Senior Manager, Governance & Controls

Sidian Bank Limited is a Kenyan financial institution established in 1984, offering a range of banking and financial services.

The Senior Manager, Governance & Controls at Sidian Bank is responsible for providing leadership and oversight for the bank's Operations governance and control framework. This includes managing operational excellence initiatives such as Business Process Re-engineering and Quality Assurance, overseeing central reconciliations for all internal accounts (excluding profit and loss), and directing transaction monitoring and exceptions management across all channels. The role also encompasses centralized Registry and Records Management, including the secure custody and archiving of KYC and other operational documents. Additionally, the manager coordinates first-line Operational Risk Management within Operations, focusing on effective controls, timely issue resolution, process compliance, data integrity, risk mitigation, and continuous improvement efforts.

1. Establish and continuously strengthen the Operations governance and control framework, ensuring clear ownership, effective controls, regulatory compliance, and timely remediation of identified gaps.
2. Lead the Operational Excellence function, including Business Process Re-engineering and Quality Assurance, to enhance process efficiency, standardization, control effectiveness, service quality, and turnaround times.
3. Oversee accurate and timely reconciliation of all internal accounts (excluding profit and loss), ensuring prompt investigation, escalation, and resolution of outstanding and aged items.
4. Direct end-to-end transaction monitoring across all channels to identify and resolve failed, delayed, duplicated, unmatched, suspicious, or exceptional transactions.
5. Maintain a robust exceptions management framework for effective tracking, root-cause analysis, escalation, resolution, and prevention of recurring operational exceptions.
6. Oversee centralized custody, indexing, retrieval, retention, archiving, and secure disposal of KYC and other operational records in compliance with legal, regulatory, and internal requirements.
7. Coordinate first-line Operational Risk Management across Operations, including risk and control assessments, control testing, incident reporting, loss-event management, and implementation of risk mitigation actions.
8. Implement risk-based quality assurance reviews to assess adherence to approved policies, procedures, service standards, regulatory obligations, and established operational controls.
9. Ensure timely closure of operational risk, audit, compliance, quality assurance, and regulatory findings with sustainable corrective actions and appropriate evidence.
10. Provide accurate and timely governance, risk, reconciliation, transaction monitoring, records management, and operational performance reports to support management decisions and continuous improvement.

1. Bachelor’s degree in Commerce, Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, Banking, Economics, Operations Management, or a related field from a recognized university.
2. A master’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Risk Management, or a related discipline is an added advantage.
3. Relevant professional certification in Accounting, Banking, Risk Management, Internal Audit, Compliance, Quality Management, or Business Process Improvement is desirable.
4. Minimum of 8 years’ progressive experience in banking operations, operational governance and controls, reconciliations, transaction monitoring and exceptions management, quality assurance, business process re-engineering, records management, or operational risk management.
5. At least 3 years of experience in a leadership role.
6. Demonstrated experience leading operational governance and control functions, including central reconciliations, transaction monitoring and exceptions management, quality assurance, business process re-engineering, records management, operational risk coordination, and remediation of control deficiencies.
7. Proven experience leading cross-functional control remediation, operational change, business process improvement, quality assurance initiatives, and executive-level governance and risk reporting.
8. Strong knowledge of banking operations, operational governance, central reconciliations, transaction monitoring, exceptions management, records management, and internal control frameworks.
9. Expertise in operational excellence, Business Process Re-engineering, quality assurance, root-cause analysis, control testing, issue remediation, and continuous improvement.
10. Strong understanding of first-line operational risk management, regulatory requirements, KYC documentation standards, data protection, information security, audit requirements, and records retention obligations.
11. Advanced analytical ability, including interpretation of reconciliation, transaction, exception, risk, quality, and process-performance data.
12. Strong ability to design, assess, and strengthen operational controls, establish measurable quality standards, and drive timely resolution of audit findings, reconciliation breaks, exceptions, and recurring process failures.
13. Excellent leadership, stakeholder management, sound judgment, written communication, and executive-level governance and risk reporting skills.
14. Ability to remain objective and composed when addressing material exceptions, control failures, operational risk events, and competing priorities, while coordinating timely and sustainable corrective action.