Head: Acquiring and ATMs PPB and BB Africa Regions

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Requirements Summary

Regional platforms and propositions Market prioritisation and phased rollout models Standardisation where scale benefits exist, with localisation where required Expand m

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With over 100 years of rich history and strongly positioned as a local bank with regional and international expertise, a career with our family offers the opportunity to be part of this exciting growth journey, to reset our future and shape our destiny as a proudly African group.

Job Summary

The Head of Payment Acceptance & ATMs – Africa Regions is accountable for the end to end commercial, strategic, and operational leadership of Merchant Acquiring (payment acceptance) and ATM businesses across Absa’s African markets (excluding South Africa), spanning Personal & Private Banking and Business Banking.
The role is a value creating executive mandate, with accountability for P&L performance, growth delivery, regional leverage, and strategic transformation. It exists to build a profitable, scalable, and resilient acceptance franchise that enables growth, deepens client relationships, and delivers sustainable returns through disciplined portfolio management, innovation, and regional execution.

Hold full regional commercial accountability for acceptance and ATM portfolios, including revenues, costs, investments, and returns.
Define and execute revenue growth levers across difference facets of the business
Actively manage unit economics, margins, and cost efficiency, including switching, network, and vendor costs.
Own Investment requirement and complete business cases, ensuring clear ROI discipline for platform modernisation, infrastructure expansion, and new propositions..

Define and execute the regional growth strategy for payment acceptance and ATMs across PPB and BB, aligned to Group Payments strategy.
Drive scale through:
- Regional platforms and propositions
- Market prioritisation and phased rollout models
- Standardisation where scale benefits exist, with localisation where required
Expand merchant and ATM footprints across micro, SME, commercial, and enterprise segments across channels

Act as Absa’s regional thought leader on payment acceptance and ATMs.
Translate global and African payments trends into actionable regional strategies, with a focus on driving digital, financial inclusion and interoperatbility:
Partner with Country Leaders, influencing market‑level priorities and investment decisions.

Define regional frameworks across the Business and Value Chains
Establish minimum standards and guardrails while enabling country‑level execution.
Chair or contribute to relevant regional forums and steering committees.
Ensure full compliance with Group policies, local regulations, and scheme rules.
Accountable for operational resilience, uptime, fraud mitigation, and contingency planning.

Act as Accountable Executive (A‑Exec) for major regional initiatives
Ensure delivery against business cases, timelines, risk appetite, and customer outcomes.
Proactively resolve delivery, vendor, and market‑specific challenges.

Enable differentiated merchant and client experiences across Retail, SME, and Commercial Banking.
Partner with Sales, Coverage, and Relationship teams to drive entrenchment and usage

Lead and develop regional specialist teams in a matrix environment.
Build strong succession pipelines and specialist capability across markets.
Influence without direct authority across federated country structures.

Group and Regional Payments leadership
Country Card Heads, Business Banking Directors
Product, Technology, Operations, and Risk teams
Card schemes, networks, fintech and technology partners
Merchants, aggregators, and strategic partners

Requirements

~1 min read

Postgraduate Degree (MBA advantageous)
10 years senior leadership experience in payments, acquiring, transactional banking, or financial services platforms
Proven P&L ownership and growth delivery track record
Experience operating across multiple African or emerging markets
Strong commercial, strategic, and execution capability
Ability to operate credibly at Board, ExCo, and country executive levelInput relevant info

Education

Bachelor`s Degrees and Advanced Diplomas: Business, Commerce and Management Studies (Required)

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