Graduate Operational Management

Our client, an international banking institution, is looking for a Graduate Operations Officer to join its operations team in Sandton, Johannesburg on an initial 12-month fixed-term contract, with the potential to convert to permanent employment subject to performance and available headcount.

This opportunity is suited to a recent graduate or early-career professional looking to build practical experience within an international banking environment. The role will provide broad exposure across payments, cross-border payments, banking operations, treasury, trade finance, account administration, exchange control and regulatory reporting.

The successful candidate will work closely with local stakeholders as well as Head Office in China. As a result, fluency in Mandarin/Chinese and English is a mandatory requirement for the role.

Responsibilities

• Support the day-to-day operations of the Johannesburg banking hub.
• Process and manage SWIFT messages, including receiving, sending, distributing and investigating exceptions.
• Assist with payments, cross-border payments and other banking transactions.
• Monitor and maintain transactional parameters, including interest rates, foreign exchange rates, holiday parameters and deposit parameters.
• Support client, NOSTRO and VOSTRO account administration, including account opening, reconciliations, balance monitoring, interest and charge processing and related adjustments.
• Assist with treasury back-office activities across spot, forward, swap, derivative, money-market and bond transactions.
• Support the booking, processing and settlement of treasury transactions.
• Assist with international settlements, including letters of credit, guarantees and collections.
• Support trade finance transactions, including bill purchases, forfeiting, refinancing and factoring.
• Process transactions in accordance with FinSurv reporting and Exchange Control requirements.
• Assist with quarterly and annual SARB-related audits and regulatory reporting.
• Support branch accounting activities relating to different banking transactions and products.
• Assist with core banking system activities, including system testing, error reporting and operational improvements.
• Support the development and maintenance of operational policies, procedures, workflows and processing documentation.
• Participate in departmental training and provide additional operational support as required.

Requirements

• Completed Bachelor's degree in Finance, Banking, Economics, Commerce or a closely related business discipline.
• Fluency in Mandarin/Chinese and English is mandatory.
• Must be able to read Chinese and communicate effectively in Mandarin/Chinese, including engagement with Head Office in China.
• 0–1 year of professional experience; strong recent graduates are encouraged to apply.
• Strong interest in banking operations, payments, treasury, trade finance or broader financial services.
• Strong numerical ability, attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to work effectively within a structured, process-driven and regulated environment.
• Must be available to work full-time and office-based in Sandton, Johannesburg.
• Candidates currently employed by, or who have worked for, Bank of China or China Construction Bank within the past six months cannot be considered. Candidates who left either institution more than six months ago may be considered.