Head of Conduct and POPIA

SUMMARY:
Head of Conduct and POPIA - Cape Town

POSITION INFO:
Our Banking Client is currently looking for an experienced Head of Conduct and POPIA based in Somerset West, Western Cape, or Centurion, Gauteng. The successful candidate will be responsible for designing, implementing and managing the Bank's market conduct, Treating Customers Fairly (TCF) and data privacy compliance frameworks. This is a highly specialised, hands-on compliance leadership role requiring extensive knowledge of banking regulations, POPIA, market conduct, FAIS and regulatory governance. The successful candidate must have practical experience developing compliance frameworks, managing data privacy obligations and ensuring fair customer outcomes within a regulated financial services environment. Key Responsibilities Market Conduct & Treating Customers Fairly Design, implement and maintain the Bank's market conduct and TCF framework. Ensure banking products, customer communications, marketing and sales practices comply with fair customer treatment principles. Monitor customer outcomes and identify potential conduct risks. Oversee product responsibility and fair value assessments. Work with Product, Marketing and Legal teams to ensure appropriate customer disclosures. Monitor developments relating to the Conduct of Financial Institutions (COFI) framework. Lead regulatory readiness initiatives relating to evolving market conduct requirements. POPIA & Data Privacy Governance Design, implement and maintain the Bank's data privacy governance framework. Act as, or directly support, the Bank's Information Officer. Ensure compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). Develop and maintain data privacy policies, procedures and internal controls. Oversee data protection impact assessments. Maintain records of personal information processing activities. Manage consent requirements and data subject rights. Oversee personal information access, correction and deletion requests. Review third-party and supplier arrangements involving personal information. Coordinate data privacy compliance across Technology, Operations, Legal and other business functions. Data Breach Management Develop and maintain data breach response and notification procedures. Investigate potential personal information breaches. Coordinate breach assessments, containment and remediation. Manage notifications to the Information Regulator and affected individuals where legally required. Conduct root-cause analysis and recommend corrective actions. Maintain accurate breach registers and compliance documentation. FAIS Compliance Oversight Oversee compliance with the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act (FAIS). Monitor Financial Services Provider licence conditions. Oversee Key Individual and Representative registers. Monitor fit and proper requirements and continuous professional development obligations. Support compliance relating to bancassurance and intermediary services. Work closely with insurance product stakeholders and regulatory authorities. Customer Complaints & Conduct Risk Management Develop and maintain the Bank's complaints management framework. Monitor complaints trends and identify recurring conduct risks. Conduct root-cause analysis and recommend improvements. Liaise with relevant banking ombud schemes. Ensure complaints are managed in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements. Support improvements to customer treatment and service processes. Compliance Monitoring & Regulatory Reporting Develop and execute annual conduct and privacy compliance monitoring plans. Evaluate the effectiveness of compliance controls across business units. Identify compliance gaps and monitor remediation actions. Prepare regulatory compliance reports for executive management and Board committees. Engage with the Information Regulator, FSCA and relevant regulatory stakeholders. Provide regulatory advice on new banking products, digital initiatives and customer-facing processes. Training & Compliance Culture Develop and deliver POPIA, TCF and market conduct compliance training. Promote customer-centric and privacy-conscious business practices. Provide practical compliance guidance to internal stakeholders. Support the future development of the conduct and data privacy compliance function. Minimum Requirements Bachelor's Degree in Law, Commerce, Risk Management or a related field. Recognised privacy or compliance qualification strongly preferred. Information Officer certification, CIPP\/E or equivalent advantageous. RE5 required. RE1 advantageous. Minimum 8-10 years' compliance experience within banking or financial services. Previous banking experience essential. Meaningful experience in market conduct and\/or data privacy regulation. Direct experience performing or supporting an Information Officer role under POPIA. Practical data breach management and Information Regulator engagement experience. Experience designing or improving TCF and market conduct compliance frameworks. Experience with customer complaints management and product responsibility processes. Strong understanding of FAIS and relevant FSP regulatory requirements. Experience engaging with the FSCA, Information Regulator or industry ombud schemes. Strong compliance monitoring, policy drafting and regulatory reporting skills. Essential Experience Applicants must have proven experience in: POPIA compliance and governance. Data privacy framework implementation. Information Officer responsibilities. Data breach management and regulatory notifications. Market conduct and Treating Customers Fairly. Compliance monitoring and control testing. Regulatory interpretation and policy development. Customer complaints and conduct risk management. Financial services regulatory compliance. FAIS compliance knowledge. Regulatory stakeholder engagement. Executive and Board-level reporting. Key Competencies Strong regulatory knowledge and attention to detail. Independent and ethical judgement. Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills. Strong policy drafting and reporting capability. Ability to interpret legislation and develop practical controls. Confident engagement with regulators and senior stakeholders. Excellent communication and stakeholder management. Hands-on, proactive and solutions-focused approach. Ability to establish frameworks and operate independently. Please take note: if you have not been contacted within 14 days, please consider your application unsuccessful.