Manager Central Operations

Job Purpose

Key Responsibilities:

• Participate in the generation & review of the department’s Annual Strategy, Budget and Work Plan to support Corporate Strategy.
• Develop or Review the department’s operating procedures/policies/standards/guidelines for operational efficiency, operational loss management and alignment to business needs plus the operating environment.
• Ensure that the department complies with policy/procedure/reporting/Service Level Agreement requirements i.e internal, regulatory and statutory as applicable as well as determine and implement remedial action to address exceptions identified.
• Be the department’s lead in driving change and innovation in line with the bank’s strategy, technology advancement, competition, customer tastes and overall business environment for operational efficiency, cost minimization and value for money.
• Provide quality assurance in service delivery through proactive assessments/data analytics and monitoring of process/systems performance against set targets including ensuring Audit issues closure for the department within set timelines.
• Drive the Risk Management Process within the department in line with the bank’s Enterprise Risk Management Framework and related policies, procedures & guidelines. This involves ensuring adoption and effective use of risk management tools like the Risk & Control Self-Assessment, Key Risk Indicators, Risk Register, Incident Reporting etc coupled with stakeholder engagements to ensure timely remedial actions and escalation of situations that pose significant risk.
• Spearhead the implementation of the department’s Business Continuity Plan in line with the bank’s Business Continuity Management Policy and Guidelines.
• Be the project lead for the department responsible for among other tasks drafting of business cases/proposals, business requirements documents and PIR reviews.
• Provide supervisory oversight in Central Operations in the areas of Accounts’ services, Central processing, Trade and Treasury back office, Cash Management services and Records/ Archives management including management of team performance, motivation and talent cover processes.
• Prepare for and represent the Head of Operations in internal and external engagements/meetings i.e. management committee meetings and KCB Group team sessions which includes preparation of reports/updates &/ attendance.

Daily Responsibilities:

• Ensure proper functioning of day-to-day controls, periodic monitoring activities and timely identification and resolution of risk issues.
• Review and authorize transactions within delegated limits.
• Review compliance to policy and ensure daily monitoring of Important Transactions including surprise checks on Cash Management Unit, calling of day’s work in respective units, Sample of AML checks for newly opened accounts.
• Follow up on closure of audit issues and queries logged in the Issue Tracker/ ECRM for Operations Departmental units for purposes of providing immediate solutions.
• Analyse data and prepare reports on process performance for key central processes.

Challenges:

Main challenge of the job is changing the hearts and minds of the large process user group, who are already entrenched in their routine ways and comfort zones. An example is the adherence to agreed SLAs and non-compliance to process requirements.