Portfolio Manager: Consumer Asset Finance

Merchant West; Gauteng; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Merchant West is seeking a Portfolio Manager – Consumer Asset Finance in Gauteng to originate, develop and convert new asset finance opportunities. You will build and grow a sustainable portfolio of suppliers, referral partners and clients through proactive prospecting and relationship development.

The role requires a hunter mindset, commercial creativity and the ability to operate within governance frameworks, delivering disciplined origination, risk-managed deals and ongoing portfolio growth.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Commerce, Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business Management or related field.
• Minimum 5 years in business development, sales, relationship management or deal origination within financial services.
• Asset finance experience strongly preferred.
• Proven track record of originating and converting new business.
• Experience building supplier, dealer, intermediary or referral networks.
• Proven ability to meet sales and revenue targets.
• Existing relationships in Consumer, supplier or asset finance markets valuable.
• Experience managing a portfolio independently with limited supervision.

Responsibilities

• Identify and secure new Consumer Asset Finance opportunities.
• Develop a consistent pipeline of suppliers, referral partners and end-clients.
• Own new-business generation from prospecting through payout.
• Engage suppliers to expand pipeline and finance penetration.
• Build and manage long-term client and supplier relationships.
• Ensure compliance with credit policies and governance.
• Prepare accurate portfolio reports and maintain records.

Skills

New business development

Prospecting

Consultative selling

Deal origination

Pipeline management

Client relationship management

Credit assessment

Stakeholder engagement

Financial analysis

Presentation skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Commerce/Finance

Job description

Role Purpose

The Portfolio Manager – Consumer Asset Finance is a commercially driven new-business role responsible for originating, developing and converting new asset finance opportunities. The primary focus is to actively build and grow a sustainable portfolio of suppliers, referral partners and clients through disciplined prospecting, relationship development and deal origination.

The successful candidate will be a natural hunter with a strong entrepreneurial mindset, capable of independently identifying opportunities, opening new markets and converting relationships into sustainable finance volumes. The role requires persistence, commercial creativity and a strong bias toward action, while operating within Merchant West's credit, risk and governance frameworks.

Main Accountabilities

New Business Development & Origination

• Proactively identify, prospect and secure new Consumer Asset Finance opportunities.
• Develop a consistent pipeline of new suppliers, referral partners and end-clients.
• Take ownership of new-business generation from initial prospecting through to successful payout.
• Actively identify untapped markets, asset classes and commercial opportunities.
• Maintain a high level of external market activity through supplier visits, client meetings, cold prospecting and networking.
• Consistently deliver against agreed origination, application, payout and portfolio-growth targets.

Supplier & Channel Development

• Identify, engage and onboard new suppliers and strategic referral partners.
• Build a diversified supplier network capable of generating recurring Consumer Asset Finance opportunities.
• Develop suppliers into sustainable, productive relationships rather than once-off sources of business.
• Position Merchant West as the preferred finance partner within targeted Consumer asset classes.
• Regularly engage suppliers to identify pipeline opportunities and increase finance penetration.
• Take full commercial ownership of supplier relationships and associated deal flow.

Client & Relationship Management

• Build trusted, long-term relationships with clients, suppliers and strategic partners.
• Understand client requirements and proactively structure appropriate asset finance solutions.
• Identify cross-sell, repeat-business and referral opportunities within the existing portfolio.
• Maintain ownership of relationships throughout the finance lifecycle.

Deal Origination & Execution

• Take end-to-end ownership of originated opportunities from initial engagement through application, credit assessment and payout.
• Understand client requirements and structure commercially appropriate finance proposals.
• Work closely with Credit and internal stakeholders to package high-quality applications.
• Proactively manage outstanding requirements and obstacles to drive transactions toward conclusion.

Reporting and Portfolio Administration

• Prepare and maintain accurate portfolio reports and documentation.
• Ensure all client records and portfolio data are up to date and compliant.
• Provide regular updates on portfolio performance to management.

Credit Governance and Compliance

• Ensure adherence to credit policies, procedures, and governance frameworks.
• Maintain proper documentation and audit trails for portfolio activities.
• Support audit and compliance processes related to portfolio management.

Qualifications

• Relevant Bachelor’s degree is required, preferably in Commerce, Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business Management or a related discipline

Experience

• Minimum 5 years’ proven experience in business development, sales, relationship management or deal origination within financial services
• Demonstrable track record of originating and converting new business.
• Asset finance experience is strongly preferred.
• Proven experience in developing supplier, dealer, intermediary or referral networks.
• Evidence of consistently achieving or exceeding sales and revenue targets.
• Existing relationships within relevant Consumer, supplier or asset finance markets will be advantageous.
• Experience managing a portfolio independently with limited supervision.

Skills

• New business development and prospecting
• Consultative and solution-based selling
• Supplier and channel development
• Deal origination and structuring
• Pipeline and sales funnel management
• Client relationship and account management
• Financial and credit assessment capability
• Commercial presentation and stakeholder engagement
• Financial statement interpretation and basic financial analysis

Competencies

• Commercial judgement and financial acumen
• Hunter mentality – naturally driven to identify, pursue and convert new opportunities
• Analytical thinking and problem solving
• Decision making and sound risk judgement
• Stakeholder engagement and collaboration
• Negotiation and influencing capability
• Accountability and ownership
• Results orientation and performance focus
• Integrity and governance discipline