Relationship Manager, Africa China Business at Standard Bank Group

• To grow and retain a portfolio of high value commercial relationships by performing a proactive, mobile, value adding financial partnership role, ensuring that close personal attention is given to provide a full array of customised financial solutions and services tailored to meet the growth needs and potential of the portfolio.

Key Responsibilities/Accountabilities

Profitable growth in sales

• Provide advice on, promoting, selling and structuring a wide and diverse range of financial solutions customized to best meet the financial needs of high value commercial customers.
• Selling includes acquiring and opening new business accounts on a face-to face basis
• Cross-selling additional value-added solutions to the existing portfolio to assist clients in growing their businesses
• Identify and take ownership of sales leads generated for associate Group company stakeholders e.g. Vehicle and Asset Finance; Digital Banking; to ensure a quick and knowledgeable response.
• Mine and analyze customer data to identify and plan for expansion and/or additional business opportunities.
• Develop and implement a client-calling schedule to visit all clients in the portfolio.
• Conduct a full client value analysis on all clients with the view of understanding clients’ businesses and identifying opportunities to bank the clients’ ecosystem.
• Identify opportunities to migrate top-end relationships.

Customer service quality and efficiency

• Provide a central advisory/information/ query handling service point for the portfolio.
• Performing a proactive liaison role between customers and back office service fulfillment and credit functions.
• Interact frequently and closely with all clients to analyze and establish ongoing needs and to assist clients to better understand their financial requirements.
• Accurately and efficiently process customer mandates/ documentation requirements for financial facilities.

Lending support and risk management

• Plan and implement annual credit reviews for the portfolio.
• Explaining and structuring/ customizing credit loan facility options, parameters and qualifying criteria.
• Support customers in the completion of credit application information requirements e.g. balance sheets, financial statements and management accounts.
• Motivate and process non-scored credit applications.
• Notify customers regarding the approval/ decline of credit loan facilities.
• Explore alternative solutions in the event of declines from Credit.
• Monitor of daily referrals to ensure that client facilities are managed within the parameters set by Credit. Exercising discretion regarding account conduct based on a close knowledge and understanding of client activities.
• Manage and control industry sector, client exposure, and securities held to contain risk.

Legislative compliance

• Conduct a needs analysis to identify customer needs effectively when opening new accounts or giving product advice, in line with Financial Advisory and Intermediary Service Act license categories.
• Complete disclosure to the customers in terms of accreditation, service fees, and commission.
• Ensure proper record keeping in terms of Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act as well as the Financial Intelligence Centre Act requirements.

People management

• Manage the Relationship Manager Assistant to ensure that work standards and quality work output targets are set, achieved and maintained.
• Manage the performance and productivity of support staff.
• Identifying strengths and development areas and ensuring that support staff receives the requisite learning and skills development interventions.
• Proactively coaches and mentors subordinates.

Preferred Qualification and Experience

• A minimum of a Bachelors Degree in Banking and Finance, Accounting or related financial management qualification.
• Postgraduate degree in Financial Advisory and Management.
• Experience in providing relationship management or financial services to Chinese businesses and portfolios is a pre-requisite.
• Previous portfolio relationship management experience (5-7 years in total) as a Business Manager and/or Account Executive managing a portfolio in the SME business environment is preferable. This experience provides an understanding of how businesses operate, as well as understanding the business risks, industry risks and financial requirements pertaining to the commercial market.
• A minimum of 6 months previous working experience in Credit is preferable to gain practical exposure to lending principles and to establish credible relationships.

Knowledge/Technical Skills/Expertise

• Oral and Written Fluency in English and the Chinese Language is a prerequisite
• Strong numerical skills and financial acumen to analyze, evaluate and identify trends in complex consolidated financial statements, balance sheets and ratios.
• A sound understanding of cash flow cycles pertaining to the industry analysis.
• A good knowledge of financial spreadsheet applications (e.g. Excel) to capture and analyze financial data.
• Good knowledge of general banking practices and procedures.
• A good understanding of the principles and practices of business economics and the current business economic environment.
• A good current knowledge of different industry sectors and sector risk profiles/ trends; this includes an understanding of the impact of climactic conditions on the agricultural market (if there are agric clients in the portfolio).
• A thorough knowledge of multi-level products available to business banking customers (features and benefits) and pricing structures.
• A good knowledge of financial investment options, vehicle and asset finance and electronic banking options for lead generation purposes.
• Good knowledge of Personal Banking product offerings.
• A good knowledge of competitor offerings and structures.
• A sound knowledge and understanding of Credit principles and practices, including an understanding of credit application, securities and balance sheet requirements.
• A strong working knowledge of the terms and conditions of multiple legal entities (companies, close corporations, sole proprietorships etc.) in the commercial market and the legislative restrictions and requirements governing these from a financial services perspective.
• Sound understanding of current taxation laws as they apply to the portfolio of customers.
• A good knowledge of all regulations/laws governing banking.
• A sound knowledge of Managing Local Market (MLM) sales principles and practices to manage and optimize portfolio retention and growth.
• Negotiation skills.
• Good knowledge of technical portfolio management systems
• A good working knowledge of administration processes and procedures pertaining to Business Banking transactions.
• Knowledge of how to use the Group Reference Guide to access/ look up relevant information.