Relationship Manager, SME at Gulf African Bank

Job Purpose

• The role of Relationship Manager (RM), SME Banking, is to build and maintain a highquality portfolio of SME clients
• The RM is responsible for understanding the needs of his/her clients and developing tailored solutions to meet these needs using the Bank’s suite of products and services targeted to the segment. The RM is responsible for managing his/her clients across the financing cycle, ensuring compliance with the Bank’s internal policies, regulatory guidelines and Shariah guidelines.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop effective strategies to manage customer relationships, anticipate customer needs and provide a superior quality service to position the Bank as the market leader in this segment
• Acquire new to bank quality customers, grow existing customer base in order to boost the asset and liabilities of the portfolio while rendering exceptional service and maintaining quality
• Build and maintain productive and strategic relations with customers/ line manager/ stakeholders to drive the development and delivery of business solutions and revenue growth for the assigned sectors
• Keep abreast of external factors influencing business e.g. economic, procedural and regulatory requirements
• Ensure timely and accurate maintenance of customer and deal pipeline information as required
• Monitor relationship performance regularly to ensure that the return is commensurate with the type of customer
• Take timely and proactive corrective action to mitigate potential losses, exercising effective portfolio stewardship and control
• Ensure strong cross-selling of existing and new products to existing and new clients; and in this process, maintain effective liaison with all relevant business units in the bank
• Filing concise, but informative call reports after customer visits
• Effectively executing all the agreed business development and growth strategies in accordance with the long, medium- and short-term plans of the Bank and as set by the Head of SME Banking
• Understand customer needs and propose a solution based on Bank’s current product and service offering
• Review and provide detailed input into the credit proposals prepared by the SME Analyst, noting that the RM is ultimately responsible for preparing a comprehensive, high-quality credit proposal
• Support the credit appraisal, disbursement and recovery (where necessary) processes in line with the policies and procedures
• Take a proactive approach to client planning across the portfolio collaborating with product partners and senior management, as appropriate
• Ensuring that Shariah-related guidelines, Know Your Customer (KYC), Anti-Money
• Laundering (AML), and other policies are adhered to
• Ensuring that all customer information and queries are treated in line with confidentiality agreements as per the RM’s employment contract with the Bank.

Qualifications and Experience

• Business graduate from an accredited university preferably with a major in Finance,
• Marketing and/or Economics; a Post Graduate degree (MBA, Masters in Finance / Strategy) is a plus
• At least five (5) years’ experience in banking, with proven experience of at least two (2) years in a similar position or at least 3 years banking experience and sales/marketing background, where he/she managed a portfolio of SME or Business Banking clients
• Experience managing borrowing customers and analysing financing proposals, especially for SME

Personal attributes:

• Entrepreneurial skills and commercial thinking
• Strong in business development
• Good negotiation and influencing skills
• Good in planning, prioritizing and organizing
• Relating and Networking
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Good in delivering results and meeting customer expectations