Commercial Director

Empowering Africa's tomorrow, together…one story at a time.

With over 100 years of rich history and strongly positioned as a local bank with regional and international expertise, a career with our family offers the opportunity to be part of this exciting growth journey, to reset our future and shape our destiny as a proudly African group.

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Job Summary

Provide complex advice and support in the positioning of banking operating models and frameworks in a broadly defined business functional strategy; enabling operating model, strategy and value chain formulation and alignment.

Job Description

Accountability:  Strategic Management-Time Split 15%

• Development, articulation, communication and implementation of strategy and other strategic initiatives to grow the Commercial business.
• Establish the business model, operating model and IT model, working with SBU cluster and Group counterparts.

Accountability:  Providing powerful leadership- Time split 15%

• Lead the Unit Heads covering various customer segments such as Business Banking, Large Corporate, MNC, Financial Institutions, Commercial and Enterprise through a team-based management approach.
• Lead the Product Management functions to deliver best in class product offering in a controlled and profitable fashion
• Work closely with Risk Management function to achieve optimal portfolio quality, deliver innovative lending solutions including credit programs
• Develop and maintain a detailed knowledge of industry sectors and competitive environment in the country to drive Commercial business strategy and Target Market
• 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.

Accountability:  Drive Business Direction- Time split 15%

• Lead development of solutions to meet customer needs. Ensure strong cross-functional coordination to minimize time-to-market
• Provide senior relationship support for key customers as necessary
• Control and manage the risk profile for the overall portfolio. Ensure robust controls & compliance environment in the business
• Work closely with the Back Office and Middle Office functions to ensure that customers receive high quality product delivery and customer service
• Ensure maximization of return on capital employed through pro-active pricing management, cross-sell, and increasing the wallet share in all customer segments
• Manages performance of the team against key financial (risk-adjusted contribution) sales, service and operational targets. Build best practices for performance management, including activity tracking, sales pipeline management, account planning, marketing campaigns etc
• Champion, manage and monitor implementation of change impacting the team and arising from central and local corporate change programmes.
• Manage segmentation of the portfolio and ensure staffing of appropriate resources as applicable.

Accountability:  Sales and Service- Time split 20%

• Develop and implement a sales plan that improves the: (1) share of customer wallet, and (2) aggressively looks to acquire customers from the competition
• Create a common customer view in the business based on building long term relationships, tailor making solutions and responding to customer needs
• Improve customer service, management and loyalty by ensuring that a sales culture, process and capability exists in the team
• Grow the team's portfolio by profitability by identifying new and existing customer potential including sales opportunities and new product promotion initiatives across the applicable market segment
• Improve customer service against targets and the results of customer survey
• Monitor levels of complaints and quality of handling
• Proactively researches competitive threats/ opportunities within the team's market and geographical area
• Communicates 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
• Monitors and ensures adherence to risk service standards

Accountability:  Business Management- Time split 15%

• Develops and Maintains a detailed knowledge of industry sectors within the customer portfolio
• Control and manage the risk profile for the overall team portfolio, including ICA's, EWL BBG profile, CID and all assurance/compliance requirements
• Manages performance of the team against key financial (risk-adjusted contribution) sales, service and operational targets – CVMI, Cross Function income targets, Product Sales and agreed budget
• Champion, manage and monitor implementation of change impacting the team and arising from central and local Corporate change programmes

Accountability:  Staff Management- Time split 10%

• Lead the Corporate team, using a team-based management approach that balances the drive for performance with an improving employee value proposition or colleague franchise
• 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

Accountability:  Risk and Control - Time split 10%

• Ensure that all activities and duties are carried out in full compliance with regulatory requirements, Enterprise Wide Risk Management Framework and internal Absa Policies and Policy Standards.

Understand and manage risks and risk events (incidents) relevant to the role

Education

Bachelor`s Degrees and Advanced Diplomas: Business, Commerce and Management Studies (Required)

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