Business Support: Team Leader (VP) - Johannesburg at Absa Group Limited (Absa)

Job Summary

• The incumbent is expected to strategically manage a team of Business Support Specialists and Senior Business Support Specialists who manage a portfolio of financially distressed clients, which are watch listed.

Job Description

Credit Risk Management

• Take ownership for the strategic management of the top tier  distressed debt customers in their respective portfolio ensuring that effective strategies are devised and implemented to ensure the management of impairments within acceptable norms.
• Lead detailed negotiations with customers, other lenders, creditors and 3rd party advisors regarding the agreement to, and implementation of strategy, to ensure properly mitigated credit risk for the Bank, based on continued bank support.
• Where appropriate, obtain customer’s agreement to the use of professionals including
• accountants, turnaround professionals, attorneys and property professionals.
• For turnaround customers, agree critical success factors with the relevant Portfolio Managers / Specialists in liaison with Relationship Executives, Area Segment Managers, Regional Credit Managers, and other Credit teams to ensure credit risk normalisation and relationship preservation. Obtain customer commitment and agreement to implement appropriate risk mitigation strategies and remedial actions to improve the client credit risk profile.
• Monitor customer progress against agreed strategies and action plans through analysis/appraisal of plans and budgets & cash flow.
• Identify where risk mitigation strategies have broken down and negotiate and implement remedial or corrective action in consultation with the client.
• Deliver high standards of credit quality for high-risk cases through the application of best practice to credit proposals. Ensure high standards of credit discipline are applied to monitoring and control activities especially unauthorised borrowing.
• Make lending decisions within an appropriate personal mandate at a Level 3 mandate
• Co-chair the Watch List Forum meetings.

Business Management

• Responsibility for team adherence to governance, compliance and lending portfolio controls and management information (MI).
• Champion the Business Support team’s relationship with internal and external customers, develop a strong network of internal contacts, external and panel professionals to maximise financial benefit for the Bank.
• Position and promote the team with Regional Credit Managers, Relationship Teams
• and Credit Sanctioners as well as external customers and industry specialists and peers.
• Where applicable, manage and monitor the use of professionals including accountants, turnaround professionals, attorneys and property professionals within their team.
• Ensure that impairment (per Capital at Risk ) decisions are appropriately taken and escalated where necessary.
• Ensure proper asset management of the portfolios under overall control
• Drive the implementation of appropriate strategies and/or risk mitigation measures with the primary goal being to limit and/or reduce the overall level of Capital at Risk for Business Banking clients.
• Fortnightly/monthly impairment (per Capital at Risk) forecasting, as required from time to time.
• Ensure that monthly Portfolio Risk Committee pack submission is accurate and complete
• Ensure that the monthly Watch List per case manager is accurate and completed in line with the relevant policies and procedure

People Management

• Coach and support members of the team by assisting their technical development. Be responsible for the sharing of knowledge including technical solutions, tips, ideas and good practices within own and across other teams.
• Ensure that the resources and skills within the team are appropriate and comply with the requirements of the business area.
• Closely monitor and drive Key Performance Indicators/Drivers (as agreed from time to time).
• Ensure adherence to Absa’s values.
• Ensure that employee survey mechanisms are in place and based on the results, that corrective action is taken where necessary.
• Drive diversity management.
• Build a pool of A players and raise talent levels.

Change Management

• Drive the development and execution of strategic projects (as required) from time to time.

Stakeholder Management

• Raise local profile in the team as well as the broader  Group Risk team and business partners.
• Ensure stakeholder alignment and satisfaction utilising sound stakeholder management techniques.

Governance

• Ensure that appropriate mandates are in place and reviewed annually.
• Ensure that standards (policies) are in place and they aligned with strategies and reviewed annually.
• Ensure that processes and procedures are documented, aligned with strategies and reviewed annually.
• Maintain the necessary meeting and reporting structures to support a highly effective governance structure.

Education and Experience Required

• B-degree (preferably with Accounting III as a Major) and postgraduate qualifications in Finance/Management/ legal fields
• Minimum 10 years banking experience.
• 5 to 10 years senior management experience.

Education

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