Public Sector Relationship Manager

In 1998 Rand Merchant Bank Holdings and the financial services interests (First National Bank of Southern Africa Limited "FNB"? and Southern Life Limited) of Anglo-American were merged to form FirstRand Limited. FNB became a wholly owned subsidiary of FirstRand and currently trades as a division of FirstRand Bank Limited. FNB provides personal, commercial and corporate banking services to more than 6 million customers across South Africa from large corporate accounts to accounts for teens and pensioners. It is also the single largest contributor to FirstRand's bottom-line. First National Bank - a division of FirstRand Bank Limited. An Authorised Financial Services and Credit Provider (NCRCP20). Role Purpose To strategically lead and manage a portfolio of high-value Public Sector clients, with a particular focus on NPO and related ecosystem segments, by driving sustainable growth, profitability, retention, digital adoption, transact primacy, compliant advisory engagement, and effective client acquisition. The role is accountable for building strong, trust-based stakeholder relationships, proactively identifying portfolio risks and opportunities, enabling relevant ecosystem solutions, and ensuring measurable performance against financial, client, digital, risk, and operational indicators. Core Responsibilities Manage portfolio profitability by improving cost-to-income performance, deepening client relationships, and growing client value across relevant product and transactional solutions. Enhance business performance through disciplined portfolio management, proactive client engagement, and targeted growth initiatives. Drive customer service delivery in line with predefined standards and operational objectives. Grow and retain the client base by managing existing clients, identifying new leads, increasing active account usage, and supporting new-to-bank acquisition. Develop and manage key stakeholder relationships that enable achievement of operational and strategic objectives. Drive customer migration and digital adoption by recommending appropriate solutions, improving usage, and supporting efficient client journeys. Set tactical goals and optimise the use of people, finances, data, and technologies to realise portfolio and strategic objectives. Define and execute sales strategy and delivery plans in support of strategic business objectives. Assess and evaluate credit applications in accordance with the Bank's Credit Policy and within set time frames. Ensure compliance with legislative, conduct, advisory, risk, audit, and internal process requirements. Compile portfolio reports that track progress, highlight leading indicators, and guide informed management decisions. Continuously assess own performance, seek timely feedback, and request training where appropriate. Manage people, where applicable, by executing line manager responsibilities and creating an environment that encourages employee growth and performance excellence. Leading Indicators and Strategic Levers: Early risk detection: monitor changes in account activity, transactional flows, service concerns, dormant behaviour, declining values, and competitor displacement signals. Client engagement cadence: maintain deliberate engagement plans aligned to client value, risk, growth potential, onboarding stage, and strategic importance. Activity-based performance indicators: track meaningful client interactions, pipeline quality, onboarding progress, adoption conversations, merchant services enablement, and retention interventions. Data-led portfolio management: use dashboards, portfolio reviews, and management information to direct effort toward the highest-value opportunities and risks. Strategic alignment: connect portfolio actions to broader segment objectives, including growth, transact primacy, digital migration, ecosystem play, retention, and improved profitability. Ideal Candidate Requirements Relevant NQF 7 qualification and National Senior Certificate / Matric Certificate. RE5 accreditation is mandatory for this role, given the advisory nature of client engagement and the compliance expectations within the banking environment. Ability to interpret financial statements and assess the commercial, operational, and risk implications for clients. Strong relationship management, advisory, sales, digital enablement, and portfolio management capability. Not an unrehabilitated insolvent. End Date: July 9, 2026