Head of Model Development Unsecured Decision Models & WFS

Job Summary

The Head of Model Development: Unsecured Decision Models & WFS leads the development of industry-leading credit decision models across Unsecured Lending, including Application, Behavioural, Collections and Profitability models that drive customer acquisition, portfolio management and collections strategies. The role is responsible for advancing decision science capabilities through the use of machine learning, unstructured data and innovative analytical techniques to deliver sustainable commercial value. In addition, the role oversees the development of impairment and regulatory capital models for Woolworths Financial Services. The incumbent leads a team of modelling specialists and ensures the delivery of analytically robust, commercially effective and regulatorily compliant modelling solutions.

The Head of Model Development: Unsecured Decision Models & WFS is a senior leadership role responsible for shaping and delivering industry-leading credit decisioning capabilities across Unsecured Lending, while also overseeing the impairment regulatory capital and decision modelling portfolio for Woolworths Financial Services. The role owns a broad suite of Application, Behavioural, Collections, Profitability and other Propensity models that are central to customer acquisition, portfolio growth, customer management and collections effectiveness.

A key mandate of the role is to drive the future direction of decision science by leveraging advanced analytics, machine learning, automation, alternative data sources and unstructured data to improve predictive performance and business outcomes. The successful candidate will lead a high-performing team of quantitative specialists and be accountable for the end-to-end model lifecycle, from strategy and development through implementation, monitoring and optimisation.

Working closely with senior stakeholders across Risk, Business, Data and Technology, the incumbent will ensure that modelling solutions translate into measurable commercial value while maintaining the highest standards of governance, analytical rigour and regulatory compliance. This is an opportunity to lead one of the most strategically important decision modelling functions in the organisation and help define the next generation of data-driven credit decisioning capabilities.

Experience and Education:

• Appropriate degree in numerate, analytical field (e.g., Financial Mathematics, Statistics, Actuarial, Engineering, etc.)
• 10+ years proven track record in the banking, financial or similar environment
• 7+ years model experience, ideally within Retail Credit Risk
• Knowledge and practical experience using analytics / modelling to solve complex business problems
• 5+ years technical team lead experience

Education

Bachelor Honours Degree: Actuarial Science, Bachelor Honours Degree: Mathematics (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