About the Role
Reporting to the Head of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME), the SME Cluster Manager will directly lead a relationship team managing a portfolio of Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with an annual turnover of over Kshs 30 million, in addition to their own portfolio in selected regions.
The successful candidate will manage and coordinate the Cluster SME Sales Management process for relationship-managed clients, and will champion change programs impacting the SME Business segment within the cluster. The role holder will be responsible for the full SME Targets for their specified Cluster, growing SME Market Share, and maintaining a high SME Net Promoter Score (NPS).
Key Responsibilities
Sales and Service (35%)
- Grow own and sub-team’s portfolio profitability by identifying new and existing customer potential, including sales opportunities and new product promotion initiatives.
- Formulate SME business development strategies and objectives to meet changing market needs.
- Create relationships with SME Relationship Managers/SME Bankers/Universal Bankers in assigned branches to ensure customer needs and service issues are followed up on timeously.
- Proactively research competitive threats/opportunities within the cluster’s market and geographical area.
- Increase product penetration for the existing customer base by reviewing own and team’s portfolio to determine potential cross-sells and proactively recommending new products.
- Conduct regular face-to-face customer visits and arrange focused social events, taking primary responsibility for top revenue-generating SME clients.
- Initiate credit applications for new and existing customers, completing required financial analysis and submitting applications to SME credit for approval.
- Conduct risk analysis on the customer base and submit proposals to SME Credit Risk for new loan applications.
- Communicate all key messages to customers, including agreed service standards, negotiated pricing, and product changes.
- Coordinate and organize SME meetings/conferences aimed at improving market competitive advantage.
- Champion the culture of change needed to reinforce consistent sales and service performance.
- Pro-actively support the Business Club/Women in Business proposition, providing input to seminars and trips, and ensuring a high level of customer retention.
- Onboard Relationship Managed clients for the assigned cluster.
People Management (30%)
- Lead the SME Relationship Managers in the cluster using a team-based management approach.
- Coach cluster team members (LG, UBs, Bankers, ARMs, RMs) on SME, relationship development, service quality, and risk.
- Support team members to identify strengths and weaknesses and support personal development plans.
- Agree on Performance Management (PM) objectives and assess performance of SME Relationship Managers.
- Build and develop a high-performing team through performance development and coaching.
- Regularly review staff performance based on the sales dashboard and balanced scorecard statistics.
- Sign off leave requests and initiate disciplinary charges when necessary following HR processes.
- Act as the escalation point for unresolved queries and complaints on SME within the cluster.
- Motivate staff and ensure recognition through rewarding schemes.
Business Management (35%)
- Work with the cluster team to achieve sales targets through structured business development activities.
- Ensure proper sales discipline is in place, verifying that each SME RM/Banker submits weekly sales plans and reports.
- Agree on sales and services targets against key financial, sales, service, and operational targets.
- Monitor customer trends around pricing, product promotions, and features, and feed trends back to the Head of SME Banking.
- Interface regularly with product specialists, particularly the Vehicle and Asset Finance team, to update product knowledge.
- Disseminate SME policy, product, service quality, and marketing info to branches and educate staff on SME campaigns.
- Conduct annual reviews of existing facilities in conjunction with SME Credit to check portfolio health.
- Monitor team conformance using relationship development procedures.
- Review and approve excess reports within assigned limits.
- Champion and monitor the implementation of change initiatives impacting the cluster team.
- Consult customer owners/managers on financial/credit issues and general business ideas.
- Develop Customer Relationship Plans for selected customers in the portfolio and provide quality assurance.
- Assess the quality of credit applications from the cluster through sampling.
Qualifications and Experience
- A Bachelor's degree from a reputable institution.
- Minimum 3 years in SME sales management experience in a bank with a good appreciation of Absa’s business culture, objectives, products, and services.
- Proven track record in SME sales, SME credit risk relationship, and portfolio management.
- Ability and willingness to travel regularly to visit branches within the assigned Western region.
- Demonstrated people management/leadership experience.
- Up-to-date knowledge of competitor and market activity in the local area.
- High attention to detail and a high sense of urgency.
- Flexibility and adaptability to meet challenging demands.
- Ability to work under pressure to very tight timescales while maintaining high-quality output.
- Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to relate well with staff at all levels.
- Strong focus on internal customer service excellence.
