Head, Strategic & Reputational Risk Management at Access Bank

Reports to: Chief Risk Officer (CRO)

Job Overview

• The Head of Strategic and Reputational Risk Management is responsible for developing, implementing, and overseeing the bank's strategic and reputational risk management framework.
• The role requires a proactive leader who can navigate complex risk environments, protect the bank's reputation and align risk strategies with the bank's overall strategic objectives.

Functions & Responsibilities

Strategic Risk Management:

• Facilitate the continuous assessment of the bank’s strategic risks, ensuring alignment with the bank’s longterm objectives.
• Collaborate with senior management to embed strategic risk considerations into key decision-making processes.
• Monitor and report on emerging strategic risks that could impact the bank's growth, financial performance,
• and competitive positioning.

Reputational Risk Management:

• Identify, assess, and monitor reputational risks stemming from operational failures, regulatory breaches, negative publicity, and stakeholder dissatisfaction.
• Provide advisory support to business units to ensure activities, communications, and decisions align with the bank’s reputation management standards.
• Implement crisis response strategies and manage reputational risk incidents to minimize potential damage.

Risk Monitoring and Reporting:

• Prepare periodic risk reports for executive management and the Board Risk Committee, ensuring clarity and actionable insights.

Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration:

• Collaborate with internal stakeholders, including Legal, Compliance, Corporate Communications, and Business Units, to ensure cohesive risk management approaches.
• Engage with external stakeholders, including regulators, media, and industry bodies, to stay informed of evolving risk landscapes.

Leadership and People Management:

• Lead and mentor the Strategic and Reputational Risk Management team, fostering a high-performance, riskaware culture.
• Promote cross-functional collaboration to embed strategic and reputational risk awareness bank-wide.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in business, Finance, Risk Management, Economics, Accounting or a related field.
• A Master’s Degree or MBA is an added advantage.
• A recognized professional certification in risk management will be an added advantage.
• Minimum 8 years post-qualification experience in risk management or related area within the Banking Sector.

Skills/Competence Requirements:

Required Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Ability to link reputational risks to financial performance indicators (e.g., ROE, NPL ratios, share price movements).
• Competence in analyzing quarterly/annual reports to detect early warning signals.
• Skill in using analytics to monitor brand sentiment, stakeholder perceptions, and media exposure.
• Use of tools like Power BI, Tableau, or internal dashboards for reputational KPIs and scenario analysis.
• Proficiency in identifying, monitoring, and mitigating risks that could damage the bank’s reputation across multiple jurisdictions.
• Experience handling crises, customer trust issues, social media incidents, and media blowback.

Supervisory Skills:

• General managerial/ administration
• Team building/conflict management
• Coaching
• Leadership
• Organization and coordination skills
• Generic Skills
• Analytical Skills
• Strategic Orientation
• Communication
• Conflict Management.