Assurance Specialist

Empowering Africa’s tomorrow, together…one story at a time.

Job Summary

Job Description

• Actively participate in all the assurance phases - planning and scoping (identification of risks and controls), fieldwork (execution of design and operating effectiveness assessments) and reporting (ensure audit observations and planned actions are agreed with management for factual accuracy). Drive and develop an all-encompassing Unsecured Lending Assurance Plan in consultation with the management teams, enterprise risk stakeholders and other assurance providers across the all lines of defense
• Execute the delivery of Unsecured Lending assurance, focusing on quality and ensuring that delivery aligns to the Assurance Standard.
• Develop an in-depth knowledge of the business and apply the knowledge in identifying and assessing risks and controls that will add to the assurance plan and enable efficiency within the assurance function.
• Identify opportunities for using Data Analytics and enhanced automated auditing techniques.
• Prepare audit observations and make sure that they are concise, factually accurate and cover all the significant issues. The observations must be insightful, address the root causes, and have agreed actions that fully mitigate the risk.
• Ensure that issues are promptly understood, actions taken, and unacceptable residual risk exposures are prioritized, and proactive measures are put in place to minimize risk of issue reoccurrence.
• Assist management in identifying key risks inherent business processes and new business ventures and support the risk team in ensuring potential areas of optimization are identified and solutioned for.
• Promote appropriate risk culture that ensures front-line management including the assurance team and risk owners participate actively in the measurement, control and mitigation of risks.

Reporting

• Anticipate potential barriers, issues, and management concerns and create action plans and recommendations to address these concerns in a timeous manner.
• Draft high-quality reports with observations which are insightful, addressing the root cause, have agreed actions that mitigate the risk and facilitate the remediation of issues until closure.
• Report on risks and apply recommendations for corrective and preventative action, whilst identifying opportunities to reduce risks.
• Evaluate, analyse, prepare, submit and present required reports to various committees and governance structures to present progress and influence decision-making.
• Maintain effective processes and procedures and maintain data integrity to support Unsecured Lending risk efforts.

Relationship and Portfolio management

• Establish and maintain strong partnerships and relationships with key stakeholders through collaboration, consensus building and interpersonal effectiveness.
• Communicate assurance and combined assurance plans and progress to foster alignment and understanding across Unsecured Lending.
• Collaborate, integrate and drive conversations with internal and external stakeholders (i.e.Internal & External Audit, 1LOD and 2LOD) to ensure that assurance services offered are aligned with the plan, relevant, timely, of appropriate quality and contribute to effective risk management.

Other

• Responsible for consistent embedment for the Risk Management tools (Risk and Control Self-Assessment (RCSA), Risk Event Reporting, Key Risk Assessments, Risk Assessment for New Products Approvals, Product Reviews, Process/System Changes, and Regulatory Changes) within Unsecured Lending BU.
• Responsible for regular reporting on assurance activities, both periodically, but also for specific engagements.
• Collaborate, integrate and drive conversations with internal and external stakeholders (i.e.Internal & External Audit, 1LOD and 2LOD) to ensure that assurance services offered are aligned with the plan, relevant, t

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