Manager, Relationship, Premium

Liberty is looking for a strategic-minded professional to join their team in Cape Town to spearhead the management and expansion of their high-value Premium Segment portfolio. In this pivotal role, you will act as a primary point of contact for complex business and agricultural clients, ensuring that their financial needs are met with precision, professionalism, and a deep understanding of their unique operational requirements.

About the role

The essence of this position lies in fostering long-term partnerships. You will not merely be managing accounts; you will be acting as a trusted advisor, engaging with clients on-site to gain an intimate understanding of their business models and growth potential. Success in this role requires an ecosystem mindset—the ability to look at the broader financial landscape of your clients and provide high-end, tailored solutions that go beyond standard banking services.

By conducting comprehensive value chain analyses, you will identify opportunities to support your clients' objectives while ensuring the profitability and health of the portfolio. This is a proactive role that demands mobility and a genuine commitment to delivering a differentiated, premium service experience.

What you’ll do

Your daily responsibilities will revolve around balancing relationship building with rigorous financial scrutiny. You will be expected to:

• Build and maintain robust relationships with high-value clients through consistent engagement and regular site visits.
• Conduct in-depth financial analysis, including the interpretation of annual financial statements, management accounts, and cash-flow projections.
• Develop, motivate, and present complex credit applications to business and lending committees, ensuring all submissions are accurate and compelling.
• Manage the full credit lifecycle, which includes ongoing monitoring, collateral management, and the execution of annual reviews for clients with existing credit facilities.
• Translate identified customer needs into bespoke financial products and services that add tangible value to their operations.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to drive growth while maintaining high standards of client satisfaction.

What they’re looking for

The ideal candidate brings a combination of strong technical financial acumen and the soft skills necessary for high-level relationship management. Liberty is seeking individuals who possess a solid academic foundation and extensive industry experience:

• **Qualifications:** A B.Com degree in Management Accounting, Accounting, or Agricultural Economics is essential. Preference will be given to candidates with an Honours degree, as well as those holding professional designations such as CA(SA), SAICA articles, or CIMA/ACMA (CGMA) qualifications.
• **Experience:** You must demonstrate at least seven years of relevant experience, particularly in business banking, financial analysis, or agricultural economics.
• **Specialised Knowledge:** Proven expertise in agribusiness is a significant requirement, as is a deep understanding of credit risk, financial structuring, and portfolio management.
• **Core Skills:** You should be highly proficient in commercial analysis, credit assessment, and the ability to articulate complex financial cases to senior decision-makers.

Roles of this nature within major South African financial institutions typically offer competitive remuneration packages, often including performance-based incentives, medical aid, and retirement fund contributions. As a Relationship Manager in the premium segment, career progression paths usually lead into senior executive business management, specialist credit risk roles, or regional directorships. Candidates should expect a demanding, high-performance environment where strong financial literacy and interpersonal confidence are the primary drivers of success.

One of the following qualifications or similar:

• B.Com (Management Accounting)

• B.Com (Accounting)

• B.Com (Agricultural Economics)

• BSc (Agricultural Economics)

 Preferred qualifications / advantages

• Honours degree.

• SAICA Articles / CA(SA).

• CIMA Qualified / ACMA (CGMA).

Experience required

Minimum 7 years' experience in the following fields or similar:

• Financial Management.

• Financial Accounting.

• Management Accounting.

• Relationship Management.

• Credit Analyst.

• Financial Analyst within Business Banking.

• Agric Specialist or Agric Economist.

• Agricultural knowledge and experience.

Core candidate capabilities

• Agricultural and agribusiness knowledge.

• Financial analysis and credit assessment.

• Agricultural and business lending.

• Portfolio and relationship management.

• Credit application structuring and motivation.

• Client value chain analysis.

• Commercial and financial acumen.

• Relationship building and trusted advisory capability.