Project Manager – Special Projects

Purpose of the Role:

The Project Manager – Special Projects is responsible for leading strategic, cross-functional initiatives that support growth, enhance operational efficiency, strengthen compliance readiness, and advance digital transformation within a retail financial services environment. The role focuses on complex, non-BAU projects that require strong project discipline, sound regulatory understanding, and the ability to bring together stakeholders across product, credit, risk, operations, retail, and technology.

Qualification & Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in commerce ( BCom ), Business Management , Finance , or a related field is required
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification (or equivalent) is strongly preferred.
• 10–15 years in project management within financial services, retail credit, fintech, or regulated environments.
• Proven track record delivering cross-functional or compliance-heavy projects.
• Experience with digital transformation, operational optimisation, or customer journey redesign.
• Exposure to retail environments (store operations, POS systems, customer support) is advantageous.

Core Competencies:

• Strong project management capability (Agile, Waterfall, hybrid).
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent workstreams in a high-volume, regulated environment.
• Exceptional organisational, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong communication and stakeholder engagement across technical and nontechnical teams.

Technical & Functional Skills:

• Experience in retail financial services: lending, payments, insurance , credit, or collections.
• Familiarity with digital product development, workflow automation, and operational systems.
• Proficiency with project tools (Jira, Asana, MS Project, Power BI, Excel).

Key Performance Areas:

Strategic Project Delivery

• Lead end-to-end delivery of high-impact projects across lending, payments, insurance, collections, customer experience, and retail channels.
• Build structured project plans with clear milestones, dependencies, and regulatory considerations.
• Drive alignment between business units, retail operations, technology, compliance, and external partners.
• Ensure projects land on time, within scope, and with measurable business impact.

Stakeholder & Partner Management

• Engage senior leadership, business units, technology teams, and external vendors with clarity and confidence.
• Facilitate steering committees, stand-ups, and cross-functional workshops.
• Manage expectations, resolve conflicts, and maintain transparent communication.

Reporting, Governance & Risk Management

• Produce executive-ready reporting, dashboards, and project scorecards.
• Maintain risk registers, decision logs, and compliance documentation.

Leadership Behaviors

• High accountability and ownership.
• Calm, structured, and decisive under pressure.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity and bring clarity.
• Collaborative, influential, and able to drive alignment across diverse teams.

General:

• We are committed to fair and inclusive hiring. All suitably qualified applicants are welcome to apply.
• Preference may be given in line with our client’s Employment Equity plan and applicable legislation.
• Applicants must have the legal right to work in South Africa at the time of application.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. If you do not hear from us within 30 days, please consider your application unsuccessful.
• Please include your current remuneration (CTC), salary expectation, and notice period (optional but helpful for screening).
• By applying, you consent to the processing of your personal information for recruitment purposes in accordance with POPIA.