Head of Payments ARO (Africa Regional Operations)

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

Absa Group is looking for a visionary and experienced Head of Payments – ARO to lead payment operations across our African Regional Operations (ARO), excluding South Africa. This is a high-impact leadership role responsible for ensuring operational excellence, regulatory compliance, and strategic alignment across all ARO countries.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic Oversight & Governance: Lead the implementation of the Payments & Reporting Centre of Excellence (P&R COE) across ARO countries, ensuring alignment with domestic, regional, pan-African, and international standards.
• Performance & Compliance Monitoring: Facilitate visibility of compliance, risk, performance indicators, and strategic alignment with both bank and ecosystem requirements.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Represent ARO countries at the Centre on all matters related to payment processing—including change initiatives, compliance, strategic alignment, risk events, and audit findings.
• Regulatory Assurance: Provide assurance that South Africa’s prudential requirements are upheld and that ARO payment operations do not contribute to any deterioration in compliance.
• Governance Leadership: Establish and lead payment operations governance forums to ensure transparency, accountability, and alignment with broader business conduct requirements.
• Network Building: Create and maintain a robust network to support Centre oversight and supervision across all ARO entities.
• Risk & Audit Collaboration: Work closely with 1st and 2nd line defence functions and internal audit to ensure payment operations are independently validated and compliant with all relevant norms and regulations.
  
  

Education & Experience Required

• Academic Qualifications:
• Undergraduate degree with 10+ years of experience in payments and payment operations, or
• Diploma with 15+ years in a senior role in payments and payment operations.
• Professional Experience:
• 7–10 years of payment operations experience across the African continent.
• 5+ years of experience in national, regional, and cross-border payment ecosystems.
• Deep understanding of regulatory requirements impacting domestic and international payments.
• Strong knowledge of risk and compliance governance.
• Experience managing Head Office oversight of payment operations across multiple jurisdictions.
  

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 advertised