Job Description

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

The Senior Acquisition Banker is a frontline origination and execution specialist responsible for securing primary banking relationships by driving end-to-end client acquisition, orchestrating onboarding and activation, and delivering disciplined, accretive balance sheet solutions that convert new clients into fully embedded, revenue-generating relationships.

1. Business Area & Reporting Line

Business Banking Commercial Client Coverage South Africa – New Client Acquisitions (NCA)
Reports to: Head: New Client Acquisitions, Business Banking Commercial Client Coverage, South Africa

2. Role Purpose

The Senior Acquisition Banker is an experienced origination specialist accountable for acquiring high-value NTB clients (≥R500m annual T/o or Sales), leveraging deep sector expertise and strategic judgement to identify, prioritize, and convert complex opportunities into primary banking relationships. The role owns the full end-to-end acquisition lifecycle from target origination and rigorous client selection, through sophisticated credit structuring and governance, to onboarding, implementation, and activation, ensuring Absa secures transactional primacy as the client’s main operating, clearing, and transactional flow bank.

Responsible for originating and executing integrated, multi-product banking solutions across lending, transactional banking, liquidity, FX, and trade services, optimizing wallet capture, and delivering disciplined, accretive balance sheet deployment aligned to risk appetite and target returns.

This role further requires the ability to shape client strategy, challenge incumbent banks, influence senior decision-makers, and mobilise cross-functional teams to deliver complex transactions with speed, quality, and execution discipline, ultimately driving sustainable, risk-adjusted revenue growth within targeted sectors.

3. Core Responsibilities

3.1 Primacy-Led NTB Acquisition

• Identify, research, and maintain a pipeline of Commercial profiled NTB target clients (≥R500m annual T/o or Sales)
• Maintain an active and disciplined calling and engagement programme to originate new opportunities
• Lead owner and senior financial decision-maker engagements to position Absa as the primary bank
• Secure primary operating accounts and drive full transactional switching (payments, collections, clearing)
• Structure onboarding solutions to maximise wallet share across cash management, liquidity, and trade services
• Displace incumbent banks through differentiated value propositions, pricing, and service delivery

3.2 Balance Sheet Origination, Lending & Cross-Sell

• Originate and structure lending opportunities across product houses, delivering integrated solutions across term lending, commercial property finance, working capital, trade finance, asset-based finance, and treasury, etc.
• Deploy the Bank’s balance sheet in a disciplined and accretive manner, ensuring optimal risk-adjusted returns while utilising borrowings strategically to anchor and deepen transactional primacy.
• Drive deposit mobilisation, liquidity flows, and funding optimisation, maintaining strong cross-sell discipline to link lending with transactional activity and deliver holistic client solutions aligned to client operating cycles and growth strategies.

3.3 End-to-End Deal Execution & Project Management

• Take full ownership of the end-to-end deal lifecycle, from origination through execution to implementation, activation, and client utilisation.
• Lead and coordinate Client Service Teams (CSTs) to deliver integrated, high-quality solutions, including the structuring and presentation of credit proposals through internal approval processes.
• Drive efficient onboarding and client migration, ensuring accelerated time-to-primacy through rapid conversion from approval to active and sustained transactional usage.

3.4 Risk Management & Governance

• Ensure strict adherence to Absa’s risk frameworks, policies, and approved lending governance standards, taking full ownership of the end-to-end credit process in close partnership with Credit Risk to secure approvals.
• Maintain a proactive and transparent risk management approach through continuous client engagement, ensuring early identification and escalation of emerging risks.
• Actively identify, assess, and mitigate credit, transactional, and reputational risks, operating consistently within the Bank’s defined risk appetite and control environment.

3.5 Compliance, Operations & Ecosystem Capture

• Ensure full compliance with all applicable regulatory requirements, including FICA, FAIS, AML, and SARB, while remaining current on industry, regulatory, and product developments impacting client delivery.
• Drive ecosystem capture by identifying and converting opportunities across client value chains, including suppliers, payroll, and related entities, to deepen relationships and revenue generation.
• Ensure seamless coordination and alignment across Operations, Product Houses, and Support Functions to enable efficient execution and delivery of integrated client solutions.

4. Behavioral Expectations

• Champion the NCA franchise through strong internal collaboration and referral generation, consistently positioning Absa as the primary banking partner.
• Build and maintain credible, long-term stakeholder relationships across Coverage, Product, Credit Risk, Operations, and Compliance to enable effective deal execution.
• Maintain disciplined pipeline management, opportunity tracking, and reporting through structured frameworks (e.g. Salesforce, CST), ensuring execution focus, accountability, and timely delivery.
• Proactively identify and manage reputational and transactional risks in line with governance and compliance standards while upholding the highest levels of integrity, professionalism, and ethical conduct.
• Actively contributes to team effectiveness through mentorship, knowledge sharing, and collaboration, supporting capability development and alignment to Absa values.

5. Experience & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Commerce, Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related discipline.
• 7–10 years of experience in Commercial/Business Banking or Corporate Banking, with a strong focus on client acquisition and relationship management.
• Demonstrated track record in New-to-Bank (NTB) origination, credit structuring, and execution, as well as client onboarding and implementation.
• Robust understanding of banking products, credit risk frameworks, financial markets, and the applicable regulatory environment.

6. Key Competencies

• Demonstrates deep expertise in transactional banking, including cash management, payments, liquidity, and digital platforms, combined with strong capability to originate and structure accretive balance sheet solutions.
• Possesses advanced credit and financial analysis skills, enabling effective structuring of complex client solutions aligned to risk and return objectives.
• Exhibits strong origination and sales capability, with a proven ability to win mandates, displace competitors, and drive new client acquisition.
• Applies sound commercial acumen with an entrepreneurial, client-centric, and value-driven mindset to identify and unlock growth opportunities.
• Effectively manages and influences internal and external stakeholders while maintaining strong execution discipline, ensuring delivery of outcomes through structured project management and coordination.

Education

Bachelors Degree and Professional Qualifications: Business, Commerce and Management Studies (Required)

Absa Bank Limited is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. In compliance with the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998, preference will be given to suitable candidates from designated groups whose appointments will contribute towards achievement of equitable demographic representation of our workforce profile and add to the diversity of the Bank.

Absa Bank Limited reserves the right not to make an appointment to the post as advertised