Head of Banking Operations

Key Deliverables & Responsibilities

1. Control (Operational & Financial Control)

• Establish and enforce effective internal control frameworkacross all distribution channels to safeguard cash, assets, and customer transactions.

• Ensure Compliance with internal policies and Bank of Uganda regulations.

• Oversee transaction processing, reconciliations, and cash management standards.

• Drive accountability and discipline in handling cash, vaults, and financial instruments.

• Proactively identify control gaps and implement corrective and preventive actions.

• Promote a strong control environment with zero tolerance for fraud, losses, and policy breaches.

2. Audit & Compliance (Internal, External & Regulatory)

• Deliver satisfactory outcomes across internal, external, and regulatory audits. Ensure audit readinessthrough adherence of policies and documentation standards.

• Track and close audit findings and recommendations.

• Partner with Audit, Risk and Compliance teams to strengthen governance frameworks.

• Embed a culture of compliance, accountability and audit readiness across the organization.

3. Business Growth & Performance (Including Deposits & Banking Products)

• Drive achievement of business targets, including deposit, loan growth and revenue generation.

• Develop and execute distribution strategies to expand outreach and market share.

• Lead initiatives to increase low-cost deposits (CASA), customer acquisition, and product penetration.

• Champion cross-selling and upselling of banking products and services.

• Monitor performance across channels and implement corrective actions to address gaps.

• Ensure sustainable growth while maintaining portfolio quality and risk standards

4. Operations & Service Delivery

• Oversee end-to-end operations across Branches, agents and digital channels.

• Ensure consistent efficiency adherence to SOPs, service standards and operational efficiency.

• Improve turnaround times and customer experience.

• Lead process optimization and digitization initiatives.

• Establish performance dashboards and provide regular management reporting.

5. Leadership & People Management

• Lead and develop Regional Managers and operations teams.

• Build a high-performance, accountable and customer-centric culture.

• Drive performance management, capability development and succession planning.

• Ensure effective workforce planning and talent pipeline development.

• Ccollaboration cross-functions (Credit, Risk, Finance, HR, IT) to deliver business objectives.

Requirements and Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Banking, Economics, or a related field.

• MBA or relevant Master’s degree preferred. Professional qualifications such as (CPA, ACCA, CFA, Certified Banker) are an added advantage.

Experience

• Minimum of 8 years’ experience in banking operations, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role.

• Proven track record in:

  • Business growth (deposits, loans, and revenue)

  • Branch operations and service delivery

  • Internal controls and audit management

• Experience within the Ugandan banking or microfinance sector is highly desirable.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong leadership and team management capability.

• Commercial acumen, particularly in deposit mobilisation and customer growth.

• Strategic thinking a results-drive approach.

• Solid understanding of banking operations, risk, and control frameworks.

• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.

• High level of integrity, accountability, and sound decision-making ability.

• High integrity, accountability and sound decision-making ability.