The Partnerships Manager is responsible for acquiring, managing, and nurturing partnerships that directly contribute to the Bank’s growth agenda. In line with the special focus and Market positioning of the Bank, Partnerships Manager will be responsible for working with the key customers segments. The role is critical in creating value and collaborating to unlock new business relationships and leverage external collaborations to serve certain segments and expand market share. The Partnerships Manager ensures that partnerships and strategic alliances deliver measurable value to both the Bank and Partners and contribute to the country development goals.

Responsibilities or duties

Partnerships Leadership

• Establish new business relationships with potential partners, focusing on alliances that expand the Bank’s reach, grow deposits, and generate fee-based income.
• Ensure all documentation relating to partnerships (contracts, MOUs, SLAs) is accurate, compliant, and securely maintained.
• Manage partnership life-cycles, ensuring smooth onboarding and effective handover to relevant departments for operational execution.
• Review existing partnerships to identify opportunities for deeper collaboration, improved efficiency, and enhanced value creation.
• Collaborate with managers, sales representatives, and other Bank officials to design and execute partnership strategies that align with the Bank’s growth objectives.
• Evaluate partner contracts, identifying risks, compliance gaps, and areas for improvement to safeguard the Bank’s interests.
• Conduct competitive analysis on partnerships, benchmarking against industry practices to identify opportunities for differentiation.
• Prepare detailed performance reports for the Head of Partnerships and, where appropriate, present partnership performance and recommendations for improvement.

Customer Relationship / Experience Management

• Lead initiatives to grow and retain partners, ensuring long-term, mutually beneficial relationships.
• Propose customer experience improvements tailored to partner organizations, coordinating with relevant departments to implement solutions that enhance satisfaction.
• Conduct periodic reviews and relationship-building activities, strengthening trust and positioning the Bank as a preferred partner.
• Facilitate day-to-day partner relationship management, acting as the central liaison between partners and internal teams.
• Communicate value propositions clearly to stakeholders, ensuring alignment and speedy execution of partnership transactions.
• Champion a customer-centric culture, ensuring that partnerships deliver tangible benefits to clients and contribute to the Bank’s reputation.

Resource Management (Finances and/or Assets)

• Support the Head of Partnerships in preparing annual budgets and forecasts, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities of cost containment and revenue growth.
• Monitor monthly performance against budget, identifying variances early and recommending corrective actions to maintain financial discipline.
• Advocate for efficient resource allocation, ensuring partnership investments deliver measurable returns and contribute to profitability.

Staff Management

• Deliver recruitment, selection, induction, training, and development for direct reportees, building a team with strong relationship management and execution skills.
• Manage performance of staff by:
  • Setting clear performance goals linked to strategic priorities.
  • Delivering performance appraisals and managing outcomes.
  • Coaching and mentoring staff to build strategic thinking and execution capabilities.
  • Recognizing and rewarding outstanding performance.
  • Documenting and managing performance improvement plans for underperformers.
• Foster a culture of collaboration and accountability, ensuring the team is aligned to the Bank’s growth and customer experience objectives.

Qualifications or requirements (e.g., education, skills)

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Commerce, Banking and Finance, or related field from a recognized university.
• Postgraduate qualification (e.g., MBA, MSc in Marketing, Business Development, or Customer Relationship Management) is an added advantage.
• Professional certifications in sales, negotiation, or relationship management (e.g., CIB, PMP, or similar) are desirable.
• Strong strategic thinking, business development, and negotiation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to build and manage partnerships that drive revenue growth and enhance customer satisfaction in a financial services environment.

Experience needed

• Minimum 5 years’ experience at manager or senior officer level in a busy financial services organization, with exposure to business development, partnerships, or corporate relationship management.
• Excellent negotiation and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build strong, long-lasting relationships.
• Proven track record in identifying new partnership opportunities, cross-selling opportunities, and alliance-driven growth.
• Experience in customer relationship management, with a track record of improving partner satisfaction and retention.
• Ability to evaluate contracts and partnership agreements, identifying risks and recommending improvements.
• Competitor and market analysis skills, with the ability to benchmark partnerships and industry practices and propose innovative collaboration models.

• Establish new business relationships with potential partners, focusing on alliances that expand the Bank’s reach, grow deposits, and generate fee-based income.
• Ensure all documentation relating to partnerships (contracts, MOUs, SLAs) is accurate, compliant, and securely maintained.
• Manage partnership life-cycles, ensuring smooth onboarding and effective handover to relevant departments for operational execution.
• Review existing partnerships to identify opportunities for deeper collaboration, improved efficiency, and enhanced value creation.
• Collaborate with managers, sales representatives, and other Bank officials to design and execute partnership strategies that align with the Bank’s growth objectives.
• Evaluate partner contracts, identifying risks, compliance gaps, and areas for improvement to safeguard the Bank’s interests.
• Conduct competitive analysis on partnerships, benchmarking against industry practices to identify opportunities for differentiation.
• Prepare detailed performance reports for the Head of Partnerships and, where appropriate, present partnership performance and recommendations for improvement.
• Lead initiatives to grow and retain partners, ensuring long-term, mutually beneficial relationships.
• Propose customer experience improvements tailored to partner organizations, coordinating with relevant departments to implement solutions that enhance satisfaction.
• Conduct periodic reviews and relationship-building activities, strengthening trust and positioning the Bank as a preferred partner.
• Facilitate day-to-day partner relationship management, acting as the central liaison between partners and internal teams.
• Communicate value propositions clearly to stakeholders, ensuring alignment and speedy execution of partnership transactions.
• Champion a customer-centric culture, ensuring that partnerships deliver tangible benefits to clients and contribute to the Bank’s reputation.
• Support the Head of Partnerships in preparing annual budgets and forecasts, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities of cost containment and revenue growth.
• Monitor monthly performance against budget, identifying variances early and recommending corrective actions to maintain financial discipline.
• Advocate for efficient resource allocation, ensuring partnership investments deliver measurable returns and contribute to profitability.
• Deliver recruitment, selection, induction, training, and development for direct reportees, building a team with strong relationship management and execution skills.
• Manage performance of staff by: Setting clear performance goals linked to strategic priorities. Delivering performance appraisals and managing outcomes. Coaching and mentoring staff to build strategic thinking and execution capabilities. Recognizing and rewarding outstanding performance. Documenting and managing performance improvement plans for underperformers.
• Foster a culture of collaboration and accountability, ensuring the team is aligned to the Bank’s growth and customer experience objectives.

• Strong strategic thinking, business development, and negotiation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to build and manage partnerships that drive revenue growth and enhance customer satisfaction in a financial services environment.
• Excellent negotiation and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build strong, long-lasting relationships.
• Proven track record in identifying new partnership opportunities, cross-selling opportunities, and alliance-driven growth.
• Experience in customer relationship management, with a track record of improving partner satisfaction and retention.
• Ability to evaluate contracts and partnership agreements, identifying risks and recommending improvements.
• Competitor and market analysis skills, with the ability to benchmark partnerships and industry practices and propose innovative collaboration models.

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Commerce, Banking and Finance, or related field from a recognized university.
• Postgraduate qualification (e.g., MBA, MSc in Marketing, Business Development, or Customer Relationship Management) is an added advantage.
• Professional certifications in sales, negotiation, or relationship management (e.g., CIB, PMP, or similar) are desirable.