Job Opportunity at ABSA – Financial Crime Lead

Job Opportunity at ABSA – Financial Crime Lead

Financial Crime Lead

ABSA August, 2023

Bring your possibility to life! Define your career with us

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.

My Career Development Portal: Wherever you are in your career, we are here for you. Design your future. Discover leading-edge guidance, tools and support to unlock your potential. You are Absa. You are possibility.

Job Summary

1. Dedicated FinCrime Assurance lead covering all aspects of FinCrime.
2. Responsible for ensuring refresh plans are executed:
3. Process across high risk,
4. Standard and correspondent banks,
5. Introducers, associated parties,
6. Manages the exit process, and onboarding process and oversight.
7. Manage the PEP register
8. Prepares for FinCrime SteerCo
9. Prepare the refresher MIs
10. Prepare and submit the monthly FLOD KRI dashboard.
11. Manage the manual trigger process including reviewing the Manual trigger queue on Sybrin
12. Prepares Gap Analysis for scoped customers for refresh and share with business.
13. Receives all the documents, validates and sends for updates on the system.
14. Prepare the EDD level two reports for Refreshed customers and on-boarded HRR and PEP customers
15. Perform the Transaction Analysis of refreshed customers
16. Work with the Head of FinCrime to perform call over of all AML alerts closed on the previous day.
17. Prepare the monthly Gift and entertainment reconciliation report
18. Performs checks on Customer Sanctions issues with 2nd LOD and presents in FinCrime Steerco.
19. Work closely with regional FinCrime team to adopt machine learning and reduction in false positive resulting in improved process effectiveness and efficiency.
20. Support transformation from a rule based FinCrime processes to risk based ensuring high risk areas get adequate management attention
21. Support embedment of new bank wide initiates such as new customer risk rating methodology

Job Description

Main accountabilities and approximate time split

Stakeholder Management (20%)

Build strong relationships with both Absa internal and external stakeholders by providing expert advice to Business senior management teams.
Effectively communication with all relevant stakeholders on governance and control related issues
Work in the department with a focus on proactive approaches to add value to the FinCrime development area and deliver a high level of client service.
Provide sufficient challenge to proposed concepts and ideas to the team.
Escalate potential issues timeously to relevant stakeholders.
Identifying trends and ensuring actions are in place to mitigate key risks.
Providing subject matter expertise / guidance to the business on risk and control issues.

Governance and Control (60%)

Ensure that job holder operates within governance, and to ensure that efficient controls are in place.
Manages all the risks which fall under function Key Risk Ratings:
1st LOD FinCrime risk
Planning and supervise detailed Process Reviews to assess effectiveness and efficiency of the controls embedded to mitigate risks to which processes are exposed.

Accountability, Ownership of the following activities within the department:

On boarding and Ongoing Review

Defining fit for purpose on-boarding TOM
Ongoing up keeping of on-boarding checklist & manuals.
Implementation of Risk rating tools
PEP alerts- monitoring & reconciliation (incl. GPR/GOR)
Adherence to CDD/EDD requirements
Refresh plans and adherence/escalations
E2E customer refresh
Triggers strategy & implementation

FC Exits

Customer/Supplier/Introducer/ AP/CB identification for FinCrime related Exits
Present in In-country FinCrime forums.
Oversight on accounts blocking & sending letters to customers.
Accounts closure oversight
Adherence to policy requirements [90 days]

Correspondent Banks

CoE engagements
Finalization of refresh population with CoE including declassification
CoE SLA monitoring

Customer Screening

CoE engagements
Coordinating queries with CoE
CoE SLA monitoring
Initiation of EDD process if customer is identified as PEP.

Anti-Bribery and Corruption

Oversight on Donation & sponsorship process
Oversight on Supplier on-boarding process & classification into AP or Introducer (ensuring due diligence process)
REIC committee coordination
Timely Refresh of AP/Introducer

Issues Management

Accountable for all FinCrime issues (incl. DWEBS)
Adherence to FinCrime issue management framework
Liaison with Regional teams/stakeholders for QA
QA on “LIMITED” issue and submission
Raising FinCrime breaches/Dispensations/risk events

Policy Management and Training

Policy to process interpretation.
Defining process to support policy/standard requirements
Process trainings
Monitoring of training MI
In country/regional escalations
Driving FinCrime training completion

Assurance

Defining FLOD Assurance plans & conducting reviews
FinCrime audit/review preparation & preparing known issues.
E2E FinCrime audit/review engagements
Defining robust and achievable plans with business

MI & Reporting and Risk Assessment

HRR MI
PEP MI
M/L Refresh MI
Trigger MI
Exit MI
KRI/KRO Reporting inputter.
FinCrime Steerco packs
Risk assessment inputs

Staff Management (10%)

The job holder will hold weekly meetings with its one down / people directly reporting to the job holder in-order to review the functional activities and service deliveries.
Prepare Performance Development /appraisal reports for direct reports and oversee the same for the whole function.
Providing coaching and guidance to enable staff to meet performance objectives.
Manage direct staff activity on a day-to-day basis and actively resource workflow requirements.
Support the Identified training requirements for self and team, managing personnel development, recommending attachments and monitoring staff progress against appropriate measures.
Provide guidance in respect of work-related issues with particular emphasis on developing staff knowledge in adapting to system technology and new operating procedures.
Motivate and drive sharing of best practice.
Provide annual feedback to the COO on bonus recommendations.
Ensure the succession pans of each unit are in place and the units have adequate coverage for the business.

Personal and Continues development (10%)

Ensure that you stay abreast of all governance and control exposure to all risk types (E.g., Credit, Operational, Market, Liquidity, etc.) and products across different asset classes.
Take initiate and get involved with relevant industry best practice developments and initiatives within the bank.
Actively manage soft skills development, e.g., communication, decision making, showing commitment, flexibility, time management, leadership skills, creativity and problem-solving skills, etc.

Risk and Controls Objectives

Ensure that all activities and duties are carried out in full compliance with regulatory requirements, Absa Operational Risk Framework and internal Absa Policies and Standards

Manage risk and control effectively by applying applicable risk frameworks and embedding a positive risk culture.

Understanding of own role in the end-to-end processes in which you play a part, including applicable risks and controls.
Adhere to Absa’s policies and procedures applicable to own role, demonstrating sound judgement and responsible risk management.
Report all risk events / incidents / issues using the defined process for your business area and help to understand why these happened and how to prevent them in future.
Proactively look for ways to improve the control environment by considering what could go wrong in the processes you operate and how errors could be prevented.
Continuous and proactive engagement with regulatory bodies, unions where applicable
All mandatory training completed to deadline.

Technical skills / Competencies

Honors or Master’s Degree in any quantitative files will be an advantage
More than 4 years of Experience in AML and Financial Crime field.
Deep understanding of the concept of process and risk management; and banking and auditing
Strong decision making, communication, and interpersonal skills.
Strong working knowledge and ability to use MS Office, MS Vision, MS Project, able to prepare PowerPoint presentations for presentation to management and knowledge of other standard software application tools.
Strong aptitude for easy and quick learning of audit, analytical, or/and facilitation skills
Intellectual competencies – intelligence, analysis skills, judgement/decision-making, pragmatism
Personal competencies – integrity, initiative, organization/planning, excellence, independence, adaptability
Interpersonal competencies – assertiveness, team player, oral/written communication, political savvy, negotiation and persuasion, managing conflict.

Knowledge, Expertise and Experience

Broad understanding of model risk and/or governance and control environment
Good communication skills, both oral and written.
Good interpersonal skills and is a team player.
Ability to build and maintain relationship both within the team and with stakeholders.
Focus on achieving team objectives.
Ability to work in an efficient and organized way.
Deadline Driven
Self-motivator and able to take on ownership and is accountable for problems.
Understands local and global regulatory requirements and is aware of environment & practices that may affect model risk.
Is able to keep the bigger picture in mind and to consider the impact of governance and control breaches on the individual stakeholders and AGL as a whole.
Understand the local Regulatory KYC requirements, AML regulations and any other local MLR regulations by FIU etc.
Specialist knowledge of the Group AML/KYC/Sanctions/Pep’s Policies and Procedures.

Absa Values

Absa’s Values and Behaviors represent the set of standards which governs the actions of all of us who work for the bank and against which the performance of every one of us in Absa are being assessed and rewarded:

I drive high performance to achieve sustainable results.
I’m obsessed with customer.
I have an African heartbeat.
I believe our people are our strengths.

Education

Masters Degrees (coursework and research): Business, Commerce and Management Studies (Required)

CLICK HERE TO APPLY