Small Business Relationship Manager

About the Role

Join a banking group with a long legacy and a broad regional and international footprint, where the focus is on helping shape future growth across Africa. This position sits within a career-development environment designed to support professional growth, capability building, and long-term progression.

Job Summary

• Manage and grow a portfolio of business clients, with an emphasis on building durable relationships through dependable and efficient support.
• Drive business growth by winning new customers and deepening relationships with existing ones.
• Promote the broader corporate product range through cross-selling.
• Keep customer acquisition at the center of daily activity.
• Work with the Product/Credit Manager to meet portfolio sales and income goals while maintaining strong service quality.
• Follow all company policies and ensure full compliance with internal requirements.

Sales and Service

• Proactively manage relationships across a Small Business customer portfolio to strengthen and expand those relationships.
• Create and execute sales approaches that increase product use within the existing customer base and uncover cross-sell opportunities.
• Identify the most suitable products for client needs and present them quickly and effectively, both on a reactive and proactive basis.
• Grow market share by consistently bringing in new-to-bank customers.
• Partner with specialists such as Trade Finance and Treasury to increase product uptake.
• Deliver strong customer service to improve NPS and align with service standards.
• Handle complaints in line with policy, with fast turnaround and timely customer resolution.
• Prepare call reports for all planned significant business meetings and file them in the customer credit file call memo section.
• Maintain and update Customer Relationship Plans as needed.
• Organize company visits and deliver product presentations where relevant.
• Build and sustain connections within the local business community.
• Encourage and promote the use of digital banking channels.

Business Management

• Research, build, and track a prospect list for new business opportunities.
• Identify priority customers using the Customer Relationship Plan to understand current and future needs.
• Maintain strong operational control by following RMCD guidelines, KYC and STM procedures, and all other bank policies.
• Ensure full and ongoing compliance with regulation, legal, and internal compliance requirements.
• Review referral lists every day within the required timeframe.
• Make sure all portfolio accounts are linked on CID and that stored data meets bank standards.
• Prepare credit applications as required.
• Monitor delinquent accounts closely and act quickly to reduce impairment risk.
• Take part in customer onboarding and account opening activities.
• Attend team meetings and contribute ideas to improve customer service.

People Management and Teamwork

• Develop productive working relationships with branch colleagues and support teams.
• Share knowledge, experience, and best practices with team members.
• Collaborate across functions and with service providers to deliver a seamless customer experience.
• Help create a work environment aligned with the organization’s values.
• Take on additional duties assigned by management when business needs require it.

Self Development

• Align personal goals with business objectives.
• Invest in self-development to improve effectiveness and strengthen personal capabilities.
• Demonstrate the organization’s values in day-to-day work.

Preferred Education

• A degree in Banking, Finance, Business Administration, Marketing, Economics, or a closely related discipline.
• Partly completed ACCA qualification will be viewed as an advantage.

Preferred Experience

• A degree holder with at least 1 year of relevant experience in relationship management, business development, sales, customer service, or banking; or
• At least 3 years of experience in the banking or financial services sector, which is strongly preferred.

Knowledge and Skills

• Working knowledge of branch-based products and services commonly used by corporate and business banking clients, including features and setup requirements.
• Familiarity with internal instructions and procedures.
• Understanding of the roles within the relationship and corporate support teams.
• Awareness of personal banking products and services, including how they are set up and what they require.
• Good understanding of bank service standards.

Technical and Behavioral Competencies

• Strong relationship-building capability.
• Sales and negotiation ability.
• Corporate banking knowledge.
• Product knowledge.
• Clear communication skills.
• Specialist industry knowledge, where applicable.
• Results orientation.
• Effective communication.
• Problem solving.
• Business ethics.
• Teamwork.

Education

Higher Certificate in Business, Commerce and Management Studies.

Additional Information

This role requires ongoing attention to compliance, operational control, client service quality, and business growth. The holder may also be assigned other duties by management depending on operational requirements.