Deputy Head : Business Development - North

Sanlam Limited; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 700 000 - 1 000 000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent financial services company is seeking a strategic leader for sales and operational initiatives in Johannesburg. The ideal candidate will have over 10 years of experience in asset management and demonstrate strong skills in client retention and relationship building. This role requires a relevant degree and offers opportunities for leadership within the financial sector.

Benefits

Career development opportunities

Strong employee relationships

Qualifications

• 10 years of experience in asset management and financial services.
• Knowledge of compliance, tax, and labour legislation.
• Experience with contracts, licensing, and legal structures.

Responsibilities

• Drive sales execution across Glacier's key focus areas.
• Develop operational plans that align with strategic goals.
• Manage the budget for the Northern Region.

Skills

Strategic sales

Client retention and acquisition planning

Relationship building

Persuasion and influence

Risk and compliance management

Education

Degree in Commerce / Business

Post graduate degree (CFP preferred)

Job description

Job Purpose

This role will drive the strategic distribution initiatives of Glacier across three key channels - Sanlam Connect Choice, Sanlam Connect Tied, and the Glacier Investment Channel - within the Northern Region.

It will support the Regional Head : Business Development North in formulating and successfully implementing strategic and operational plans to achieve inflow targets across all product sets and expanding into strategic markets such as IFA | GEPF & SOE | International | DFM.

Key Outcomes

Lead the Glacier brand in the Northern Region by crafting and executing compelling sales and marketing strategies, driving operational excellence, and fostering impactful intermediary engagements to strengthen market presence and business growth.

Delivering profitable, sustainable solutions to the intermediary market.

Collaborating with senior leadership across Gauteng North and South Sanlam Connect regions, Corporate and Independent Financial Services businesses.

Engaging in regional travel to support Business Development Managers, develop panels, and implement strategic sales and distribution drivers.

Strategic Positioning of the Business Area – Immediate & Future Market Positioning

Champion Glacier's value proposition within South Africa's retail investment market.

Internal Alignment

Strategically position Glacier's full product and solution suite across Sanlam Connect and Glacier Distribution, including sales, marketing, product, and investment support.

Leadership, Implementation & Performance Management

Sales Leadership: Take the lead in driving sales execution across Glacier's key focus areas—Glacier Invest, Glacier Local, Glacier International, and Glacier Life—ensuring operational capacity aligns with strategic outcomes.

Operational Planning: Develop, implement, and monitor operational plans that support the strategic goals of the business area, ensuring alignment with performance targets and continuous improvement.

Collaborate with various stakeholders IFA's and Tied agents.

Corporate IFA's and their management structures.

Sanlam Multi Managers, Executives, and Portfolio Managers.

Glacier Compliance as Key Individual on the Glacier Advisory Service license.

Financial Discipline & Performance Management Budget Oversight: Manage the budget for the Northern Region, ensuring financial discipline across all initiatives and activities.

Business Mix Optimization: Drive the team's business mix to meet Glacier's financial targets and ensure sustainable profitability.

Strategic Leadership & People Management Functional Leadership: Provide clear guidance and strategic direction across Glacier Region North and the broader Glacier senior leadership team, ensuring alignment with business priorities and goals.

Risk, Compliance & Governance Risk & Control Management: Identify, mitigate, implement, and manage controls related to risk and compliance across the business area.

Regulatory Awareness & Key Individual Responsibilities: Stay abreast of all regulatory and industry changes impacting the South African investment platform landscape, including developments in crypto assets, ESG, DeFi, and the Conduct of Financial Institutions (COFI) Bill 1 2.

Qualifications and Experience

Degree in Commerce / Business (MBA or equivalent will be advantageous) Post graduate degree preferably CFP 3 (Honours degree) will be to your advantage 10 years of experience in asset management, DFM, Onshore and Offshore, Personal tax, Investment Advice, and management of professionals at senior level.

Financial services industry and product knowledge Compliance, tax, and labour legislation Contracts, licensing, and legal structures (SFP models) Sales distribution models and value chains Market segmentation, marketing, and sales principles Remuneration models, payroll, and commission structures Strategy development and business planning Entity structures, legal / tax requirements, and risk management Business metrics, budgeting, and financial oversight Board-level strategic leadership

Attributes

Results-driven and sales-focused Strong relationship builder and collaborator Skilled in persuasion, influence, and strategic thinking Politically and organizationally savvy Confident communicator with resilience and determination Proactive dealmaker and business innovator

What will make you successful in this role?

Qualification and Experience Degree or Diploma with more than 10 years related experience.

Knowledge and Skills Strategic sales and client retention and acquisition planning Drive sales and profitability Expense, risk and compliance management Partner, network and new markets development Management of Employees Personal Attributes Persuades - Contributing through others Manages complexity - Contributing through others Decision quality - Contributing through others Business insight - Contributing through others

Career Development

Build a successful career with us We're all about building strong, lasting relationships with our employees.

We know that you have hopes for your future – your career, your personal development and of achieving great things.

We pride ourselves in helping our employees to realise their worth. Through its five business clusters – Sanlam Fintech, Sanlam Life and Savings, Sanlam Investment Group, Sanlam Allianz, Santam, as well as MiWay and the Group Office – the group provides many opportunities for growth and development.

Core Competencies

Being resilient - Contributing through others Collaborates - Contributing through others Cultivates innovation - Contributing through others Customer focus - Contributing through others Drives results - Contributing through others Turnaround time The shortlisting process will only start once the application due date has been reached. The time taken to complete this process will depend on how far you progress and the availability of managers.