South Africa

Business management, administration and support

Investment Bank

Your role

Do you want an opportunity to work in South Africa to support the South African business meet its strategic, operational and risk requirements?
We’re looking for a highly driven, analytical, forward-thinking individual to be the South African Operating Officer ( SAOO) to act as the senior operational leader for the Investment Bank (IB) in South Africa. The role ensures the effective functioning of the operating environment, adherence to relevant frameworks, oversight of operational risk, and coordination of regulatory responses—supporting both country leadership and regional/IB COO management. The SAOO enables safe, efficient, and well governed business execution while supporting strategic change, business continuity, and cross functional alignment in the business.

Key Responsibilities
• oversee the effectiveness of the operating environment within the country, ensuring procedures align with IB and regional frameworks, controls, and minimum standards.
• ensure operational risks are identified, assessed, and managed in line with the Operational Risk Control Framework.
• escalate issues requiring IB EMEA OO attention in a timely manner.
• support Compliance & Operational Risk Control (C&ORC) in managing regulatory engagements and responses.
• oversee regulatory response projects, ensuring alignment with Group policies, local legal entity requirements, and country governance structures.
• coordinate with country head, legal entity responsible executives, and relevant Group Functions on regulatory matters impacting the country.
• act as the primary operational partner to country leadership and business heads, supporting implementation of Group, Division, and Regional strategy at country level.
• promote cross divisional collaboration, identify operational synergies, and support strategic initiatives that drive business growth and efficiency.
• serve as a conduit between local entities and regional/global COO teams, cascading direction and ensuring consistent execution.
• lead, coordinate, or support cross functional and cross divisional programs linked to the Front to Back operating environment (e.g., operating model changes, remediation initiatives, strategic transformation).
• drive implementation of regional or global change initiatives and governance deliverables within the country.
• ensure robust execution, stakeholder engagement, and alignment to regulatory or risk related program requirements.
• oversee Business Continuity Planning (BCP) requirements and ensure resilience strategies are in place for IB operations in the country.
• monitor events that may disrupt operations and coordinate incident response and recovery activities.
• ensure readiness aligns with Group standards and regional crisis coordination protocols.
• coordinate with Group Functions (Finance, HR, Legal, Compliance, Technology, Risk, Operations) to ensure integrated delivery of cross business initiatives.
• support country leadership in administrative and operational matters, ensuring alignment between local governance, IB requirements, and Group standards.

Job Reference #

336053BR

City

Johannesburg

Job Type

Full Time

Your Career Comeback

We are open to applications from career returners. Find out more about our program on ubs.com/careercomeback.

Your team

You would be integral part of the IB COO EMEA team supporting the IB business in EMEA.

Your expertise

• deep understanding of the IB front to back operating environment, risk frameworks, and regulatory landscape.
• strong program management skills and experience leading cross functional initiatives.
• ability to influence and coordinate across diverse teams, functions, and senior stakeholders.
• proven capability to manage complex operational environments and drive effective risk management.
• excellent communication, escalation judgment, and decision making skills.

About us

UBS is a leading and truly global wealth manager and the leading universal bank in Switzerland. We also provide diversified asset management solutions and focused investment banking capabilities. Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, UBS is present in more than 50 markets around the globe.
We know that great work is never done alone. That’s why we place collaboration at the heart of everything we do. Because together, we’re more than ourselves. Want to find out more? Visit ubs.com/careers.

Join us

At UBS, we know that it's our people, with their diverse skills, experiences and backgrounds, who drive our ongoing success. We’re dedicated to our craft and passionate about putting our people first, with new challenges, a supportive team, opportunities to grow and flexible working options when possible. Our inclusive culture brings out the best in our employees, wherever they are on their career journey. And we use artificial intelligence (AI) to work smarter and more efficiently. We also recognize that great work is never done alone. That’s why collaboration is at the heart of everything we do. Because together, we’re more than ourselves.
We’re committed to disability inclusion and if you need reasonable accommodation/adjustments throughout our recruitment process, you can always contact us.

Contact Details

UBS Business Solutions SA
UBS Recruiting

Disclaimer / Policy statements

UBS is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We respect and seek to empower each individual and support the diverse cultures, perspectives, skills and experiences within our workforce.