Senior Solution SME - Everyday Banking (SBG 12) at Standard Bank Group

Division Summary

The Senior Solution SME role within Everyday Banking focusing on Business and Commercial clients is expected to help (1) digitise the servicing of clients, to remove friction experienced by clients and staff given manual, paper based and outdated processes or (2) improve the cross-sell and entrenchment of transactional capabilities or (3) improve the cross-sell and entrenchment of savings and investments or (4) create new revenue opportunities by building solutions that integrate with clients business processes.
This will be achieved through gathering customer insights; conducting analysis; redesign processes; development, deployment, monitoring, and measurement of client solutions.

Customer Journey As-Is system understanding

• Assimilates all value stream maps and provides visualisation for the entire client journey.
• Engages with stakeholders across the value chain, front to back, to gain an in-depth understanding of the as-is processes and pain points in order to identify potential opportunities for factors such as unit costs, labour input, process costs, economies of scale as input into Minimum Viable Products (MVPs)d and understood to see how these can be incorporated and leveraged in the target state. Identifies value and non-value added activities in the journey ecosystem. Stays abreast of best practices for relevant processes and MVPs and informs the target state accordingly.
• Establishes baseline measurements of the as-is systemic state of Client Journeys.
• Defines customer pain-points, customer’s emotional journey and unmet needs based on qualitative customer research and existing Standard Bank data. Obtains and interprets customer data in order to develop value propositions to be tested and developed.
• Reviews competitor baselining to establish best practice benchmarking in comparison to Standard Bank current state.
• Documents the as-is Information Technology landscape in order to define the capability gaps as input into the development of the client journey.
• Defines high level opportunities for automation / intelligent automation (robotics).

Solution redesign and delivery

• Develops proposed end-to-end target state client journey (conceptual and detailed view).
• Works with Solution Architect to establish technology feasibility of all proposed features to ensure alignment to broader IT Architecture.
• Develops MVP (Minimum Viable Product) options: i.e. assessments (based on desirability, viability and feasibility) and recommendations.
• Establishes quick win automations from target state features.
• Ensures rapid prototyping of digitised or modernised solutions together with IT and UX (User Experience) – this involves:
• Creating scope of work for development
• Executing procurement management processes
• Showcasing prototypes
• Test and correct methods (Fail Fast)
•  Facilitates functional analysis sessions
• Manages the stories (in JIRA), ensuring that all requirements are loaded as stories                              and ensuring the stories are assigned to epics.
• Works very closely with the User Experience and User Interface team to ensure that processes, wireframes and content are optimally intuitive to customers prior to development.

Delivery of commercial outcomes

• Understands the overall portfolio health of the areas of responsibility with a particular squad and supports the Solution Owner in managing any financial, operational, credit and other risks within the portfolio.
• Develops business cases relating to the customer desirability, feasibility and bank viability.
• Demonstrates the impact of delivery on cost; revenue; customer and Net Promoter Scores.
• Review performance of deployed solution and prepares recommendations for enhancements.

Risk management

• Considers existing policies and procedures when designing and testing different approaches during concept stage, in order not to incur additional operational, credit and market risk.
• Ensures that the relevant risk and compliance assessments take place at all stages of development.
• Ensures signoff of all new processes / changes to the existing process (before being scaled) by the different risk and compliance committees (RCC’s) including sign off from the business partners (for e.g. Operations Shared Services). Ensures that relevant risk items are raised at the Everyday Banking RCC for approval by the quorum.

Application code

• Provides input into specifications for systems functions, information flows, data loads, and implementation strategy.
• Works with colleagues in the team to produce outline system specifications using solution designs, functional specifications or technical specifications as input.
• Translates logical flow into granular component designs taking into account the solution design, performance requirements and existing systems.
• Provides input into risk analysis and development plans in order to consider the impact of design decisions.
• When required, works with data analysis colleagues to produce or update system or object data models and correlates these with corporate models.

Facilitation and continuous improvement

• Reaches mature levels on the Continuum model by providing guidance and knowledge sharing to work in a continuous delivery environment:
• Champion team learning and adopt suitable methodologies and practices
• Actively looks for improvement opportunities pertaining to all aspects of development activities.

• Ensures that all component designs take into account all specified requirements and constraints.

Customer/User acceptance criteria and solution testing

• Works with customer/users to develop acceptance criteria or test cases for the system.
• Conducts Component Integration Testing, Systems Integration Testing and User Acceptance Testing and fixes detected errors. Testing can be done on own work as well as on that of other colleagues in the team.
• Develops technical support documentation within agreed standards.
• Ensures adherence to relevant methodology and technical change management procedures for all changes.

Solution management

• Responsible for current business services and processes (end to end value chain) specific to allocated journey.
• Reviews actual product performance findings across channels and provides guidance on the tactical implementation and /or any enhancements to deliver the desired results in the front line.
• Responsible for the resolution of operational and functionality problems on the different products and systems.

Measures of success

• Achievement of financial objectives
• Successful delivery and implementation of the client journey
• Increased user and customer take up
• Customer satisfaction ratings
• Adherence to risk and compliance requirements

Qualifications

BSc Comp Science, B.Com Informatics degree and / or business degree

Experience

5 – 7 years’ experience in translating business and functional requirements into technical specifications to create customer solutions. Experience in managing a product (incl. income statement) managing people; understands the banks products, processes and systems.