Job Description

An organisation that is a champion for small businesses, enabling and supporting them financially and non-financially through strategic partnerships in South Africa is seeking a Chief Operations and Risk Officer. Reporting to the CEO, this role will Support the Chief Executive Officer and collaborate with the executive management team to define a strategy that achieves operational excellence, mitigates risk, and enable the achievement of the objectives.Key Requirements:

• B -degree in Finance/Management/Strategy
• MBA / Masters / Post grad qualification in a related field would be advantageous
• 10 years experience in managing operations
• 10 years experience in credit and risk
• 5 years experience working with SMMEs

Reporting to the CEO, this role will:

• Support the Chief Executive Officer and collaborate with the executive management team to define a strategy that achieves operational excellence, mitigates risk, and enables the achievement of the objectives
• Convert the strategy into an operational plan to achieve the business
• Take overall accountability for the operations and delivery of
• Execute on resource management and infrastructure for implementation of all products and services for clients, partners, and beneficiaries.
• Co-create and implement the governance structure for the management of risk with respect to the framework, policies, procedures, standards, systems, measurement, credit scoring and evaluation.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and organisational
• Manage all partners and suppliers on the platform inclusive of those on the procurement
• Enhance and improve all vendor, stakeholder and team relationships by providing guidance and training.
• Implement and manage the change strategy and reporting
• Provide support to Credit Management and act as a key member of the Credit Committee

Skills and attributes:

• Leadership skills with the ability to delegate, motivate and inspire team members
• Strong planning, organisational and execution skills
• Strong entrepreneurial and commercial thinking
• Excellent attention to detail and problem-solving skills with an action orientation
• Highly analytical and decisive
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Self-motivated and proactive
• Change management at an executive level
• Collaborative and able to build effective relationships
• Adept at formulating strategies and concepts
• High EQ and low ego
• Strategic Input

• Provide input to the strategy formulation process to achieve objectives
• Ensure that the company is well positioned to provide and manage loans and any other leading services
• Engage all stakeholders, role players and industry forums to understand changes to strategy, regulations, and markets
• Drive sustainable cost and processing efficiencies through continuous innovation, industry benchmarking and alignment to best practices
• Scan the external market to understand future challenges and opportunities, and trends
• Review the strategy to ensure alignment with the changing dynamics of internal and external ecosystems

2. Operations Management

• Formulate and implement the operational plans
• Implement performance controls to proactively measure achievement against strategic targets and address changes or non-performance
• Develop and implement all platforms and infrastructure to deliver all products and services
• Establish, manage and expand a network of direct and indirect resources through which to deliver the products and services of the company to its partners, clients and beneficiaries
• Maintain and re-negotiate contracts with service providers and suppliers in line with the strategic objectives
• Ensure rigorous cost management within the company by managing the approved Monitor and report all processes and instil discipline within the team around cost control
• Produce weekly and monthly reporting on operational business performance

3. Risk and Credit Management

• Take accountability for governance and risk
• Identify and document risks and drive actions to mitigate against these
• Drive a culture of proactive compliance and risk management with the executive team
• Implement effective corrective measures to ensure operational and credit controls and address negative budgetary variances.
• Ensure there is a whistleblowing process in place that is managed
• Set minimum standards for conduct and reputational risk
• Work with the executive team to embed a strong risk culture to identify, escalate and manage risk matters.
• Produce regular reporting on risk and
• Co-formulate and implement the credit scoring plans
• Work with the CEO and CFCO to operationalise the credit lending models and management of costs

4. Policies, Procedures, People and Infrastructure

• Design the business architecture and infrastructure for service
• Draft and design systems, processes, policies and ways of work to achieve the objectives of
• Establish appropriate governance structures to facilitate decision making, test controls and track performance.
• Together with the executive team determine the people management strategy
• Drive the overall resource agenda to ensure that the roll out of new resources are in line with the strategy, change management strategy and budget allocation.
• Take steps to establish and drive a high-performance culture by coaching and mentoring leaders and using the performance development framework.
• Establish and maintain a succession plan and talent pipeline for the key roles in the area and review and approve succession plans

5. Change and Innovation Strategy

• Research the SMME industry to identify opportunities for the company in line with its strategy
• Draft change strategies and plans for new products and systems that have been approved and signed off by the executive management team
• Leverage the network of partners and develop new systems, products, and services for multiple market segments across the spectrum of partners, clients, and
• Roll out and implement any new commercial models resulting in the improvements of the company

Should you meet the requirements for this role, email your detailed CV to

Edge Executive