback regarding new products and the approval process to key stakeholders and business.
10. Review overall team MI reports ensuring key information is highlighted, including challenges experienced. Product completion status to be provided with any identifiable trends.
11. Compile reports and ad hoc presentations where required.

QUALIFICATIONS

1. BCom. Honours or equivalent qualification
2. Formal product governance qualification an added advantage
3. 7 - 10 years Strong banking and finance background in order to understand the financial and strategic impact of the new products. Strong understanding of banking principles and the broader banking environment.
4. 3 - 4 years Strong understanding of how the Bank units operate and the operating models that support Business.
5. 1 - 2 years Understanding the risks that face the organisation and the risks that are introduced with regards to New Product Offerings.