Senior Business Development Officer

Kemslis Pragmatic Limited - Our client is recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Senior Business Development Officer 

Location: Victoria Island, Lagos
Employment Type: Full-time

Job Description

• The Senior Business Development Officer is responsible for driving business growth through the identification, acquisition, development, and management of new and existing client relationships.
• The role will focus on originating quality lending and financial business opportunities, understanding clients' funding requirements, developing appropriate financing solutions, managing the sales pipeline, and working closely with Credit, Operations, Risk, and other relevant teams to ensure timely processing and successful conversion of opportunities.
• The role holder is expected to achieve assigned business development targets while maintaining high standards of customer service, documentation, compliance, and portfolio quality.

Key Responsibilities
Business Development & Origination:

• Identify and develop new business opportunities across targeted market segments.
• Generate and maintain a healthy pipeline of prospective borrowers and corporate clients.
• Market the Company's lending and financial solutions to prospective and existing customers.
• Develop and maintain relationships with businesses, institutions, professionals, agents, and strategic partners that can generate business opportunities.
• Conduct client visits, business meetings, presentations, and negotiations.
• Understand clients' business models, funding requirements, cash flows, and financing needs.
• Convert qualified prospects into funded transactions in line with approved business objectives.
• Drive repeat business and cross-selling opportunities across existing relationships.

Loan Origination & Transaction Structuring:

• Engage prospective borrowers to understand their financing requirements and proposed use of funds.
• Conduct preliminary assessment of prospective transactions, including the customer's business, repayment source, transaction structure, and proposed security.
• Recommend suitable financing structures within the Company's approved product framework.
• Prepare and submit complete and accurate business proposals, applications, and supporting documentation.
• Work with the Credit/Risk team to facilitate the appraisal and processing of transactions.
• Coordinate with clients and internal teams to resolve documentation and transaction requirements.
• Track transactions from initial enquiry through approval, documentation, disbursement, and repayment.

Relationship Management:

• Build and maintain strong relationships with existing customers.
• Maintain regular contact with clients to identify emerging financing and business needs.
• Monitor customer satisfaction and promptly address service issues in collaboration with relevant internal teams.
• Develop a deep understanding of key customers' businesses, industries, suppliers, customers, and operating cycles.
• Drive customer retention and repeat transactions.

Pipeline & Performance Management:

• Maintain an up-to-date business development pipeline covering prospects, opportunities, applications, approvals, and disbursements.
• Track individual performance against assigned origination, disbursement, revenue, and customer acquisition targets.
• Provide regular pipeline and business development reports to management.
• Monitor the movement of transactions and proactively identify bottlenecks affecting conversion.
• Develop and execute strategies to achieve assigned monthly, quarterly, and annual targets.
• Maintain adequate pipeline coverage to support consistent business growth.

Market Development:

• Research market trends, competitor activities, customer needs, and emerging business opportunities.
• Identify new sectors, industries, products, and customer segments with potential for profitable growth.
• Develop strategic referral and business partnerships to increase deal flow.
• Participate in marketing campaigns, business events, industry engagements, and client acquisition initiatives.

Credit & Portfolio Support:

• Ensure that information submitted for credit consideration is accurate, complete, and properly supported.
• Conduct appropriate preliminary due diligence on prospective customers.
• Highlight material risks, repayment concerns, and unusual transaction characteristics identified during origination.
• Support the Credit and Risk teams with additional information required during appraisal.
• Maintain close contact with customers after disbursement and escalate emerging repayment or relationship concerns promptly.
• Support the monitoring of customer obligations and facilitate timely resolution of issues.

Compliance & Documentation:

• Ensure that all customer onboarding and transaction documentation complies with the Company's requirements and applicable regulations.
• Adhere to the Company's credit, KYC, AML/CFT, risk management, and business development policies.
• Ensure that no transaction is represented to a customer as approved until the appropriate approval has been obtained.
• Maintain proper records of customer interactions, applications, approvals, and transaction documentation.
• Ensure confidentiality and proper handling of customer information.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent in Business Administration, Finance, Economics, Accounting, Marketing, or a related discipline with 5-7 years experience. 
• Professional qualification in Banking, Finance, Marketing, or a related field is an advantage.