Job summary

The Sales Manager – Acquiring is responsible for driving the merchant acquiring sales strategy to achieve sustained growth in transaction volumes, revenue, and market share.

The role involves identifying new market opportunities, expanding into priority business segments, and ensuring that Absa maintains a strong and competitive value proposition through close collaboration with product, marketing, and channel teams.

The position oversees the acquisition, onboarding, activation, and management of merchants. It also ensures high portfolio quality, strong merchant utilization, and continuous business growth through cross-selling and strategic relationship management.

In addition, the role provides leadership to the sales function by ensuring high team performance through clear targets, coaching, performance monitoring, and incentive structures.

The role also ensures adherence to risk, compliance, and operational standards while working closely with operations and technology teams to deliver seamless service and reliable systems.

A strong focus is placed on improving customer experience, strengthening partnerships, and using data-driven insights to optimize performance, improve merchant retention, and support informed decision-making at both operational and strategic levels.

Key responsibilities

Sales strategy and revenue growth

The role will be responsible for:

• Developing and executing the merchant acquiring sales strategy to grow transaction volumes, revenues, and market share.
• Setting sales targets, monitoring performance, and ensuring consistent achievement of financial goals.
• Identifying new markets, business segments, and payment opportunities for expansion.

Merchant acquisition and portfolio management

The role will involve:

• Overseeing the acquisition of new merchants across priority sectors.
• Ensuring high-quality onboarding, training, and activation of merchants to drive usage.
• Managing and growing the existing merchant portfolio through strong relationship management.
• Cross-selling additional payment solutions to merchants.

Product and market positioning

The Sales Manager – Acquiring will:

• Work closely with product, marketing, and channel teams to ensure competitive pricing, product features, and go-to-market plans.
• Monitor competitor activity, market trends, and regulatory developments.
• Maintain a strong and competitive value proposition in the market.

Team leadership and performance management

The role includes responsibility for:

• Leading, training, and motivating the sales team to deliver high performance.
• Ensuring excellent merchant experience across the sales function.
• Implementing coaching, performance monitoring, and incentive programs.
• Ensuring field teams are equipped with the necessary tools, knowledge, and support.

Partnership development

The successful candidate will:

• Build strategic partnerships with key stakeholders, including fintechs, technology vendors, aggregators, and industry associations.
• Negotiate and manage commercial agreements to support business growth.

Risk, compliance, and operational excellence

The role will require the candidate to:

• Ensure compliance with regulatory guidelines, internal policies, KYC requirements, and risk frameworks.
• Work with operations and IT teams to ensure smooth deployment of POS devices.
• Support system uptime and timely issue resolution.
• Strengthen fraud prevention practices within the merchant ecosystem.

Customer experience and service delivery

The Sales Manager – Acquiring will:

• Champion merchant experience by ensuring timely responses to issues.
• Provide proactive support and clear communication to merchants.
• Drive initiatives that reduce transaction failures, chargebacks, and service downtime.

Reporting and performance insights

The role includes responsibility for:

• Preparing sales performance dashboards, revenue reports, and pipeline updates for management.
• Using data analytics to support decisions on merchant performance, attrition, and optimization.

Technical skills and competencies

Required skills and competencies

Candidates should have strong:

• Communication skills.
• Relationship management skills.
• Planning skills.
• Interpersonal skills.
• Sales skills.
• Negotiation skills.

Knowledge and expertise

Essential knowledge and expertise

Candidates must have:

• Full and extensive knowledge of Absacard products and services.
• Working knowledge of acquiring industry dynamics, interchange, and related areas.
• In-depth knowledge of competitor solutions.
• Knowledge of the Business-to-Business sector.
• Full awareness of industry trends in-country and overseas.
• Knowledge of Absa Group and Absacard strategies locally and overseas.
• Working knowledge and practical understanding of law, legislation, and regulations as they apply to the local market.

Preferred knowledge and expertise

It would be advantageous for candidates to have:

• Knowledge of relevant third-party suppliers, including technology suppliers.
• Up-to-date knowledge of industry-related developments.

Experience, qualifications, and other requirements

Essential requirements

Candidates must have:

• Satisfaction of the FSA criteria for an approved person, both initially and on an ongoing basis.
• A minimum of 3 years of sales experience with a proven track record of achievement and high performance.
• Proven success in negotiation within a corporate environment.

Preferred requirements

Candidates may also have:

• Experience in the Business-to-Business Financial Services sector.
• Knowledge of the Card Acquiring industry, which would be an advantage but is not essential.

Key issues over the next 12 to 24 months

The successful candidate should be prepared for the following:

• Competition is expected to become stronger, with more aggressive strategies in most markets.
• Flexibility will be required to work under challenging deadlines when they arise.
• The role is itinerant, and office space will not be available.
• Travel within the country and, in some cases, outside the country will be required.

Absa behaviours important to this role

The following Absa behaviours are of particular importance to this position:

• Drive performance.
• Delight customers.
• Build pride and passion.
• Execute at speed.
• Grow talent and capability.
• Protect and enhance Absa’s reputation.

Absa values

Absa values and behaviours represent the standards that govern the actions of all employees of the bank. They are also used to assess and reward performance across the organization.

The Absa values are:

• Trust.
• Resourceful.
• Stewardship.
• Inclusive.
• Courage.

Education

Required education

• Further Education and Training Certificate (FETC) in Business, Commerce and Management Studies.

• Manage a portfolio of customers to offer Markets Risk Management Products propositions and related understanding to clients, including internal customers.
• Drive product and technology sales, including: Absa Access FX, Investment products, Risk Management Products
• Trade directly with customers as required.
• Develop close contacts with Commercial Relationship Managers and customers.
• Promote the expansion and penetration of CIB Markets business into customer segments, including RBB and Corporate.
• Expand the customer base for CIB Markets products and services.
• Meet delegated volume and profitability targets.
• Ensure that Absa Group Limited policies, procedures, and relevant credit limits are always adhered to.
• Identify personal knowledge gaps and ensure that a self-training and development plan is in place.
• Assist the Head of Markets Sales in compiling the annual Markets strategic business plan.
• Ensure regular monthly feedback on performance is available.

• Effective trading ability with a good track record.
• Exposure to Global Markets Sales.
• Sound understanding of balance sheet and income statement analysis.
• Basic level ACI Dealing Certificate.
• Understanding of financial risk management strategies and tools.
• Good knowledge of Financial Markets products, services, strategies, and back-office operations.
• Good general knowledge of other bank products, especially: Trade finance, Structured trade finance, Forfaiting, Merchant banking products
• General knowledge of merchant banking products.
• Strong business awareness.
• Ability to think quickly and act decisively.
• Strong relationship management skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a dealing room environment.
• Innovation and creativity.
• Ability to use own initiative.
• Confidence to make decisions with authority.
• High ethical and moral standards.
• Professional conduct at all times.
• Effective marketing, negotiation, and influencing skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Degree to honors level.
• Postgraduate qualification preferred.
• Basic level ACI Dealing Certificate.
• Bachelor’s degree and professional qualifications in Business, Commerce, and Management Studies.