Personal and Private Banking (PPB) Everyday Banking and Lending Operational Excellence Graduate Programme

Company Description

Standard Bank Group is a leading Africa-focused financial services group, and an innovative player on the global stage, that offers a variety of career-enhancing opportunities – plus the chance to work alongside some of the sector’s most talented, motivated professionals. Our clients range from individuals, to businesses of all sizes, high net worth families and large multinational corporates and institutions. We’re passionate about creating growth in Africa. Bringing true, meaningful value to our clients and the communities we serve and creating a real sense of purpose for you.

Job Description

The Everyday Banking and Lending Operational Excellence Graduate Programme is a structured development journey designed to build future‑ready professionals capable of driving innovation, process improvement, and re‑engineering across everyday banking and lending operations. The programme provides graduates with hands‑on exposure to process analysis and the opportunity to own and deliver value‑adding projects that support key business objectives. This experience is reinforced through a combination of on‑the‑job learning, formal training and structured mentorship. Ultimately, the programme supports the organisation’s commitment to delivering reliable, efficient, and customer‑centric solutions.

Key responsibilities:

• Analyse end‑to‑end everyday banking and lending processes to identify inefficiencies and improvement opportunities.
• Learn to design and develop automation and/or AI‑enabled solutions using digital technologies such as Microsoft Power Automate, AI Builder, AWS, and Python.
• Build data‑driven solutions and insights to support decision‑making, performance tracking and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional stakeholders across operations, risk, technology, and business teams to implement sustainable process improvements.
• Graduates must show the aptitude and motivation to develop technical skills as part of the programme.

Qualifications

Postgraduate qualification (recently completed or completing in 2026):

STEM related fields:

• Chemical/Civil Engineering
• Information Systems or Information Technology
• Computer Science, Data Science, Statistics or Analytics
• Exposure to one or more programming or automation languages such as Python, SQL, R, is advantageous
• Familiarity with automation or low‑code platforms (e.g. Microsoft Power Automate) and an interest in AI or data‑driven solutions will be beneficial
• Candidates should demonstrate logical thinking, problem‑solving ability, and a willingness to continuously learn new digital and automation technologies

Additional Information

Minimum Requirements:

• Must be a South African citizen.
• Should you have work experience, it should not exceed 12 months.
• Full academic transcripts to be submitted with application for undergraduate and postgraduate studies.

Programme duration: 24 months

Application closing date: 30 June 2026