Mining & Construction Sector Head - Asset Finance

Merchant West; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 1,800,000 - 3,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Merchant West seeks a Sector Head for Mining and Construction to drive growth, profitability, and credit quality of lending within the sector. You will originate and structure asset finance opportunities, develop strong relationships with clients and intermediaries, and build a high-quality portfolio aligned with risk appetite and returns.

Collaborate with Credit, Risk, and Portfolio Management to ensure disciplined lending, portfolio management, and sustainable sector growth while positioning

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Economics, or a related field.
• Postgraduate qualification or industry certification (advantageous).
• Minimum 5-7 years in sales or business development, preferably within asset finance or corporate sales.
• Proven track record in originating, structuring, and executing lending transactions within a financial services or specialist lending environment.
• Strong experience in credit analysis, deal structuring, and risk assessment related to asset-backed finance.
• Demonstrated ability to build and manage client, OEM, supplier, and intermediary relationships within the relevant sectors.
• Experience in managing or overseeing a lending portfolio, including monitoring performance, arrears, and restructuring where required.
• Prior leadership or sector management experience within a banking, asset finance, or commercial lending environment would be advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Execute the full sector strategy across origination, credit, pricing, and risk management.
• Own national sector performance, including sales budget delivery, book growth, and profitability.
• Collaborate with regional heads to develop, manage, and grow the sector portfolio.
• Provide sector-level reporting across all major performance indicators.
• Lead solution design to position the organisation as the preferred funder in the sector.
• Support national and regional teams in deal origination, structuring, and closing.
• Ensure supplier relationships effectively contribute to new-business generation across all regions.
• Share sector insights, market knowledge, and sales best practices to uplift internal capabilities.
• Manage and expand key national supplier relationships to maximise business opportunities
• Identify, establish and nurture supplier partnerships to strengthen regional origination efforts
• Oversee sales pipeline targets and CRM activity; drive cross-selling and conversion.
• Foster collaboration and accountability within the sales team to achieve outcomes.
• Coach team members to improve sales skills and results.
• Build a positive and motivating team culture to drive engagement and success.

Skills

Business development

Origination

Credit analysis

Deal structuring

Portfolio management

Asset-based finance

Market analysis

Negotiation

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Strategic direction

Financial modelling

Risk governance

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Economics, or a related field

Postgraduate qualification or industry certification

Job description

Merchant West seeks a Sector Head for Mining and Construction to drive growth, profitability, and credit quality of lending within the sector. You will originate and structure asset finance opportunities, develop strong relationships with clients and intermediaries, and build a high-quality portfolio aligned with risk appetite and returns.

Collaborate with Credit, Risk, and Portfolio Management to ensure disciplined lending, portfolio management, and sustainable sector growth while positioning