Job Overview

Absa is seeking a Portfolio Manager – Credit Card to manage and grow its credit card portfolio while driving acquisition, activation, card usage, profitability, customer engagement, and portfolio quality.

The role has end-to-end responsibility for the credit card business, covering product management, portfolio analytics, risk oversight, customer experience, commercial execution, and regulatory compliance.

The successful candidate will work across Retail Banking, Business Banking, Corporate Banking, Digital Banking, Operations, Risk, Compliance, Finance, sales channels, and external card-industry partners.

Key Responsibilities

Business Growth — 35%

• Develop and implement strategies to grow credit card acquisition, usage, and portfolio profitability.
• Drive credit card revenue through:
  • Interchange income
  • Interest earnings
  • Annual fees
  • Other card-related revenue streams
• Develop sustainable portfolio-growth initiatives aligned with the bank’s retail banking strategy.
• Lead customer acquisition, card activation, and usage campaigns.
• Increase card spend, revolving balances, and customer engagement.
• Monitor portfolio profitability, return on assets, and overall portfolio performance.
• Build strategic partnerships with internal teams and Direct Sales to increase card acquisition, activation, and utilization.
• Drive sustainable value creation across the credit card portfolio.

Product Management — 20%

• Manage the end-to-end lifecycle of credit card products in collaboration with the Card Customer Lifecycle Management (CLM) team.
• Coordinate product launches, enhancements, pricing reviews, and portfolio refresh initiatives.
• Conduct competitor benchmarking and market analysis.
• Identify customer needs and market opportunities for new and improved card propositions.
• Support the development and growth of:
  • Premium cards
  • Rewards cards
  • Affinity cards
  • Co-branded cards
  • Partnership card programmes

Customer Excellence — 20%

• Develop customer-centric strategies covering the entire cardholder journey, from acquisition and onboarding through activation, usage, and retention.
• Develop value propositions and rewards programmes that improve customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• Monitor customer experience indicators including:
  • Net Promoter Score (NPS)
  • Complaint resolution turnaround time
  • Card activation rates
  • Customer retention
• Work with Customer Service, Digital Banking, and Operations teams to address customer pain points and improve processes.
• Use customer feedback, transaction data, and customer insights to identify opportunities for service improvement.
• Strengthen long-term customer relationships and engagement.

Operational Efficiency — 15%

• Ensure compliance with:
  • Local regulatory requirements
  • Visa and Mastercard rules
  • AML/KYC requirements
  • Consumer protection standards
  • Absa policies and procedures
  • Internal control frameworks
• Maintain effective operational, financial, and risk controls across card portfolio processes.
• Ensure card operations remain secure, efficient, and properly controlled.
• Identify and mitigate operational, regulatory, and fraud-related risks.
• Coordinate internal and external audits relating to card products and services.
• Ensure audit findings and compliance gaps are resolved promptly.
• Monitor changes in regulatory and card-scheme requirements and implement necessary process improvements.

Stakeholder Management — 10%

• Build strong working relationships with:
  • Retail Banking
  • Business Banking
  • Corporate Banking
  • Digital Banking
  • Operations
  • Risk
  • Compliance
  • Finance
• Collaborate with sales channels to increase card acquisition, activation, and usage.
• Manage relationships with external partners including:
  • Visa
  • Mastercard
  • Merchants
  • Fintech companies
  • Service providers
• Provide senior management with portfolio insights, performance analysis, and strategic recommendations.
• Perform other duties assigned by the Bank.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in:
  • Business Administration
  • Economics
  • Statistics
  • Marketing
  • A related discipline

The listing also specifies a National Diploma or Advanced Certificate in Business, Commerce and Management Studies as a required education category.

Experience

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in the financial services sector.
• Proven relevant experience within banking or financial services.
• Experience in a frontline banking environment involving:
  • Sales
  • Marketing
  • Customer service
• Strong analytical and data-interpretation skills.

Knowledge

The successful candidate should have knowledge of:

• Personal Banking — approximately 70%
• Business Banking — approximately 30%
• Market management and segmentation.
• Banking distribution channels.
• Branch transaction processes.
• Business and financial management principles and practices.
• Credit card portfolio management and commercial performance.
• Customer lifecycle and portfolio-growth strategies.

Required Skills

• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Strong communication skills.
• Decision-making ability.
• People-management skills.
• Conflict-resolution skills.
• Change-management skills.
• Negotiation skills.
• Stakeholder-management skills.
• Strong analytical and commercial thinking.

Application

Position: Portfolio Manager – Credit Card
Location: Kampala
Job Type: Full-Time
Requisition: R-15990095
Deadline: 23 August 2026

Applicants can apply through Absa’s official careers portal using the Apply link provided in the original listing.