Head, Business & SME Products, Strategy and Performance Reporting

Job Description

Knowledge, Expereince & Qualifications  

• Advance academic qualifications, preferably a master’s degree in business administration, Finance, Economics, Statistics, Engineering, or a related field from a recognized institution. 
• 8-10 years progressive experience in banking, financial services, or related fields, with a strong focus on Business & SME. 
• Relevant professional certifications such as CA, CFA, ACCA, CBA, PMP, PRINCE2, Agile, or specialized Banking /Product Management credentials are strongly preferred. 
• Robust experience in end-to end product management, including product lifecycle design, development, governance, performance tracking, and profitability analysis.  
• Deep understanding of banking products, credit processes, Business customer’s needs, competition dynamics, and market trends. 
• Proven experience leading strategy development, business planning, and performance management within the banking or financial services industry. 
• Hands-on experience in sales and operations management, preferably within Business Banking or SME Banking environments. 
• Demonstrated track record of building forecasting models, dashboards, management reports, and delivering actionable business insights that influence executive decision-making. 

Technical / Industry Specific Skills  

Product & Business Banking Expertise 

• Strong understanding of Business Banking & SME product suites, including lending, deposits, trade finance, payments, digital solutions, and value-added services. 
• Ability to manage end-to-end product development, including ideation, market sizing, business case development, pricing strategies, launch planning, and post-launch monitoring 
• Knowledge of product governance frameworks, regulatory requirements, operational risk considerations, and compliance standards 
• Experience conducting product profitability reviews, segment performance assessments, and continuous improvement initiatives. 

Analytics & Financial Planning Skills 

• Advanced analytical capabilities with proficiency in Excel, VBA, SQL, Power BI, or other analytics tools. 
• Expertise in financial modeling, portfolio analysis, and designing performance tracking frameworks. 
• Deep knowledge of budgeting processes — creation, justification, monitoring, and variance analysis. 
•  Strong grasp of financial statements (P&L, balance sheet, cash flow) and ability to derive strategic insights that guide product direction and resource allocation. 
•  Ability to create and manage departmental budgets, forecast, and track divisional financial performance. 

Strategic & Business Planning Skills 

• Ability to translate strategy into measurable plans, KPIs, and execution roadmaps. 
• Experience conducting market scanning, competitor benchmarking, and trend analysis to inform product and segment strategy. 
• Strong understanding of business mission, strategic drivers, and the link between strategy, operations, and financial performance. 

Stakeholder Management & Influence 

• High-level influencing skills with proven ability to manage cross-functional teams (Credit, Risk, Operations, Marketing, Relationship Management, Digital, Finance). 
• Strong collaboration and facilitation skills across hierarchy levels with an ability to drive alignment within complex organizational structures. 

Managerial / Leadership Skills  

• Strong leadership capabilities with experience managing high-performing teams 
• Ability to coach, mentor, and develop team members, strengthening their analytical, financial, and strategic planning competencies. 
• Skilled in team-building, workload management, prioritization, and fostering a collaborative work environment. 
• Strong negotiation skills and situational leadership techniques. 
• Ability to set clear performance targets, conduct structured reviews, and ensure continuous capability development. 
• Capable of managing group dynamics and driving accountability, innovation, and data-driven decision-making. 

Specialist Knowledge  

• Deep understanding of banking mechanisms, SME sector dynamics, and the full suite of Business & SME Banking products and services, including benefits, limitations, risks, and compliance requirement. 
• Ability to apply this knowledge to identify business gaps, customer pain points, market opportunities, and potential product innovations. 
• Strong grasp of credit processes, risk assessment models, and the relationship between product design, portfolio quality, and customer experience. 

Communication and Relationship Facilitation  

• Ability to clearly articulate business cases, strategic recommendations, and financial insights to senior management and steering committees. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills suitable for executive-level engagement. 
• Skilled at preparing and delivering compelling presentations, product proposals, and performance reports. 
• Ability to analyze complex data sets and communicate insights in a clear, simplified, and actionable manner. 
• Proficient in facilitating business discussions, workshops, and strategy sessions with multi-level stakeholders.  

Personal Attributes  

• Strong strategic thinking skills with the ability to convert strategy into measurable action. 
• Highly analytical, detail-oriented, and strong problem-solving ability. 
• Comfortable managing ambiguity, pressure, and multiple high-stake priorities. 
• Demonstrates initiative, creativity, innovation, and continuous improvement mindset. 
• High levels of integrity, professionalism, and sound judgement. 
• Resilient, adaptable, and able to respond effectively to urgent or ad-hoc business demands. 

KEY RESULT   AREAS                 

Product Strategy, Development & Governance 

• Lead the end‑to‑end development of new Business & SME Banking products, including opportunity assessment, business case development, pricing, Go-To-Market strategies, and post‑launch performance tracking 
• Maintain strong product governance structures—ensuring compliance, risk controls, documentation, and regulatory alignment for all Business & SME products. 
• Conduct periodic product profitability reviews and implement optimization initiatives to improve margins, reduce costs, and enhance customer value. 
• Drive product innovation by analyzing market trends, customer insights, regulatory shifts, and competitive activities to identify new product opportunities and refine existing offerings. 
• Coordinate with Marketing to conceptualize and execute targeted product campaigns to enhance uptake, usage, portfolio quality, and cross‑sell outcomes.  

Business Performance Management & Reporting 

• Develop and maintain dynamic forecasting models, scenario analyses, and KPI dashboards for Business Banking (Large, Upper Mid) and SME Banking (Medium, Small & Micro). 
  • Produce high‑quality monthly, quarterly, and annual performance dashboards and KPI scorecards for all units and segments. 
  • Lead quarterly business reviews, presenting performance insights, variance analyses, and strategic recommendations to senior leadership. 
  • Establish standardized data validation protocols to ensure data integrity across branch networks, digital platforms, and internal systems. 
  • Own the financial planning and analysis (FP&A) process for the division—aligning forecasts, budgets, and business plans with strategic objectives. 
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• Strategic Business Planning & Portfolio Analytics 
  • Drive the development of divisional and segment-level business strategies, ensuring alignment with market trends, customer needs, and bank-wide goals. 
  • Conduct annual portfolio segmentation refresh exercises to validate customer groupings and support differentiated propositions and resource allocation. 
  • Identify business gaps, performance issues, and emerging risks, and provide actionable recommendations for improvement. 
  • Support the design and execution of strategic initiatives aimed at revenue growth, market share expansion, portfolio quality improvement, and operational efficiency. 
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• Cross‑Functional Coordination & Stakeholder Management 
  • Coordinate closely with Relationship Managers, Hubs, Branch Managers, Credit, Risk, Analytics, Operations, and Marketing to drive cohesive business planning and execution. 
  • Provide analytical and strategic support to Portfolio Monitoring, Credit Origination, Agri-business, Trade, and FX units to ensure integrated performance tracking. 
  • Ensure alignment between regional business units and group-level strategic priorities, enabling consistent delivery on performance target. 
  • Partner with finance teams to support budget management, revenue accounting, and cost optimization initiatives. 
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• Operational Excellence & Business Process Improvement 
  • Develop and enforce standard procedures and frameworks for managing business, operational, and financial objectives across the division. 
  • Determine and implement key business initiatives based on industry best practices and internal insights to enhance productivity and operational efficiency. 
  • Oversee quality and timeliness of business performance reporting, ensuring accuracy, relevance, and actionable intelligence. 
  • Champion automation and digital enablement opportunities to streamline reporting, analytics, and performance management processes. 
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• Insights, Research & Executive Communication 
  • Analyze customer behavior, market insights, and operational data to generate thought leadership that shapes product strategy and SME value proposition. 
  • Prepare and deliver executive‑level presentations, product proposals, strategy reviews, and investment cases for senior management and steering committees. 
  • Conduct stakeholder workshops, strategy sessions, and performance dialogues to support informed decision-making across the division. 
• Leadership, People Development & Team Management 
  • Lead, mentor, and coach a team of Business Performance Analysts to strengthen their analytical, financial, and strategic planning capabilities. 
  • Oversee data gathering, model development, and execution of ad hoc research or analytical requests 
  • Manage team workload, set performance targets, and conduct structured performance reviews to ensure continuous improvement. 
  • Foster a high‑performance culture that encourages innovation, accountability, data-driven decision-making, and cross-team collaboration 
  • Support talent development initiatives by providing training, career guidance, and stretch assignments.
• GROUP RESPONSIBLITIES    
• Business and SME banking team members are expected to directly contribute to our culture of innovation and excellence. As such, each candidate would be expected to demonstrate initiative by identifying and championing processes improvement and reengineering within the team.