Lead : SME Payment Acceptance at Absa Bank Limited
Empowering Africa’s tomorrow, together…one story at a time.
With over 100 years of rich history and strongly positioned as a local bank with regional and international expertise, a career with our family offers the opportunity to be part of this exciting growth journey, to reset our future and shape our destiny as a proudly African group.
Job Summary
The Lead SME Merchant is responsible for driving acquisition, activation, retention, and revenue growth of SME merchants. The role owns the end‑to‑end SME growth strategy, combining product, commercial, marketing, and partnerships to scale merchant adoption profitably.
This role is highly cross‑functional and outcome‑driven, with direct accountability for merchant growth metrics.
Job Description
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Define and execute the SME merchant growth strategy aligned to company objectives.
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Identify key growth levers across acquisition, onboarding, engagement, and retention.
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Prioritise initiatives based on impact, data, and scalability.
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Own the SME growth roadmap and performance outcomes.
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Drive SME merchant acquisition across multiple channels (direct sales, digital, partnerships, referrals).
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Develop scalable acquisition models that balance growth with unit economics.
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Identify opportunities to upsell, cross‑sell, and increase merchant lifetime value.
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Work closely with Product and Tech teams to improve:
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Onboarding and time‑to‑value
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Merchant experience and ease of use
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Adoption of value‑added services
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Translate merchant insights into actionable product requirements.
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Own key SME growth KPIs such as:
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Merchant acquisition cost (CAC)
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Activation and retention rates
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Transaction volumes and revenue per merchant
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Use data analytics to run experiments, A/B tests, and optimization initiatives.
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Produce regular performance reporting and insights for Exco.
5. Partnerships & Ecosystem Development
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Identify and scale partnerships (e.g. banks, telcos, marketplaces, platforms, aggregators).
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Develop commercial models that expand distribution and reduce acquisition costs.
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Manage partner performance and growth contribution.
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Collaborate with Sales and Marketing on SME‑specific propositions and campaigns.
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Support sales enablement through clear value propositions, pricing strategies, and incentives.
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Ensure consistent messaging and positioning to SMEs.
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Lead and develop a high‑performing growth team (growth managers, analysts, specialists).
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Act as the SME growth champion across the business.
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Align stakeholders across Sales, Product, Marketing, Risk, and Operations.
Required Experience & Skills
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8–12+ years in growth, strategy, product, or commercial roles
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Strong experience with SMEs, ideally in payments, fintech, financial services, or platforms
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Proven track record of scaling acquisition and revenue
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Experience working cross‑functionally in fast‑growth or dynamic environments
Education
Bachelors Degree and Professional Qualifications: Business, Commerce and Management Studies (Required)
Absa Bank Limited is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. In compliance with the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998, preference will be given to suitable candidates from designated groups whose appointments will contribute towards achievement of equitable demographic representation of our workforce profile and add to the diversity of the Bank.
Absa Bank Limited reserves the right not to make an appointment to the post as advertised
