Universal Banker

This opportunity at Liberty in Brackenfell, Western Cape, is for an experienced and client-focused sales professional to join their branch banking team as a Universal Banker. The role calls for a confident individual capable of engaging with clients, understanding their financial needs, and offering suitable banking solutions. Success in this position involves contributing to sales growth while upholding exceptional client service standards and adhering strictly to all regulatory, risk, and compliance frameworks, including FAIS.

About the role

As a Universal Banker, your primary objective will be to foster strong client relationships and promote the bank's offerings effectively. This requires a dedicated approach to identifying sales opportunities through client interactions within the branch and across various banking channels. You will play a crucial role in the branch's sales objectives by actively promoting relevant products and digital services. Beyond sales, the position involves assisting clients with a range of administrative tasks, from opening and amending accounts to facilitating transfers and closures, all while ensuring compliance with established procedures and regulatory requirements like KYC and POPIA.

A key part of your responsibility will be to thoroughly assess client financial situations by analysing account activity, income, and expenditure, enabling you to provide informed recommendations. You will also be instrumental in educating clients on banking processes, the functionally of digital platforms, self-service options, product features, and their rights as customers, aligning with the Code of Banking Practice. Maintaining meticulous records and contributing to a high-performing team environment are also essential aspects of this role.

What they're looking for

The ideal candidate will possess a strong professional background in a client-facing sales or banking environment, demonstrating a proven ability to achieve sales targets. They are seeking someone with robust technical knowledge of banking products, along with practical experience in client servicing, account administration, and application processing, particularly within a highly regulated setting where adherence to risk, compliance, KYC, POPIA, and FAIS guidelines is paramount.

You should have a confident and engaging communication style, allowing you to build rapport effortlessly, ask pertinent questions, handle challenging situations with composure, and provide practical solutions. The organisation values individuals who show initiative, can develop strategies, pursue goals diligently, and adapt positively to change as part of a collaborative team.

Key requirements include:

• **Educational Qualification:** A National Certificate or an equivalent NQF 5 FAIS-aligned qualification in a relevant field such as banking, financial services, commerce, sales, or client service. Crucially, candidates must meet the FAIS Fit and Proper criteria.
• **Minimum Experience:** At least 3 to 4 years of experience within a branch banking, financial services, contact centre sales, or general client-facing sales role.
• **Sales Acumen:** A demonstrated track record in sales, including identifying client needs, proactively promoting solutions, cross-selling, and consistently meeting sales or growth targets.
• **Technical Expertise:** A comprehensive understanding of banking products, client service principles, account opening procedures, and client acceptance requirements.
• **Regulatory Compliance:** Practical experience operating within a regulated environment, with a strong understanding of and adherence to risk, compliance, Know Your Customer (KYC), Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), and FAIS requirements.
• **Client Engagement Skills:** Confident and effective client engagement capabilities, including building rapport, asking insightful questions, managing pressure, and offering practical solutions.

This type of role in South Africa typically forms a foundational career path within retail banking, offering opportunities for progression into more specialised financial advisory or management positions. Compensation can vary but generally includes a basic salary augmented by performance-based incentives linked to sales targets.

• National Certificate or equivalent NQF 5 FAIS-aligned qualification in a field related to banking, financial services, commerce, sales, client service or a related discipline.
• The candidate must meet FAIS Fit and Proper requirements.

Minimum Experience:

• 3 to 4 years’ experience in a branch banking, financial services, contact centre sales or client-facing sales environment.
• Proven sales track record with experience identifying client needs, promoting solutions, cross-selling and achieving sales or growth targets.
• Strong understanding of banking products, client servicing, account opening, application processing and customer acceptance requirements.
• Experience working in a regulated environment where adherence to risk, compliance, KYC, POPIA and FAIS requirements is critical.
• Confident client engagement capability with the ability to build rapport, ask the right questions, handle pressure and provide practical solutions.