Manager, Strategy & Business Planning

Job Description

1. Nature & scope

The role holder will be responsible for providing professional input to the Bank’s strategic planning process, working with various cross-functional teams to identify, evaluate and analyze evolving strategic priorities, setting strategic objectives and goals, identifying instruments for their attainment as well as monitoring and evaluation of chosen strategy.

The role also involves the development of methodology for monitoring the development impact of the Bank’s operations, periodic monitoring of such developmental impact and appropriate reporting. The role holder will also be participating in conducting risk based country and sector studies and product development consistent with the Bank’s strategic goals.

The role holder will be expected to provide professional input to the budgeting process by assisting in the distilling of strategic goals into annual business plans, write and present in a clear and insightful manner, and champion multiple deliverables and deadlines simultaneously. The role places a premium on working collaboratively with cross functional teams, especially in origination, risk management and finance.

2. Duties and responsibilities

a)  Engage in the development of the Bank’s long term strategic plan and annual  business plan for approval by Senior Management and the Board of Directors within the given time frame;

b)  Monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the plans, pointing out material negative deviations and recommending prompt corrective actions;

 

c) Monitoring and proactively analysing, on an ongoing basis, internal and external events that affect the Bank, so as to provide ideas and intellectual leadership for both short-term tactics and long-term positioning and vision;

d)  Provide professional input into the Bank wide annual business planning and budgeting process through distilling the Bank’s strategic goals into annual activity plans and advising senior management on the most efficient allocation of the tasks for respective departments and units;

e)  Assist to communicate the Bank’s long term and annual business plan as approved by the Board of Directors to all staff and put in place monitoring and reporting  mechanisms for the benefit of Senior management and staff members;

f)  Analyse and propose required changes to internal business processes by leveraging industry knowledge, management consulting skills and analytical abilities in identifying key drivers, assessing process capabilities and developing a business case for internal business process enhancement;

g)  Participate in the preparation of the Bank’s Annual, Half Year and End of Year reports;

h)  Participate  in the creation and implementation of a customer feedback loop to ensure that the Bank is able to capture customer comments and concerns about its business processes and that such concerns are adequately responded to in order to ensure a customer-centric focus to the Bank’s lending activities;

i)  Work together with the Risk Management department to define the Bank’s annual risk appetite;

j)  Participate in the development of a methodology for monitoring the development impact for the Bank’s operations and participating in the development of new products for the Bank in line with laid out strategic goals;

k)  Any other duties as may be assigned by Senior Management.

3. Skills, Knowledge and Attitude

•  Postgraduate degree in Business Administration, Economics, Finance or related fields from a recognized University;

•  Sound experience of at least 8 years as a Strategy and Business Planning professional, preferably in the consulting or financial services industry;

•  Demonstrated experience in preparing and presenting strategic business plans for use by the financial services industry and an expert understanding of financial analysis, modelling, statistical analysis and related software;

•  Experience in offering strategic insight into industry, consumer and competitor trends;

•  Clear understanding of trade development issues as they pertain to Africa and demonstrated skills in economic forecasting. Economic modelling, including computable general equilibrium modes will be an added advantage;

•  Experience in presenting and selling ideas to Senior Management with strong presentation skills (written and verbal);

•  Ability to communicate and function in a culturally diverse and change oriented setting with good knowledge of business planning practices in Africa;

•  Ability to interact with senior officials of international agencies, multilaterals, banks, corporates and governments; 

•  Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English. Knowledge of the Bank’s other working languages is an added advantage (French, Arabic and Portuguese).