SME Cluster Manager - Western at Absa Bank Limited

Regionally relevant. Locally grounded.

With a history of doing business in Africa for over a hundred years, we have a presence across 12 countries in Africa. A career at Barclays Africa promises opportunity and challenge - an opportunity to be part of an organisation that is changing the future of banking, and the challenge to drive the change and lead us into the future.

Job Description

Main Accountabilities Sales and Service

• Grow own and sub-team’s portfolio profitability by identifying new and existing customer potential including sales opportunities and new product promotion initiatives.
• Formulate SME business development strategies and objectives to meet changing market needs.
• Create relationships with SME Relationship Managers/SME Bankers/Universal Bankers in assigned branches to ensure that any customer needs and service issues are communicated and followed up on timeously.
• Increase product penetration for existing customer base by reviewing own and team’s portfolio to determine potential cross sells and proactively recommend new products to customers.
• Conduct regular face-to-face customer visits and arrange focused social events and individual entertainment.
• Initiate credit applications for new and existing customers by completing the documentation with customers, completing the required financial analysis and submitting applications to SME credit for approval.
• Conduct risk analysis on the customer base including financial statements and their current portfolio held with Barclays. Submit proposals to SME Credit Risk for new loan applications including motivating interest rates based on the risk profile at the time.
• Collect securities documentation from customers ensuring that the securities meet Barclays standards and any specific requirements depending on the facilities offered to the customer. Check all such documentation before submitting to the back office.
• Proactively research competitive threats/opportunities within the cluster’s market and geographical area.
• Communicate all key messages to customers including agreed service standards, negotiated pricing, relationship team contact points (including introductions to new personnel) and new product changes.
• Keep customers advised on the expected ‘delivery date’ for product/credit applications.
• In conjunction with the SME Head, organize SME meetings / conferences aimed at exploring ways of raising our game to beat competition.
• Champion the culture of change needed to reinforce consistent sales and service performance
• Establish and maintain excellent working relationships with key stakeholders and colleagues in own and other functions to deliver first class sales and service to customers.
• Recruit customers into the Business Club and manage the Business Club relationship once they become members. This includes following up on outstanding club fees, providing input to seminars and trips arranged for customers, and ensuring a high level of customer retention in the club.
• Onboard Relationship Managed clients for assigned cluster
• Conduct exit interviews for customers exiting the Business Club to determine the reasons for departure and feed these back to the Head of SME Banking.
• Update the customer database with customer demographics.

People Management

• Lead the SME Relationship Managers in the cluster using a team based management approach.
• Coach team members on relationship development, service quality and risk.
• Support team members to identify their strengths and weaknesses in their own skills and support development of personal development plans
• Agree PM objectives and assess performance of SME Relationship Managers against agreed PM objectives.
• Build and develop a high performing team through embedding performance development and coaching.
• Regularly review patterns of staff performance based on the sales dashboard and balanced scorecard statistics
• Sign off leave requests received from the team members.
• Initiate discipline charges for the team as and when required, following the laid down Disciplinary, Capability & Grievance processes discipline process on advise from HR. Also acts as first level escalation point for grievance
• Act as the escalation point for their unresolved queries and complaints on SME received from the entire cluster.
• Motivate staff to deliver, and ensure they are recognized through recognition schemes.

Business Management

• Work with the cluster team to achieve sales targets in the cluster/region through business development activities. Ensure a proper sales discipline is in place i.e. each SME RM/Banker submits weekly sales plans, and reports on realization of the same.
• Agree sales and services targets for the team against key financial, sales, service and operational targets.
• Through regular client surveys (formally and informally) identify any broader issues in the customer base around pricing, product promotions and product features. Feed any identified trends back to the Head of SME Banking for further follow-up.
• On a regular basis, interface with product specialists, in particular the Vehicle and Asset Finance team, to ensure that product knowledge is kept up to date and that all opportunities are followed up.
• Disseminate SME policy, product, service quality and marketing information to branches in the allocated area and educate SME Relationship Managers/Branch Managers/SME Bankers/Universal Bankers in the cluster on SME campaigns and SME products.
• Together with SME Credit, conduct annual reviews of existing facilities to check utilization and the continued health of the cluster SME portfolio.
• Monitor conformance of team using new relationship development procedures.
• Review excess reports and approve excesses within assigned limits.
• Champion, manage and monitor implementation of change programmes/initiatives impacting the cluster team
• Consult customer owners/managers on financial/credit issues and general business practice/ideas.
• Develop Customer Relationship Plans for selected customers in portfolio across the sub-team and provide a quality assurance role.
• Assess quality of credit applications from the cluster through sampling credit applications

Technical Skills/Competencies

• Commercial awareness and customer focus
• Proven sales ability
• Well-developed Credit Risk Skills
• Relationship Management & Networking Skills
• Strong negotiation and influencing skills
• Excellent communication skills – written, oral and presentation skills
• Time management skills
• Leadership and Team skills
• Strong planning & organization skills
• Good PC skills
• Well-developed numeracy & analytical skills
• Networking
• Proven team working skills
• Training/coaching skills
• Excellent listening skills

Knowledge and Expertise

Essential

• Good working knowledge of core SME products and services, including Lending, Liability, Trade, money transmission, Electronic Banking and Custody products and services.
• Detailed knowledge of the bank’s sales, credit assessment, account opening and other processes.
• Detailed understanding of people policies and procedures
• Awareness and understanding of Barclays products & services to generate leads
• Knowledge and understanding of relevant banking compliance requirements and relevant legislation e.g. KYC, Anti-Money laundering, banking code, service standards, health & safety standards etc.
• A sound knowledge of the bank's internal departments, systems & procedures.
• Detailed knowledge and understanding of wider Bank issues and policies, particularly those relating to business customers.
• A detailed understanding of Country and CBRM guidelines and credit risk policies.

Experience, qualifications and other requirements specific to the role

Essential

• Minimum 3 years in SME sales management experience in a bank with good appreciation of Barclays’ business culture, objectives, products and services.
• Proven track record in SME sales, SME credit risk relationship and portfolio management
• Role holder will be required to be able to travel to visit branches within their assigned region on a regular basis to support
• Up to date knowledge of competitor and market activity in local area
• Graduate or relevant experience to compensate.
  
  

Preferred

• High attention to detail & high sense of urgency.
• The need to be flexible and adaptable in order to meet the challenging demands of the job.
• Ability to work under pressure to very tight timescales whilst producing output of the highest quality.
• Ability to deal with and relate well with staff of all levels.
• High focus on internal customer service excellence.

Qualifications

Bachelors Degree and Professional Qualifications - Business, Commerce and Management Studies, Commercial mindset - Junior (Meets all of the requirements), Customer Excellence - Service Delivery (Meets all of the requirements), Digital familiarity (Meets all of the requirements), Effective communication - Basic (Meets all of the requirements), Experience in a similar environment at junior specialist level, Leading people - Team level (Meets all of the requirements), Openness to change (Meets some of the requirements and would need further development), Product and/or Service Knowledge (Meets all of the requirements), Sales Management (Meets all of the requirements)