Job Summary

A Senior Member of the Corporate & Investment Banking Team responsible for developing Global Corporate portfolio.

Job Description

• A member of the Corporate & Investment Banking Team and aligned with the ambition to be among the Top 5 leading corporate banks in Tanzania. The job holder will be responsible for the management and development of relationships with Global corporate customers in the Corporate and Investment Banking segment.
• The role holder will manage and sustain a portfolio of Global Corporates (GCs) and a building long term relationships founded on efficient and reliable support for their business. This is achieved particularly through quick risk decisions, managing consistency and quality of operational service.
• The job holder will be responsible for business development both with new and with existing GCs customers where they are expected to increase” wallet share” through Relationship Management.
• Focus on deepening the wallet share of existing Customer Relationships as well as developing new Relationships with a view of driving revenue and market share growth as well as cross sell. This will be achieved by ensuring Customers have access to the full suite of Absa’s products in addition to delivering World class Customer Service while maintaining a robust Control Environment.
• To manage the Groups relationship in Tanzania with Global Clients operating in Tanzania
• Mobilize a wide range of capabilities across Absa Tanzania and the Absa Group focusing upon aligning with the customer’s requirements and developing the range of products/services sourced from the Group. This includes Cash Management, Absa Investment, Retail Financial Services, and Absa Global Investors.

Main accountabilities and approximate time split

Sales and Service:

Time split: 75%

• The primary responsibility of the Relationship Manager in Global Corporate is to build and growth the Global Corporate business in collaboration with international bankers. Leveraging on the strong relationship the group has in other countries.
• Primary contact at CEO, Finance Director, and Treasurer Level in the corporate controlling office in Tanzania, discussing inter alia customer needs, service reviews, and credit risk issues.
• Advises and debates how business finances across the country could be structured in the short-term and medium/long term.
• Grow the team’s portfolio profitability by identifying new and existing customer potential including sales opportunities and new product promotion initiatives.
• Formulate business development strategies and objectives to meet changing market needs.
• Monitor results of customer surveys against target service quality standards.
• Monitor levels of complaints and quality of handling.
• Proactively researches competitive threats/opportunities within the team’s market and geographical area.
• Monitors and ensures adherence to risk service standards.
• Develop account relationship plans for key customers in collaboration with product teams including sales, account plans, hunting list and customer contact strategy
• Work with specialist product teams like Trade Finance, Debt, Cash and Treasury to maximize sale of these products to corporate customers.
• Be instrumental in ensuring effective collaboration across local, regional, and global stakeholders in driving business growth
• Achieve agreed sales targets for liabilities, revenue, assets, and any other key performance indicators
• Develop and implement proactive calling program (both face –to-face and telephonic) for existing and potential customers.
• Create a lead base of external target market through business networking through attending relevant social events seminars, trade shows and industry events.
• Timely deal with and find resolutions for corporate customer complaints.
• Determine the products that are most effective in meeting customers’ needs and be able to sell these, at short notice, both reactively and proactively.
• Develop commercial awareness of the performance of the portifolio and the wider Global Clients business.
• Gather all the required information that is needed to prepare and assess credit applications (where applicable). Role holder will be expected to input certain key information such as judgmental information. (They will work with ARMs and CCM resources to construct credit applications.

Business Management

Time split: 15%

• Monitor and ensure adherence to risk service standards.
• Produce call reports on sales force for scheduled significant business meetings and ensure all deals are loaded and timely updated on the Global Pipeline tool.
• Overall responsibility for the bank’s GC’s corporate relationships with customers including negotiation of pricing and service levels.
• Research, create and follow up a target list for potential new business
• Identify priority customers using the Customer Prioritization Guidelines to   assess their present and potential contribution.
• Role holder is expected to input certain key information such as judgmental information. (They will work with CMA and CCM resources to construct credit applications
• Co-ordinates all areas of the Groups involvement in Tanzania and supports the remainder of the Groups’ involvement, particularly Global Clients but also Retail Financial Services and Absa Global Investors to create annual customer plans which are reviewed regularly with risk and product specialists.  Leads development of solutions to meet customer needs.
• Job holder will be a very experienced practitioner with an appreciation of credit issues, who has direct contact with the customer’s senior management/Board and an ongoing awareness of their affairs and the market. Will be required to provide a recommendation on exposure strategy and will be jointly accountable together with the Commercial Credit Team for the justification of that exposure.
• Develops and maintains a detailed knowledge of industry sectors within the customer portfolio.

Accountability

Staff Management

Time split: 10%

• Control and quality of the portfolio, using available triggers and adherence to Risk Management guidelines and policies.
• Maintain a high standard of operational control including adherence to Risk Management Control Document (RMCD)guidelines, KYC & STM procedures and other bank policies
• Meet deadlines for all Low, Medium and High-Risk Customer Reviews
• Ensure proper segmentation & Contra codes are applied against assigned portfolio of corporate customers
• Ensure correct interest rates are market on customer accounts and avoid income leakage
• Ensure all accounts within portfolio are linked on CID and data held comply with BASELII standards.
• Actively engage in understanding GC business performance through Pipeline Calls and Monthly Business Reviews.
• Day-to-day coaching and development of Corporate Manager’s Assistant in provision of consistent service quality to corporate customers
• Leads Global Clients   team through a team-based management approach.
• Help team members to identify strengths and weaknesses in their own skills and attributes, review their self-development plans and ensure training and development needs are accommodated.
• Coach team members on relationship development, service quality and risk.
• Assess managers’ performance against contract.  Review and input to Performance Development   Reviews.

Technical skills / Competencies

• Strong selling and negotiation skills
• Excellent communication skills at all levels
• Excellent comprehension skills to understand and interpret industry data and economic trends
• Sound financial counseling skills
• Strong credit risk analysis skills
• Strong formal presentation skills to gain acceptance to solutions, both internally and externally
• Team creation and co-ordination skills to mobilize and manage product specialists
• Leadership skills
• Ability to think creatively and identify innovative solutions

Knowledge, Expertise and Experience

Essential

• Thorough knowledge of the Corporate and investment Banking Products and good appreciation of the Absa Bank Tanzania product set.
• Thorough knowledge of product economics and pricing.
• An ability to identify opportunities where liaison with product specialists across the Group would produce a multi-product integrated solution for the customer.

Other requirements specific to the role:

• Jobholders would generally have the level of understanding of corporate business and financial issues which may arise from completion of an MBA or an accountancy qualification.
• Suitable candidates will usually have successfully undertaken a minimum of 5 years in a relationship management role at a senior level, as well as a period in a credit role or will have experience and understanding of credit processes.

Training likely to assist effectiveness in the role, and which may have been completed prior to undertaking this role:

• Influencing and Negotiation Skills
• Selling and Marketing
• Credit risk analysis
• Product knowledge
• Performance Management
• Presentation

Additional details of exceptional aspects of the demands of the role:

• The jobholder will have substantial autonomy.
• The jobholder will be required to act on his/her own initiative in terms of business development activities ensuring that quality business is retained, and in driving up sustainable income from the whole team portfolio under his/her control.
• Jobholder represents Absa, for Global clients Segment, within the local Business community, country and Absa Group