Head of Strategy Enablement at Standard Bank, Johannesburg
Standard Bank · Johannesburg, Gauteng
Overview
Standard Bank is looking for a seasoned strategy leader to join their Johannesburg team as Head of Strategy Enablement. You will work closely with executives to turn big picture ambitions into practical, integrated initiatives that drive real transformation across the bank. This is a senior role for someone with deep financial services strategy experience who enjoys influencing decision making and shaping how strategy actually gets done. If you have over a decade of experience and a passion for execution excellence, this could be your next big move.
About the role
As Head of Strategy Enablement at Standard Bank, you will be the bridge between strategic ambition and real world execution. You will work within a Business Line, Group Function or Region to translate high level strategy into integrated, scalable initiatives that actually stick.
Your days will involve advising executives on market positioning and competitive advantage, leading scenario planning, and conducting research to generate insights that shape functional decision making. You will influence investment decisions and portfolio prioritisation, establish strategic frameworks, and guide leaders to align their strategies for integrated value delivery.
You will lead the early stage development of strategic initiatives, oversee execution governance, and ensure strategic coherence across geographies. You will engage with internal clients to diagnose problems and co-create solutions, influence StratCO agendas, and embed execution discipline through tools, standards and capability building.
Drafting strategic narratives and presentations for Exco and Board will be part of your remit, along with developing communication plans for strategic initiatives. You will lead change engagement sessions, track delivery against strategic KPIs, and drive data informed decision making and adaptive strategy refinement. Guiding the evolution of business models, establishing partnerships with thought leaders and academia, and integrating strategic risk management into planning and execution are also key aspects of the role.
Application note: You will apply on Standard Bank's official recruitment site, not through the mybankjobs.co.za listing page.
Requirements
- Post Graduate Degree in Business Commerce, Finance and Accounting, Generic Management, or Risk Management
- More than 10 years of experience managing a broad range of projects to completion and achieving defined business objectives or metrics
- More than 10 years of experience influencing and inspiring teams or business leads in driving transformational change through strategic imperatives and operational efficiencies within a banking context across multiple jurisdictions
- More than 10 years of strategy experience in the financial services industry
- More than 10 years track record of contributing to strategic thinking and initiatives
- Strong behavioural competencies including articulating information, challenging ideas, convincing people, developing strategies, embracing change, examining information, interacting with people, interpreting data, providing insights, and taking action
- Technical competencies in conducting research, financial industry regulatory framework, operational planning, performance benchmarking, programme management, risk and reward thinking, strategic planning and reporting, strategy definition, and written communication
Responsibilities
- Advise the executive team on market positioning, competitive advantage, and strategic trade offs for the area of responsibility
- Lead strategic scenario planning and foresight for the long term horizon
- Conduct research and generate insights to embed strategic thinking and support functional decision making
- Influence strategic investment decisions and portfolio prioritisation to optimise resource allocation
- Establish strategic frameworks that guide leaders in aligning strategies to deliver integrated value
- Lead early stage development and refinement of strategic initiatives and oversee execution governance
- Engage with internal clients to diagnose problems and co-create solutions
- Influence StratCO agendas to reflect strategic priorities
- Embed execution discipline through tools, standards and capability building
- Draft strategic narratives and presentations for Exco and Board
- Develop communication plans and supporting collateral for strategic initiatives
- Lead change engagement sessions and leadership dialogues
- Track delivery against strategic KPIs and performance frameworks
- Drive data informed decision making and adaptive strategy refinement
- Guide the evolution of business models to unlock new value streams
- Establish partnerships with thought leaders, academia and industry bodies
- Integrate strategic risk management into planning and execution
- Influence strategic budgeting, investment planning and capital allocation decisions
- Contribute to governance frameworks that support strategic execution and reputation
Job details
- Organisation
- Standard Bank
- Location
- Johannesburg, Gauteng
- Job type
- Full time
- Experience level
- Executive (10+ years)
- Education
- Postgraduate diploma
- Category
- Banking & Insurance
- Posted
- 5 November 2026 (2 days ago)
- Application Method
- Apply online
Success Guide
This is a senior strategy role, so your application needs to show more than just experience. Standard Bank will be looking for proof that you have actually shaped strategy and driven execution in a banking environment. Use your CV and cover letter to highlight specific projects where you influenced executive decisions, led transformation, or improved strategic outcomes.
Before you apply, make sure your postgraduate qualification is clearly stated and that your experience spans multiple jurisdictions if possible. The interview process will likely probe your ability to think strategically and execute practically, so prepare examples of how you have navigated complex trade offs and managed stakeholders at Exco level.
Remember to apply through the Standard Bank careers portal using the link provided. Good luck!
How we help you prepare
This employer takes applications on their own website, so you'll submit this one yourself — but SPAAN NOW gets everything ready for you first. Here's how it works:
- Our AI tailors your CV to match this job's keywords and requirements, so it stands out to recruiters and screening systems.
- A custom cover letter is written specifically for this role — no generic templates.
- We gather the documents this job needs: CV, Degree certificate and Academic transcript. SPAAN NOW pulls these from your profile and packages them together, ready to attach.
- Once your application is prepared, we show you exactly how and where to apply — just follow the link to the employer and submit your ready-made CV, cover letter and documents.
- Mark it as applied under Applications to keep track, and if you're shortlisted, use AI Interview Prep to practise questions commonly asked for roles like this.
We do the hard part — tailoring and gathering everything — so applying yourself only takes a minute.
Spaan Talk
Nobody has said anything yet. Be the first.