Head Business Development – CIB Transactional Banking

1001 Absa Bank; Sandton; On-site; ZAR 1,500,000 - 2,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Absa Bank Limited is seeking a senior Pan-African business development leader to drive growth across Transactional Banking in Africa. You will originate opportunities, build executive relationships, and collaborate with product, coverage, and regional teams to accelerate revenue.

You will lead a high-performing team and require 15+ years in relevant banking; a postgraduate degree is essential, with MBA advantageous.

Qualifications

• 15+ years’ experience in Transactional Banking, Corporate Banking, or related financial services.
• Significant executive leadership experience across business development and client coverage.
• Proven track record of originating strategic opportunities and revenue growth.
• Deep understanding of Pan-African Transactional Banking markets, public sector and infrastructure clients.
• Ability to engage senior stakeholders, regulators, and industry participants.

Responsibilities

• Defining and executing the Pan-African business development strategy aligned to the Transactional Banking growth agenda.
• Originating new-to-bank and high-value strategic client opportunities across public sector, infrastructure and priority ecosystems.
• Building trusted executive-level relationships with key decision-makers, industry bodies, regulators and ecosystem partners.
• Identifying and developing partnerships that enhance market access, sector penetration and commercial growth.
• Collaborating across Cash Management, Payments, Liquidity, Trade and Working Capital, Investor Services, Coverage and Regional teams to deliver integrated client solutions.
• Driving disciplined opportunity management, forecasting and sustainable revenue growth.
• Building and leading a high-performing business development franchise, developing future leaders and strengthening succession depth.

Skills

Executive leadership

Business development

Client coverage

Stakeholder engagement

Pan-African market knowledge

Strategic partnerships

Financial acumen

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Postgraduate qualification in Commerce, Finance, Economics, Banking or related discipline

MBA or equivalent postgraduate qualification

Job description

Empowering Africa’s tomorrow, together…one story at a time. With over 100 years of rich history and strongly positioned as a local bank with regional and international expertise, a career with our family offers the opportunity to be part of this exciting growth journey, to reset our future and shape our destiny as a proudly African group.

Job Summary

Are you a senior business development leader with the influence, commercial acumen and Pan-African market insight to unlock large-scale growth? This is a high-impact opportunity to lead the business development agenda within CIB Transactional Banking, shaping strategic growth, market expansion and client acquisition across priority sectors and markets. In this role you will lead the Pan-African business development function, identifying and converting new revenue opportunities, building strategic partnerships and strengthening the Transactional Banking franchise across Africa. Working closely with Product, Sales, Coverage, Corporate Banking and Regional teams, you will originate strategic opportunities, deepen executive client relationships and accelerate sustainable revenue growth in support of the broader Transactional Banking and CIB strategy.

Job Description

Your key accountabilities will include:

• Defining and executing the Pan-African business development strategy aligned to the Transactional Banking growth agenda.
• Originating new-to-bank and high-value strategic client opportunities across public sector, infrastructure and priority ecosystems.
• Building trusted executive-level relationships with key decision-makers, industry bodies, regulators and ecosystem partners.
• Identifying and developing partnerships that enhance market access, sector penetration and commercial growth.
• Collaborating across Cash Management, Payments, Liquidity, Trade and Working Capital, Investor Services, Coverage and Regional teams to deliver integrated client solutions.
• Driving disciplined opportunity management, forecasting and sustainable revenue growth.
• Building and leading a high-performing business development franchise, developing future leaders and strengthening succession depth.

Requirements

• 15+ years’ experience in Transactional Banking, Corporate Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking, or a related financial services environment.
• Significant executive leadership experience across business development, sales, client coverage or corporate banking.
• A proven track record of originating strategic opportunities and delivering meaningful revenue growth.
• Deep understanding of Pan-African Transactional Banking markets, public sector and infrastructure client segments.
• Strong ability to engage senior stakeholders, regulators, government entities, development finance institutions and industry participants.
• Commercial judgement, enterprise leadership and the ability to mobilise cross-functional teams around complex client opportunities.
• Postgraduate qualification in Commerce, Finance, Economics, Banking, Business or a related discipline.
• MBA or equivalent postgraduate qualification would be advantageous.

Education
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

At Absa, our story is not a single narrative. It’s thousands of individual journeys unfolding across Africa and beyond. From colleagues serving customers in local communities to teams shaping financial solutions across borders, Absa is built on people who bring their lived experiences, ambitions and perspectives into the workplace every day. Whether you’re starting your career, a seasoned leader or somewhere in between, your contribution is seen, valued and connected to something bigger. Our presence across Africa – which spans personal and business banking, corporate and investment banking, wealth and investment management, and insurance – exists because of the people who show up in their roles with purpose. Across Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, our colleagues are shaping what Absa becomes in each market. Beyond the continent, teams in global offices and a technology hub support and extend the stories that prove that African talent can lead, influence and innovate on the global stage. At Absa, your story matters because progress is driven by human experience, not hierarchy. When people are enabled to bring their whole selves to work, they don’t just build careers. They help shape the future of Africa’s financial services landscape.