Head Operations Marketing and Communication

Empowering Africa’s tomorrow, together…one story at a time.

Job Summary

Are you a visionary marketing operations leader with the ability to turn strategy into scalable, data driven execution across a multi country environment? We are looking for a Head of Operations – Marcom, responsible for shaping the operational, technological, and financial backbone of our marketing organisation across Africa.
This executive role is pivotal in enabling client centric marketing excellence, embedding governance, and driving operational performance that accelerates growth and strengthens our brand in high trust, regulated markets.

Job Description

Role

Strategic Leadership

• Craft and execute the marketing operations strategy aligned to enterprise growth priorities.

• Embed agile, digital, and continuous improvement methodologies across all marketing teams.

• Integrate central marketing capabilities with regional execution for maximum impact.

Client‑Centric Marketing Operations

• Enable personalised, compliant, high‑quality client experiences across channels.

• Use insights and customer data to influence operational planning and capability investment.

• Champion service excellence frameworks that enhance trust, engagement, and retention.

Sustainable Growth Enablement

• Optimise budgets, systems, and resources for scalable, high‑ROI marketing delivery.

• Drive cross‑functional collaboration to unlock efficiency and accelerate business performance.

• Monitor growth delivery and resolve operational barriers across teams.

Innovation, Digital & MarTech Leadership

• Lead marketing technology platforms including CRM, automation, data, and analytics.

• Promote digital adoption, workflow automation, and data‑driven decision‑making.

• Scan the external environment for emerging technologies and delivery models.

Operational Excellence & Governance

• Design standardised processes, workflows, and governance practices for consistency and scale.

• Oversee compliance, audit readiness, risk management, and regulatory (e.g., POPIA, GDPR) alignment.

• Ensure operational integration across functions and regions to eliminate friction points.

People Leadership

• Build, inspire, and mentor a high‑performing marketing operations team.

• Drive a culture of accountability, creativity, learning, and inclusion.

• Develop future-ready capabilities and strong leadership pipelines.

 

 Qualifications & Experience

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, Business Administration, Information Systems, Finance, or related field.

• 12–15 years’ experience in a major enterprise environment, including at least 5 years in people leadership.

• Extensive experience in designing customer‑centric solutions and managing enterprise‑wide stakeholders.

• Hands-on expertise in MarTech, governance, risk, compliance, and large‑scale budget management.

• Strong track record in B2B brand, communications, content, and reputation management within regulated industries.

Advantageous:

• MBA or equivalent postgraduate qualification.

• Certifications in Digital Marketing, Emerging Tech, or AI.

• Experience across pan‑African or international markets.

 

Education

Postgraduate Degrees and Professional Qualifications: 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