Strategy Support Assistant

Strategy Support Assistant

Johannesburg, South Africa

Who we are

We are the market leader in commercial real estate services and investments and provide an integrated suite of high-quality real estate services to our clients across Africa and the Middle East, including facilities management, advisory & transaction services, project management.

About the role

This role will focus on developing and executing property strategies across the bank's diverse portfolio-including retail branches, corporate offices, and ATM facilities-to ensure operational efficiency, customer accessibility, and alignment with long-term business goals.

Why This Role Matters:

This role is not about incremental improvement-it's about positioning ABSA's physical footprint for future relevance. It shapes how capital is allocated, how customers interact with ABSA in a changing landscape, and how the business achieves competitive advantage through real estate. The HOD is expected to operate as a strategic advisor, transformation lead, data synthesizer, and governance champion-all at once.

What you will bring:

• Bachelor's degree in real estate, Finance, Business, Urban Planning, or a related field (Master's advantageous).
• Minimum of 5-7 years' experience in real estate strategy, property consulting, or corporate real estate, preferably within banking or financial services.
• Experience managing multi-asset portfolios including retail sites, office buildings, and ATM networks.
• Strong proficiency in financial modeling, cost-benefit analysis, and scenario planning.
• Knowledge of the South African property landscape, zoning regulations, and lease management practices.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement skills and the ability to influence at an executive level.
• Proficiency in relevant tools (e.g., Excel, Power BI, GIS mapping platforms, and real estate data sources like SAP RE, MRI, or equivalent).

What you will be doing:

• Strategic Portfolio Visioning: Lead the development of near- and long-term real estate strategies across retail, corporate, and ATM portfolios that align with ABSA's evolving workplace models, customer access goals, and financial objectives.
• Network Optimization Catalyst: Drive rationalization and growth decisions by evaluating performance metrics, demographic trends, and market data. This includes guiding where branches and ATMs should be consolidated, relocated, or expanded-balancing cost efficiency with customer convenience.
• Scenario-Based Planning & Forecasting: Oversee creation of real estate optimization plans and robust financial models (including NPV, IRR, and cost-to-serve analyses) to support business cases for acquisition, consolidation, or disposal-feeding into ABSA's governance and capital planning cycles.
• Governance and Executive Interface: Act as a key conduit between the real estate workstreams and ABSA's senior leadership forums. You will prepare and deliver strategy updates, investment case briefings, and market dashboards that directly influence C-suite decisions.
• Real Estate Risk & Opportunity Management: Lead critical lease event tracking and risk mapping, ensuring ABSA proactively manages tenure risk, lease alignment, and nodal concentration exposure.
• Data and Market Intelligence Integration: Direct the integration of internal and external data-using mapping tools (GIS), competitor benchmarks, and macroeconomic indicators-to produce actionable insights and trend analyses across the full portfolio.
• Cross-Functional Enablement: Partner with Finance, Facilities, IT, and Human Capital teams to ensure real estate strategies are executable, costed, and embedded into operational plans.
• Drive participation in annual planning workshops and cross-disciplinary strategy reviews.
• Transformation Driver: Identify structural inefficiencies, underutilized space, and future-of work trends. Support transformation initiatives that enhance portfolio flexibility, reduce costs, and enable new ways of working.
• Delivery & Reporting Oversight: Own the preparation of monthly, quarterly, and annual strategy reports, pipeline reviews, benchmarking reports, and market updates that form part of ABSA's real estate governance protocols.

Essential Skills & Competencies: Core Skills:

• Ability to develop and implement long-term real estate plans aligned with business goals.
• Understand how property strategy impacts customer experience, operational efficiency, and financial performance.

Financial Acumen

• Proficiency in financial modeling, budgeting, and total cost of occupancy analysis.
• Strong understanding of lease economics, capital investment evaluation, and ROI analysis.

Data Analytics

• Comfort working with large datasets, geospatial data, and market intelligence to inform decision-making.
• Ability to translate data into actionable insights and strategic recommendations.

Real Estate & Market Knowledge

• Deep understanding of the South African property market, including commercial leasing, zoning laws, and development trends.
• Knowledge of retail banking networks, ATM placement strategies, and corporate office requirements.

Project Management

• Ability to manage and coordinate strategic initiatives, feasibility studies, and business case development.
• Track record of delivering cross-functional projects on time and within budget.

Technology Proficiency

• Skilled in Excel (advanced), PowerPoint, and real estate tools like SAP RE, Archibus, MRI, or equivalent.
• Familiarity with GIS platforms, Power BI/Tableau for data visualization, and digital mapping tools.

Negotiation & Stakeholder Engagement

• Capable of influencing and negotiating with landlords, service providers, and internal stakeholders.
• Strong presentation and communication skills, especially when dealing with executive leadership.

Key Competencies: Analytical & Critical Thinking

• Ability to assess complex variables, identify trends, and create evidence-based recommendations.
• Customer-Centric Mindset
• Understanding of how real estate strategy supports customer convenience and brand presence, especially in retail banking.

Adaptability & Agility

• Comfortable navigating changing business requirements, emerging technologies, and regulatory environments.

Collaboration & Relationship Building

• Builds strong partnerships with internal departments (HR, IT, Finance, Legal) and external vendors or consultants.

Commercial Awareness

• Aware of broader economic, social, and industry trends affecting real estate strategy, including hybrid work, ESG, and digital banking.

Problem Solving Orientation

• Proactive in identifying challenges and opportunities across the real estate portfolio and driving practical solutions.

Ethical Judgment & Governance Awareness

• Knowledge of compliance and governance in financial institutions and its intersection with property strategy.