COO

About the position

Chief Operating Officer - Major Retail Bank based in Botswana

1.Overall Job Purpose

We are conducting an Executive Search to find an experienced Chief Operating Officer (COO) - a C-suite executive accountable for the strategic leadership and flawless execution of the bank's entire operations and technology landscape.

This role serves as the critical intersection of strategy and delivery, with a dual mandate:

• To architect and drive the bank's digital transformation, re-engineering processes and re-architecting technology to establish the institution as a market-leading, digital-first financial services provider.
• To lead and integrate the core COO functions (Operations, IT, Change & Integration), ensuring the stability, efficiency, and scalability of the day-to-day business while delivering on all service and cost targets.

The incumbent will provide powerful leadership with a singular focus on execution, ensuring that the bank's strategic objectives are translated into tactical, measurable, and successful outcomes.

Key Responsibilities & Deliverable

Strategic Direction & Digital Transformation

• Spearhead the development and execution of the bank's end-to-end digital strategy, ensuring alignment with overall business goals.
• Drive a culture of innovation, identifying new digital opportunities, emerging technologies, and fintech partnerships to enhance customer experience, engagement, and operational efficiency.
• Architect the transformation of the bank's operating and technology models to support a fully digital ecosystem.
• Cultivate strategic partnerships with external technology providers, payment gateways, and start-ups to access innovative solutions and reset architecture interlocks with third parties.
• Champion a digital-first mindset throughout the organization, promoting digital literacy and embedding a culture of continuous improvement and change.

Operational Excellence & Execution

• Direct the effective operational management of all COO functions, including Core Banking Operations, IT Infrastructure & Applications, and Treasury Operations, ensuring delivery against agreed service level agreements (SLAs) and cost targets.
• Implement a robust COO operating model that leverages the advantages of an integrated function to drive more efficient ways of working.
• Oversee the implementation of digital technologies and solutions to streamline internal processes, automate workflows, and improve service excellence across the value chain.
• Create and embed effective measurement tools (KPIs, ROI metrics) to gauge the efficiency and effectiveness of all internal and external processes, ensuring all change projects deliver and embed their intended benefits.
• Ensure that strategic objectives shaped at the group level are seamlessly translated into tactical delivery plans in-country, with mechanisms in place to monitor progress and performance.

Leadership, Culture & Talent Management

• Provide clear, powerful, and decisive leadership to a large, multi-disciplinary team of high-calibre professionals within the Operations & Technology function.
• Lead, inspire, and coach the team, building a high-performance culture that is customer-centric, innovative, and execution-focused.
• Champion succession planning for key roles, actively developing and mentoring talent to enhance the bank's in-country management capability.
• As a member of the Executive Committee, contribute to the overall leadership of the bank, sharing ideas and collaborating with peers to achieve the strategic vision.
• Live the Group's behaviours and inspire others to work together, effectively managing and embedding business and cultural change.

Risk, Governance & Compliance

• Act as the executive owner for operational risk, ensuring that all activities and duties are carried out in full compliance with regulatory requirements (including data privacy, security, financial crime, and Cyber Security), the Enterprise-Wide Risk Management Framework, and internal policies.
• Drive effective risk management, governance, and controls across the entire COO function.
• Manage key stakeholder relationships with regulators, external auditors, and critical third-party service providers.

Qualifications & Experience Required

• Education: A Bachelor's degree from a recognized university is essential. A Master's Degree in Business Administration (MBA) or a related field is highly preferred.

Experience:

• A minimum of 15+ years of progressive experience in the Financial Services sector.
• A minimum of 7+ years at an executive leadership level (e.g., Head of Operations, CIO, Head of Transformation) within a large and complex enterprise.
• Demonstrable track record of successfully leading large-scale digital transformation initiatives and delivering significant business and cultural change.
• Extensive experience in contributing to and implementing long-term corporate strategy.
• Comprehensive experience in senior-level operations management, with a strong understanding of banking processes, technology infrastructure, and change management.
• Knowledge: Essential - A comprehensive understanding of risk management frameworks, governance, and regulatory compliance within a financial institution.

Key Competencies & Skills

Technical & Functional Competencies

• Strategic Thinking: Ability to devise and drive innovative organizational initiatives and influence long-term strategy.
• Commercial Acumen: Deep entrepreneurial thinking with the ability to make sound business and financial decisions that drive ROI.
• Risk Management: Expertise in identifying, assessing, and mitigating operational, technological, and regulatory risks.
• Change Management: Proven ability to lead an organization through complex structural and cultural transitions.
• Digital Fluency: Strong understanding of emerging technologies (e.g., AI, cloud, data analytics) and their application in financial services.
• Analytical & Problem-Solving: Superior ability to analyse complex situations, identify root causes, and devise effective solutions.

Leadership & Behavioural Competencies

• Deciding & Initiating Action: Proactive and self-starting, with the ability to make clear, timely, and well-reasoned decisions.
• Persuading & Influencing: Highly skilled in influencing decisions and strategy at the board and executive level, and with external stakeholders.
• Relating & Networking: Builds strong, collaborative relationships across all levels of the organization and with external partners.
• Delivering Results & Customer Centricity: A relentless focus on execution and a passion for championing customer-centricity in all processes and outcomes.
• Adapting & Responding to Change: Resilient and adaptable, able to navigate ambiguity and lead effectively in a dynamic market.

Desired Skills:

• mentioned above

Desired Work Experience:

• More than 10 years

Desired Qualification Level:

• Degree