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: Talent Acquisition Services is accountable for leading the design, delivery, and continuous improvement of Talent Acquisition (TA) operations across the organisation, ensuring alignment with the Group’s people strategy, policies, and governance. The role ensures consistent, efficient, and compliant recruitment processes, while integrating with HC Technologies, Workforce Planning, and other HC functions to optimise the end-to-end talent value chain.Job Description
Key Focus Areas
Governance and operational excellence in Talent Acquisition.
Integration of TA delivery with Group Talent Acquisition strategy and frameworks.
Digital enablement and data-driven recruitment insights.
Strategic workforce planning and future talent pipelines.
Stakeholder engagement and partnership with, Talent Acquisition CoE, CPOs and business leaders.
Leadership, capability building, and continuous improvement of TA teams.
Key Accountabilities
1. Talent Acquisition Strategy Execution & Governance
Translate the Group Talent and Workforce Strategy into an operational Talent Acquisition roadmap for all geographies and business units.
Establish and maintain governance structures, policies, and standard operating procedures to ensure compliance with Group HC standards and local labour legislation.
Embed consistent recruitment governance across regions, ensuring transparency, fairness, and ethical hiring practices.
Partner with the Talent CoE and HC COO leadership to continuously refine and align TA frameworks with evolving business priorities and workforce demands.
Serve as the key governance custodian for recruitment processes, audits, and compliance within the HC COO domain.
2. Talent Acquisition Operations & Delivery Excellence
Lead the end-to-end delivery of recruitment services across Africa, encompassing job posting, screening, interviewing, selection, and offer management.
Build scalable, efficient processes that balance high-volume hiring, critical skills recruitment.
Oversee the execution of graduate and early careers programs in collaboration with the Talent Acquisition CoE and business units.
Ensure delivery standards, SLAs, and performance metrics are met across all talent acquisition channels.
Drive operational efficiency through process simplification, automation, and continuous improvement methodologies.
3. Digital Enablement & Data-Driven Insights
Leverage advanced recruitment technologies, AI-driven sourcing tools, and applicant tracking systems to enhance recruiter productivity and candidate experience.
Integrate TA data with HC analytics platforms to provide insight into workforce planning, hiring trends, and predictive talent needs.
Develop and maintain dashboards to monitor key metrics such as time-to-fill, cost-per-hire, quality-of-hire, and sourcing effectiveness.
Use data analytics to inform decisions, identify process gaps, and drive continuous improvement in recruitment outcomes.
4. Strategic Workforce Planning & Talent Pipelining
Partner with the Workforce Planning and Talent Acquisition CoE to forecast future hiring requirements and develop proactive sourcing strategies.
Build and maintain strategic talent pipelines and critical-skill talent pools to enable business readiness and agility.
Conduct market mapping and competitive intelligence to anticipate emerging skills, labour trends, and talent availability across African markets.
Ensure the organisation’s employer brand and EVP are embedded into talent attraction strategies, in partnership with relevant internal partners such as the Communication team.
5. Stakeholder Partnership and Integration
Partner with Group TA team, BU TA teams, HRBPs, and business leaders to deliver integrated, demand-aligned TA solutions.
Collaborate with the Talent, Performance & Learning CoE to ensure alignment between recruitment, internal mobility, and talent development strategies.
Work closely with HC Tech teams to drive automation, system integration, and technology adoption within the recruitment value chain.
Build trusted relationships with Finance, Legal, and Compliance functions to ensure alignment of recruitment governance and reporting.
6. Leadership, Capability Building & Team Development
Lead, coach, and develop a geographically dispersed Talent Acquisition team to build future-fit capability.
Foster a culture of data-driven decision-making, digital fluency, and customer-centric service delivery.
Ensure clear accountabilities, performance management, and talent development within the TA function.
Promote diversity, inclusion, and equity in all recruitment activities and decision-making.
Knowledge & Skills Required
Technical & Functional Expertise
Deep knowledge of end-to-end Talent Acquisition processes, recruitment governance, and workforce planning integration.
Strong understanding of African labour markets, compliance landscapes, and regional recruitment practices.
Proficiency with HC systems and recruitment technology platforms (e.g., Workday, SuccessFactors, Avature, or equivalent).
Experience implementing AI-enabled sourcing tools, CRM systems, and analytics dashboards.
Strategic & Analytical Skills
Ability to translate strategic workforce and talent plans into scalable recruitment operations.
Advanced analytical capability to interpret hiring metrics, predict trends, and guide business decisions.
Strong problem-solving and systems-thinking ability to integrate recruitment within the broader HR ecosystem.
Leadership & Collaboration
Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams across geographies with a focus on governance, quality, and performance.
Strong relationship management and influencing skills with CPOs, business executives, and HC CoEs.
Experience managing complex stakeholder networks and balancing strategic alignment with operational delivery.
Future-Fit Capabilities
Digital mindset with fluency in HC analytics, automation, and AI applications in talent acquisition.
Continuous learning orientation and adaptability to emerging workforce and technology trends.
Deep commitment to ethical recruitment, fairness, and diversity and inclusion.
Ability to operate effectively in a matrixed, fast-paced, and pan-African context.
Qualifications & Experience
Post Graduate Degree in Human Resources, Business or related field (NQF8).
Master’s degree in Human Resources, Business, or related field (preferred).
12 - 15+ years’ experience in Talent Acquisition, including 5+ years in leadership roles across multiple geographies.
Experience within large, complex organisations with a shared services or HC COO model preferred.
Demonstrated track record in leading digital transformation and governance within TA operations.
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