Vacancies at Equity Bank Kenya

A senior leadership role accountable for an enterprise-wide DR orchestration and testing program spanning data centers, cloud, networks, applications, data platforms, and third-party services. The role builds automated runbooks, governs recovery scenarios, executes end-to-end exercises (tabletop to full failover), and drives remediation. It tightly integrates with Change/Release, Backup & Recovery, Cybersecurity, SRE/Operations, and Business Units to assure recoverability for core banking, payments, digital channels, and shared services across all subsidiaries.

Key Accountabilities

• Strategy, Policy & Governance
• Define and maintain the Group DR Orchestration & Testing Policy, Standards, and Playbooks aligned to ITIL v4, ISO 22301/27031, and NIST SP 800-34.
• Institutionalize governance anchored by the IT Steering Committee and the Service Continuity/DR Working Group as the mechanisms for cadence, accountability, and reporting.
• Establish decision rights, RACI, and acceptance criteria for “go-live” recoverability (RTO/RPO, data integrity, service dependencies).
• Embed DR impact assessment in Change, Release, and Architecture review gates.
• Orchestration & Automation
• Design and implement automated recovery runbooks (e.g., infra, platform, DB, app, network/DNS, identity) leveraging workflow/orchestration tools, Infrastructure-as-Code, and CI/CD.
• Engineer repeatable failover/failback patterns (active–active, active–standby, zonal/region/site) for on‑prem, hybrid, and cloud workloads.
• Integrate observability (APM, logs, synthetics) to validate service health during exercises and real events.
• Testing Program Management
• Own the Group DR Test Calendar (annual/quarterly/monthly) covering tabletop, technical component tests, integrated service tests, and full-scale exercises.
• Define test scenarios based on BIAs, risk scenarios (e.g., ransomware, DC outage, carrier failure, major release rollback), and regulatory expectations.
• Measure and certify recoverability per service; track defects, action owners, and closure SLAs.
• Data, Backup & Cyber Recovery Assurance
• Align backup/restore testing with application-level recovery (including immutable/air-gapped copies, vaulting, and key management).
• Validate data integrity, transaction reconciliation, and journal consistency post-recovery (e.g., core banking, card switch, channels).
• Coordinate with Cybersecurity on ransomware readiness, clean‑room recovery, and malware‑free restore procedures.
• Third-Party & Cloud Resilience
• Assess and test DR commitments of critical vendors/fintech partners; verify evidence of recoverability and exit/failover options.
• Govern SaaS and cloud region/zone strategies, data residency constraints, and cross‑border implications for subsidiaries.
• Service Mapping & Readiness
• Maintain service dependency maps (CMDB) linking business services to applications, platforms, data stores, integrations, and infrastructure.
• Define minimal viable service (MVS) configurations for recovery and ensure runbooks reflect current state.
• Metrics, Reporting & Continuous Improvement
• Define and report KPIs/KRIs: test coverage %, pass rate, RTO/RPO adherence, MTTR
• (exercises/incidents), % automated runbooks, restore success rate, findings aging, and resilience confidence score.
• Produce executive dashboards and Monthly/Quarterly Resilience Reports to Group CIO, CFO, Risk, and Executive Committees.
• Run post-exercise/post-incident reviews and drive structural fixes (automation, design changes, capacity).
• Subsidiary Coordination & Incident Readiness
•  Coordinate DR readiness across Banking, Insurance, Fintech, Health, and Foundation; tailor scenarios to local contexts while enforcing Group standards.
• Lead or support technical recovery command during major incidents and planned DR events.
• Financial Planning & Value Optimization
• Quantify cost‑to‑recover vs. risk; recommend right‑sized patterns (active–active vs. warm/cold) by criticality.
• Support budgeting for resilience tooling, testing, and automation; demonstrate ROI through reduced downtime and faster recovery.

Key Deliverables

• Group DR Orchestration & Testing Policy, Standards, and Runbook Library.
• Annual DR Test Calendar with scenario catalog and success criteria.
• Service-level Recovery Certificates (per critical service) and remediation tracker.
• Enterprise Resilience Dashboard (RTO/RPO, coverage, pass rate, MTTR, confidence score).
• Quarterly Executive Resilience Reports and Board-ready summaries.
• Post-Exercise/Incident Review reports with prioritized corrective actions.
• Up-to-date Service Dependency Maps and MVS definitions.

 Required Qualifications & Experience

Education

• Bachelor’s in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field.
• Master’s in IT Management, Business Continuity/Resilience, or Operations is an advantage.
• Certifications (Preferred)

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Duties & Responsibilities

• Develop and govern the Group-wide Capacity & Demand Management framework aligned to ITIL v4, COBIT 2019, and SAFe.
• Forecast and align demand across projects, regulatory initiatives, business operations, and transformation programs (12–24 month horizon).
• Plan and optimize capacity for infrastructure, cloud, licensing, human resources, and delivery teams to ensure cost-effective scaling.
• Govern the demand lifecycle through intake boards, prioritization councils, and reporting forums across all subsidiaries.
• Provide executive visibility with monthly and quarterly Supply vs Demand reports, dashboards, and performance insights.
• Coordinate subsidiaries and shared services to ensure equitable, efficient, and transparent resource allocation.
• Support financial planning by linking capacity forecasts to budgeting, hiring, licensing, and workload balancing.
• Embed risk and compliance scenarios (DR/BCP, regulatory changes, supplier risks) into capacity and demand models.
• Leverage data and tooling (PPM, ITSM, FinOps, observability) to automate reporting and ensure single-source-of-truth data quality.
• Drive continuous improvement through stakeholder engagement, training, and adoption of standardized processes and scorecards.

Qualifications

• SAFe Program Consultant (SPC) or Agile Portfolio Practitioner.
• COBIT 2019 (Foundation/Design & Implementation) or CGEIT.
• PMP or PgMP.
• FinOps Practitioner (for cloud cost planning and optimization).

Experience

• 10+ years in IT operations, service management, or strategic planning, with 5+ years in senior roles leading capacity and demand management in regulated, multi-entity organizations (preferably banking/financial services).
• Demonstrated success in establishing enterprise-wide demand management frameworks or Service Integration Offices (SIO).
• Strong track record in shared services governance, resource optimization, and financial planning across on-prem, cloud, and hybrid environments.
• Hands-on expertise with PPM/ITSM platforms (e.g., Clarity, Jira, ServiceNow), Agile at scale planning, and cloud cost optimization (FinOps).
• Proven ability to influence and coordinate across matrixed teams, subsidiaries, vendors, and executive stakeholders.

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Job Purpose:

To support the Group Head Enterprise Digital Transformation and Group Head Internal Business Functions (Enabler Systems) in the development, coordination, and execution of strategic and operational plans. The role involves data analysis, performance monitoring, cross-functional coordination, and reporting to ensure that business planning activities are well-informed, timely, and aligned with corporate objectives. The Manager will drive operational efficiency, support strategic alignment, and ensure effective governance across both product and IT domains

The Key Responsibilities (Duties)

Operational Management

• Drive operational efficiency by supporting both product and IT processes. 
• Facilitate cross-functional coordination, enhance communication, and encourage collaboration across teams.
• Identify bottlenecks, risks, and opportunities, offering recommendations for enhancement. Stakeholder Engagement and Communication 
• Create communication products and ensure consistency in messaging to targeted audiences. 
• Prepare quarterly board reports and materials for IT and strategy committees as per standard agendas. Performance 

Tracking and Reporting 

• Regularly track critical KPIs and support the development of new performance measures.
• Monitor and share key insights from performance indicators to gauge progress and success. 

Strategic Planning & Governance 

• Support the preparation, review, and consolidation of business plans, budgets, and management reports. 
• Track and proactively manage action items to ensure key milestones are met. 
• Stay current with developments in IT and product management trends and innovations. 

Leadership & Team Development 

• Support training and professional development for staff members as needed. 
• •Build effective relationships with key internal business, operations, IT, product, design, and external partners

Qualifications

Core Accountabilities: 

• Data-driven insights for strategic planning 
• Process mapping and operational efficiency improvements 
• Cross-functional coordination and dependency management 
• Stakeholder engagement and tailored communication 
• KPI management and performance tracking 
• Preparation of governance and board-level materials 
• Follow-up on board/committee decisions into operational plans 

Deliverables: 

• Board/committee report decks 
• Standardized plan templates (objectives, KPIs, timelines, owners, dependencies) 
• Process documentation or SOPs for key workflows 
• Resource/allocation trackers 
• KPI framework document 
• Interactive dashboards for ongoing performance monitoring 
• Meeting agendas, minutes, and action logs for cross-functional syncs

Experience Requirements

• Experience: Minimum of 6–8 years in business planning, operations, or related functions.
• Industry Exposure: Experience in the relevant industry or product area (e.g., financial services, technology).
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Proven track record of working effectively with multiple functions such as IT, Finance, Marketing, and Legal.
• Stakeholder Management: Demonstrated ability to influence stakeholders without direct authority, manage dependencies, and resolve conflicts.
• Data & Analytics: Hands-on experience in building and maintaining dashboards (Power BI or similar), with solid skills in data analysis and PowerPoint presentations.
• Project Management: Familiarity with project management tools and practices, including tracking initiatives, dependencies, and resource allocation.
• Governance Reporting: Experience in preparing materials for governance bodies, such as Board or Steering Committee reports.
• Executive Engagement: Comfortable presenting to senior executives and translating their feedback into actionable plans.

Must-Haves

Academic Qualification: 

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (Business, IT, Engineering, Product Management, Project Management).

Experience & Skills:

• Proven experience (5+ years) in business planning, operations, or a closely related function with demonstrable progression.
• Strong data-analysis capability: advanced Excel skills and hands-on use of at least one BI tool (e.g., Power BI) to build basic dashboards or reports.
• Experience preparing materials for senior leadership or governance bodies (e.g., concise slide decks, executive summaries).
• Demonstrated track record of cross-functional collaboration and influencing without direct authority.
  o Solid process-mapping or improvement experience.

Core Competencies:

• Ability to define, track, and interpret key performance indicators.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills tailored to different stakeholder levels.
• Basic project-management familiarity: comfortable using a project-tracking tool (e.g., MS Project, Jira, Asana) or equivalent experience managing timelines and dependencies.

Nice-to-Haves

Advanced Academic: MBA or master’s in Operations Management, Strategic Management, or a related discipline.

Certifications:

• Project Management Professional (PMP) or similar.
• Lean Six Sigma or equivalent process-improvement credential.
• Agile-related (e.g., Scrum Master, PMI-ACP).