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Job Title:   Head Communication and Citizenship

Organisation: Absa Group Limited (formerly Barclays Bank UK)

Duty Station:  Kampala, Uganda

About US:

Absa Group Limited (formerly Barclays Bank UK) is a diversified standalone African financial services group, delivering an integrated set of products and services across personal and business banking, corporate and investment banking, wealth, investment management and insurance. Absa Group Limited is listed on the JSE and is one of Africa’s largest diversified financial services groups with a presence in 12 countries across the continent and around 41 000 employees.

Job Summary:  The Head Communication and Citizenship will mainly develop tactical strategy and delivery plans, formulate associated practice and to ensure operational implementation and adoption across a single practice i.t.o. Communication methodology, governance and delivery objectives

Key Duties and Responsibilities:  

Integrated Communication Support

• Ensure implementation of integrated internal and external communications strategies, incl. overseeing policy, guidelines, and governance.
• Oversee the development of overarching communications objectives and execution plans, in alignment with the global messaging and strategy.
• Oversee the co-ordination of activities across internal and external platforms, ensuring balanced communication and collaborative communications campaign development.
• Ensure the strategic positioning of business and team activities and profiling of relevant executives to external audiences (media, stakeholders, public) through stakeholder engagements.
• Work with team and provide strategic guidance on comprehensive, integrated internal and external communication strategies for the business.
• Work with team to develop strategic messages/value propositions for the business and ensure alignment of messaging and themes with Absa Bank Group.
• Provide strategic, issue and crisis communication support (reputation management) including formal and informal environmental scanning and issues identification and monitoring.
• Facilitate the active management and preparation of responses to stakeholder and community enquiries, together with the relevant business partners.
• Leverage platforms to maximize exposure for Absa Bank Uganda and the Group.
• Have a clear understanding of the business issues and using communication to help solve organisational problems and achieve organisational objectives.
• Demonstrate a good understanding of business strategy, targets and performance and use it to shape communication strategies, plans and materials.
• Anticipate future developments or issues.
• Challenge where asked to undertake activity with no clear business purpose, or which seems to work against stated business direction.
• Regularly spend time with core audiences to maintain audience understanding. Benchmark Public Relations initiatives with colleagues in other countries and local professional bodies

Public Policy and Affairs

• Represent Absa Uganda in cases of any Public Affairs responsibilities, where necessary in consultation with the Marketing and Customer Experience Director.
• Direct and implement Absa Uganda and Group’s Public Policy activities, including lobbying priorities, positions, and strategies, aligned to those of Absa Group.
• Maintain clear structures for Absa Uganda and Absa Group’s position on core issues.
• Ensure Absa Uganda voice is at the forefront of relevant policy development, as required in country.
• Support the Managing Director together with Marketing and Customer Experience Director working together with the Head of Public Sector in lobbying Government and Government agencies on priority issues, providing input and advice on public policy development.
• In collaboration with the Africa Region CEO’s office, provide context and direction on the Public Policy debate on issues of material impact to Absa Bank on the basis of an agreed list of priorities for each business unit.
• Respond to external inquiries on policy issues including briefing policy makers in consultation with the Marketing and Customer Experience Director.

Citizenship Implementation and Management

• Implement and manage the Absa Group’s Role in Society agenda in country
• Provide understanding and insight to the business regarding the current citizenship agenda and issues.
• Advice and support on-the-ground engagements with policymakers and stakeholders who influence policy in line with the Absa Role in Society.
• Communicate the business value of citizenship activities, creating awareness regarding its importance and impact.
• Oversee the implementation of the Citizenship plan to support delivery of leading, monitoring, communications, governance and reporting of all efforts.
• Drive the implementation process of Sustainability business measures and KPI’s: The measures are developed in collaboration with all business units.
• Champion the Business integration on sustainability: By feeding sustainability risks and opportunities into their sector reviews and support the computation of shared value across the different businesses and functions.
• Ensure the effective implementation of agreed KPI’s: To support the success of Business / SDG integration initiatives.
• Drive internal education and awareness of sustainability priorities to embed the culture of good corporate citizenship and deeper understanding of our Role in Society.
• Project management: ensure effective project management and oversight for key Citizenship projects.
• Ensure close collaboration with the business teams in all Citizenship initiatives.
• Identify the Bank’s sustainability material issues and formulate business solutions that will promote environmentally friendly practices, positive social impact and good governance.
• Identify key SDGs in line with the Bank’s core business and work with the business teams to ensure effective impact reporting.
• Work towards ensuring that Absa Bank Uganda is a signatory and support of the UN Global Goals and UN Sustainability Principles.

Governance and Control

• Manage all function risk activities (including business assurance, conformance testing and management self-assessment)
• Put in place mechanism to monitor, maintain, and enhance the function’s control and governance environment.
• Anticipate the potential Reputational risks within the function and puts in place measures to minimize such exposure to risk.
• Continuously develop knowledge of the regulatory and legal issues specific to the function within the Ugandan environment.
• Remediate open and overdue audit and management assurance action items within the operating environment.

Leadership and People Management

• Embed the values and behaviors that reinforce the achievement of set objectives and Bank’s strategy.
• Build a strong, motivated team capable of inspiring others within the function.
• Create bench strength and coach team to ensure effective succession planning
• Determine the learning needs (including future skills) for the Communication and Citizenship function working in collaboration with the function management team
• Approve leave requests for direct reports and ensure they manage the leave planning for their teams effectively.
• Develop a high performing team by embedding formal performance development and by coaching for the team to ensure they conduct the process effectively.
• Put in place processes and tools to effectively evaluate and measure the Communication and Citizenship activities, output and results.
• Develop relationships with colleagues and stakeholders across the Bank to ensure embedment and delivery of consistent Communication and citizenship initiatives.
• Manage third party agencies for the delivery of work according to agreed quality standards and timeframes.
• Build and leverage on a strong network both within Absa and the financial sector to deliver the Citizenship and communication strategy

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

The applicant for the ABSA Bank Head Communication and Citizenship job must hold a Bachelor’s Degree and Professional Qualifications: Communication Studies and Language (Required)

How to Apply:

All suitably qualified and interested candidates who wish to join ABSA Group in the aforementioned capacity should apply online at the link below.

Click Here

Deadline: 3^rd December 2021

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