Senior Manager: Project Management (with Technology focus)

at  Absa Bank Limited

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
Responsible for management of moderate to highly complex projects consisting of multiple related streams with a technology stream as the central focus of the project. Oversee major projects, providing strategic context, direction and leadership to the teams involved. Monitor project execution plans, resource deployment and overall coordination efforts to ensure projects are completed on schedule, to scope, and to budget. Role responsibilities include components of schedule management, communications management, stakeholder engagement, finance management, scope management, integration management, risk & issue management, people management, procurement & contract management, and quality management.
Job Description

Accountability: Project Management:

• The management of projects, typically (but not exclusively) involving the development and implementation of plans to meet identified business needs, acquiring and utilising the necessary resources and skills, within agreed parameters of scope, cost, time and quality.
• Takes responsibility for the definition, documentation and satisfactory completion of projects.
• Identifies, assesses and manages risks to the success of the project.
• Ensures that realistic project and quality plans are prepared and maintained and provides regular and accurate reports to stakeholders as appropriate.
• Ensures that quality reviews occur on schedule and according to procedure.
• Manages the change control procedure and ensures that project deliverables are completed within planned cost, timescale and resource budgets and are signed off.
• Provides effective leadership to the project team and takes appropriate action where performance deviates from agreed tolerances.

Accountability: Change Implementation, Planning & Management:

• Applies the highest standards in project and programme governance and management and applies this consistently in initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling and closing of projects whilst applying Absa methodologies to effectively manage the full lifecycle of the project.
• Ensures that there is a business perspective on how the new technical capabilities will be delivered to the business, including planning around key business cycles, selecting appropriate customers for migration, etc.
• Initiates the business implementation plan, including all the activities that the business needs to do to prepare for new technical components and technologies.
• Drives sites to deliver site implementation plans and align with the overall plan.
• Defines and manages the activities to ensure achievement of the business case after delivery.
• Outlines key business engagement messages that need to take place throughout the programme/project.
• Manages all elements of project execution namely timelines, actions, status reporting, status meetings, deliverables, risks and issues, expenditures, forecast of costs, cash flow, timescales and resource requirements etc. as detailed in the Absa methodology and training.
• Effectively manage time, cost, quality and resources during the project lifecycle.

Accountability: Benefits Management:

• Monitors for the emergence of anticipated benefits (typically specified as part of the business case for a change programme or project). Action typically by the programme management team to optimise the business impact of individual and combined benefits.
• Promotes the change programme vision to staff at all levels of the business, brings order to complex situations and keeps a focus on business objectives.
• Works with senior stakeholders responsible for the line business operation to ensure that maximum improvements are made in the business operations as groups of projects deliver their products into operational use.
• Maintains the business case for funding the programme or projects and confirms the continuing business viability of the programme or projects at regular intervals.

Accountability: Stakeholder Relationship Management:

• The coordination of relationships with and between key stakeholders, during the design, management and implementation of the business change.
• Develops and manages one or more defined communication channels and/or stakeholder groups.
• Initiates communications between stakeholders, acting as a single point of contact for defined groups.
• Facilitates open communication and discussion between stakeholders.
• Captures and disseminates technical and business information.
• Facilitates the business change decision-making processes and the planning and implementation of change.

Educational Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree (NQF 7)
• Professional certification in Project Management (Agile, Prince2, Managing Successful Programmes (MSP), PMP)
• PMP is the preferred certification

Experience Required:

• At least 5 years’ experience in managing complex projects containing a material technology enablement stream
• Managing at least two technology focused projects across the entire SDLC inclusive of technology scoping, build-configure, test, release, transition, adopt, and realise benefits
• Project Management experience that included implementing the Human Capital Business Application called Workday is an advantage

Knowledge and Skills Required:

• Proven Project Management and Change Management skills and expertise
• Experience of managing activity across the whole of a project lifecycle
• Strong understanding and experience in managing technology (business package software) based projects from inception to transition, adoption and benefits realisation
• Exposure to governance, control and risk management
• Work effectively across teams at all levels
• Negotiate/influence at a senior level
• Verbal and written communication skills
• Workshop and meeting facilitation skills
• Understanding and experience of people change management and adoption (with respect to ways of work and behavioural changes)

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

Accountability: Project Management:

• The management of projects, typically (but not exclusively) involving the development and implementation of plans to meet identified business needs, acquiring and utilising the necessary resources and skills, within agreed parameters of scope, cost, time and quality.
• Takes responsibility for the definition, documentation and satisfactory completion of projects.
• Identifies, assesses and manages risks to the success of the project.
• Ensures that realistic project and quality plans are prepared and maintained and provides regular and accurate reports to stakeholders as appropriate.
• Ensures that quality reviews occur on schedule and according to procedure.
• Manages the change control procedure and ensures that project deliverables are completed within planned cost, timescale and resource budgets and are signed off.
• Provides effective leadership to the project team and takes appropriate action where performance deviates from agreed tolerances

Accountability: Change Implementation, Planning & Management:

• Applies the highest standards in project and programme governance and management and applies this consistently in initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling and closing of projects whilst applying Absa methodologies to effectively manage the full lifecycle of the project.
• Ensures that there is a business perspective on how the new technical capabilities will be delivered to the business, including planning around key business cycles, selecting appropriate customers for migration, etc.
• Initiates the business implementation plan, including all the activities that the business needs to do to prepare for new technical components and technologies.
• Drives sites to deliver site implementation plans and align with the overall plan.
• Defines and manages the activities to ensure achievement of the business case after delivery.
• Outlines key business engagement messages that need to take place throughout the programme/project.
• Manages all elements of project execution namely timelines, actions, status reporting, status meetings, deliverables, risks and issues, expenditures, forecast of costs, cash flow, timescales and resource requirements etc. as detailed in the Absa methodology and training.
• Effectively manage time, cost, quality and resources during the project lifecycle

Accountability: Benefits Management:

• Monitors for the emergence of anticipated benefits (typically specified as part of the business case for a change programme or project). Action typically by the programme management team to optimise the business impact of individual and combined benefits.
• Promotes the change programme vision to staff at all levels of the business, brings order to complex situations and keeps a focus on business objectives.
• Works with senior stakeholders responsible for the line business operation to ensure that maximum improvements are made in the business operations as groups of projects deliver their products into operational use.
• Maintains the business case for funding the programme or projects and confirms the continuing business viability of the programme or projects at regular intervals

Accountability: Stakeholder Relationship Management:

• The coordination of relationships with and between key stakeholders, during the design, management and implementation of the business change.
• Develops and manages one or more defined communication channels and/or stakeholder groups.
• Initiates communications between stakeholders, acting as a single point of contact for defined groups.
• Facilitates open communication and discussion between stakeholders.
• Captures and disseminates technical and business information.
• Facilitates the business change decision-making processes and the planning and implementation of change