Projects Portfolio Benefits Manager

Job description

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

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.

My Career Development Portal: Wherever you are in your career, we are here for you. Design your future. Discover leading-edge guidance, tools and support to unlock your potential. You are Absa. You are possibility.

Discover more
Free Job Posting
Recruitment Services
Strategic Planning

Job Summary

The role is responsible for ensuring strategic change initiatives and project investments deliver measurable business value aligned to the bank’s strategic objectives through effective benefits realization governance.
• Establish and oversee benefits realization frameworks across the project portfolio.
• Embed financial discipline, performance tracking, and value optimization throughout the project lifecycle.
• Ensure benefits are clearly defined, measurable, and aligned to approved business cases.
• Monitor and track realization of benefits during delivery and post-implementation phases.
• Collaborate closely with business, finance, digital and technology, and programme delivery teams to drive accountability for value delivery.
• Support sustained realization of benefits beyond project closure through structured governance and reporting.Job Search Platform

Job Description

Accountability: Driving Business Direction, Benefits & Financial Management: 35%

Outputs:

Discover more
Time management tools
Post a Job
Online networking event access
Translate strategic objectives into measurable project and programme benefits aligned to business and regulatory priorities.
Establish and maintain benefits realization frameworks, standards, and governance across the project portfolio.
Provide financial oversight of project value cases, including cost-benefit analysis, ROI tracking, and value realization reporting.
Challenge and validate business cases to ensure financial viability, benefit measurability, and strategic alignment.
Partner with Finance to track financial performance against approved investment cases and forecast benefit realization.
Support portfolio prioritization by providing value-based insights and investment trade-off analysis.
Ensure regulatory and transformation initiatives demonstrate quantifiable business outcomes and sustainability of benefits.
Prepare executive and SteerCo reporting on benefits performance, risks to value realization, and corrective actions
From time to time engage Country Management Committee (CMC) with Director, Digital and Technology Transformation and/or Head of Projects and Transformation on benefits realisation management to present a compelling case based on both financial and non-financial benefits to make compelling case for appropriate decision making to drive bottom-line impact.

Accountability: Performance Planning and Benefits Management: 35%

Outputs:

Define benefit Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), baselines, and measurement methodologies during project initiation.
Monitor benefits realization throughout delivery and post-implementation phases to ensure sustained value.
Develop benefits tracking dashboards and reporting mechanisms across programmes and projects.
Identify realization risks and implement mitigation strategies to protect expected outcomes.
Facilitate benefits planning workshops with business owners and project sponsors.
Ensure accountability by assigning benefit owners within business units and tracking ownership commitments.
Conduct post-implementation reviews to validate realized benefits versus approved business cases.
Embed continuous improvement practices to enhance benefits realization maturity within the organization.

Accountability: Leadership and Teamwork: 20%

Outputs:

Collaborate effectively with programme managers, project managers, finance teams, and business stakeholders.
Provide guidance and coaching to project teams on benefits management practices and value-driven delivery.
Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and results-oriented performance within the projects function.
Contribute to knowledge sharing, process improvement, and capability development within the Project Management Office (PMO)/projects department.
Maintain continuous professional development aligned with project governance, financial management, and banking industry practices.

Accountability: Risk and Control: 10%

Outputs:

Ensure benefits realization practices align with enterprise risk management and internal control frameworks.
Identify financial, operational, and delivery risks that may impact realization of expected project benefits.
Work with Risk, Compliance, and Internal Audit teams to ensure regulatory and governance requirements are embedded within project value tracking.
Validate that benefit assumptions and financial projections are realistic, auditable, and supported by appropriate controls.
Monitor benefit leakage risks and escalate deviations through established governance forums.
Support audit reviews by providing traceability between approved business cases, delivery outcomes, and realized benefits.

Ensure that all activities and duties are carried out in full compliance with regulatory requirements, Absa Operational Risk Framework and internal Absa Policies and Standards.

Education

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