Manager, Client Relations (Southern Africa) at African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank)

Reference: LPF 3502
Location: Harare, Zimbabwe

Job Description

• Responsible for the implementation of business plans, client account plans and strategies. Client Relations covers clients of all industries/sectors across Africa to provide integrated financial solutions to clients, with products/services including Corporate Finance, Project Finance, Specialised Funding including ECA Finance, Syndications, Trade Finance and other financial advisory services across all sectors.
• Works closely with the product expert teams and execution teams to deliver viable product/financial solutions to clients. 
• The main focus of this position is to proactively engage the Bank’s clients in the Region on an individualized basis to deepen relationships and deliver the Bank’s full product offering.
• The jobholder will be expected to manage an extensive portfolio of customers and will also be expected to add to the portfolio, by targeting prospective customers and building strong relationships with them. Other responsibilities include managing risk within the portfolio.

Responsibilities

• Implements client coverage for a given portfolio of clients with deliberate cultivation based on proactive individualized plans. These plans would be developed in coordination with the product teams and should be designed to increase client engagement.
• Implements regional service coverage for provision of an impeccable client service to each client or government organization. This includes timely turn around in terms of responses to client inquiries.
• Works with other deal team members across the Bank’s products and geographies to ensure timely transaction processing.
• Generate bankable leads through anticipating customer needs and finding out what information, products or services the customer requires to meet his/her needs, providing clear, accurate and relevant information.
• Ensuring a strong working knowledge of client portfolios / products with the Bank.
• Resolving customers’ queries within agreed authority.
• Producing call reports and file notes after any client meetings, summarizing any additional actions required, including follow-up calls and reviewing call reports produced by team members.
• Sales activity planning, including reviewing existing customer files to identify sales opportunities.
• Undertaking commercial negotiations.
• Managing new business pitches.
• Compliance with legal requirements, industry regulations, organizational policies and professional codes.
• Assisting in the preparation of annual Regional Strategic and Marketing Plans derived from the Bank’s Strategic Plan for Management’s Approval.
• Preparing new business Pre-Assessment Memos and Credit Proposals from the region, Product teams and Head Office and making recommendations on the same to the Regional Manager and Director, Client Relations.
• Where required, representing the Bank in high level meetings, fora and making presentations in conformity with the high standards for which the Bank has become known.
• Maintaining and improving the Bank’s image across the continent.
• Performing any other duties as may be assigned by Senior Management from time to time.

Requirements: Qualification and Skill 

• Bachelor’s degree and post graduate degree in Business Administration, Banking, Finance or other relevant field from a recognized University.
• Sound experience of at least 8 years with a leading financial services organisation and familiarity with the major trade finance products to be offered to clients especially syndication, co-financing, club deals, correspondent banking products including letters of credit, factoring, forfaiting, structured trade finance, carbon financing, corporate finance risk participations, project-related financing and considerable knowledge of how these work.
• Ability to communicate and function in a culturally diverse and change oriented setting with good knowledge of banking practices in Africa.
• Ability to interact with senior officials of banks, corporates and governments and to represent the Bank in important professional fora where oral presentation of papers will be necessary to high level technical and professional audiences.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English. Knowledge of the Bank’s other working languages is an added advantage (French, Arabic and Portuguese).
• Demonstrated leadership capabilities, including ability to organize and manage human resources to attain goals.
• Ability to demonstrate proof of passion and commitment to the socio-economic empowerment of African countries and the ability to support the achievement of Afreximbank’s mandate.

Contractual Information

• Permanent
• Willing and able to relocate to Harare, Zimbabwe
• Suitably qualified candidates from all African nationalities are encouraged to apply
• Tax-free salaries paid in USD