I&M Bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of I&M Holdings Limited, a publicly quoted company at the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE). The bank possesses a rich heritage in banking.

The Head of Virtual Relationship Management provides strategic, commercial, operational and people with leadership to the Virtual Relationship Management Unit. The role is accountable for delivering the unit’s financial, customer experience and operational objectives through customer acquisition, onboarding, activation, relationship deepening, cross-selling, portfolio growth, retention and win-back across approved virtual channels. The role holder coordinates relevant business initiatives with Product Heads and Segment Heads, translating product and segment priorities into executable Virtual RM campaigns, structured customer journeys, sales activity and measurable commercial outcomes. The role also maintains effective relationships with clients, product providers, operations, control functions and other internal stakeholders.

Qualifications or requirements 

Bachelor's degree in business administration, Commerce, Finance, Economics, Marketing, or related fields. A postgraduate qualification or relevant professional certification is an added advantage.

Experience needed

Substantial experience in relationship management, retail banking, premium banking, sales leadership, virtual banking, or customer portfolio management. Demonstrated experience leading a sales or relationship management team. Experience coordinating initiatives across Product, Segment, Operations, Credit, Compliance and Digital teams. Strong exposure to portfolio growth, customer acquisition, product cross-selling, and performance management. Experience managing technology-enabled or virtual customer engagement channels is advantageous.

Knowledge and Skills: Strategic planning and commercial execution. Financial and performance analysis. Retail, premium and virtual banking. Risk, compliance and operational control. Product and customer-segment management. Digital channels and virtual engagement. Sales leadership, campaign and pipeline management. Stakeholder management and influencing. Portfolio analysis and relationship deepening. Coaching and people development. Cross-functional programme coordination. Communication, presentation and change leadership. Customer journey design and experience management. Problem-solving and decision-making.

Key Competencies: Strategic and commercial orientation. Customer centricity. Results and execution focus. Enterprise collaboration. Accountability and ownership. Innovation and continuous improvement. People leadership. Sound judgement. Integrity and risk awareness. Resilience and adaptability.

• Develop and implement the Virtual RM strategy in line with the Bank’s growth, transformation, customer experience, and returns agenda.
• Translate strategic priorities into annual, quarterly, and monthly business plans, sales programmes and customer engagement activities.
• Define priorities across prospecting, onboarding, product activation, cross-selling, value management, retention, and win-back.
• Maintain an effective operating model covering customer allocation, portfolio management, lead distribution, sales execution, compliance support, and performance reporting.
• Identify emerging customer needs, commercial opportunities, and operating-model improvements that strengthen the Virtual RM proposition.
• Prepare and present business cases for resources, technology, process improvements, and new commercial initiatives.
• Establish a structured engagement rhythm with Product Heads and Segment Heads to agree on priorities, targets, campaigns, customer opportunities and delivery timelines.
• Coordinate joint initiatives across deposits, lending, cards, digital banking, insurance, investments, foreign exchange, transactional banking and other relevant propositions.
• Translate product and segment strategies into actionable Virtual RM contact campaigns, lead lists, customer journeys, and conversion plans.
• Agree on the target customer profile, proposition, eligibility criteria, documentation requirements, processing workflow, service levels, and success measures before launching an initiative.
• Participate in product and segment planning forums to ensure Virtual RM capacity, operational realities and customer insights inform proposition and campaign design.
• Work with Product Heads to ensure the team has current product information, pricing guidance, eligibility rules, sales materials, scripts, and customer communication.
• Coordinate product training and sales enablement before and during campaigns.
• Partner with Segment Heads to align activities to the needs of Premium, Personal, Diaspora, Workplace Banking, Business Banking, and other assigned customer segments.
• Escalate product, pricing, process and system barriers affecting conversion and coordinate their resolution with the relevant owners.
• Lead post-campaign reviews with Product and Segment Heads, documenting results, customer feedback, lessons learned and corrective actions.
• Ensure clear ownership across Virtual RM, Products, Segments, Operations, Compliance, Credit and other processing teams.
• Own delivery of the Virtual RM unit’s financial and non-financial objectives.
• Drive growth in customer deposits, lending, cards, insurance, foreign exchange, investments, transactional activity and digital channel usage.
• Establish portfolio strategies for needs discovery, cross-selling, product bundling, account funding and wallet deepening.
• Drive acquisition and early activation of newly onboarded or upgraded customers through structured engagement.
• Develop targeted campaigns for low-engagement, inactive, dormant and underpenetrated customers.
• Track the commercial value delivered by each initiative, customer segment, lead source, and product campaign.
• Develop short- and long-term sales plans supported by clear activities, responsibilities and timelines.
• Coordinate lead generation and allocation with Product, Segment, Campaign Management and Client Solutions teams.
• Set standards for timely customer contact, needs assessment, follow-up, documentation, fulfilment and lead closure.
• Monitor contact, conversion, and fulfilment performance and ensure accurate updates on approved systems and trackers.
• Review stalled, declined, unsuccessful, and unprocessed opportunities and coordinate remedial actions.
• Promote disciplined pipeline management supported by credible customer engagements, next actions and expected closure dates.
• Set standards for professional, responsive, and consistent engagement across voice, email, video, and other approved virtual channels.
• Ensure customer needs are understood holistically and matched to suitable solutions rather than handled as isolated sales opportunities.
• Oversee timely resolution of complaints, service issues and processing delays within agreed service levels.
• Use customer feedback and service measures to identify recurring gaps and improvement opportunities.
• Promote customer primacy through increased product holding, account activity, digital adoption, and overall relationship value.
• Own end-to-end effectiveness of Virtual RM processes from lead receipt and customer contact to application fulfilment and reporting.
• Partner with Operations, Compliance, Credit, Technology and Product teams to simplify and digitize Virtual RM processes.
• Identify manual bottlenecks, duplicated activities, control weaknesses and extended processing times, and sponsor corrective action.
• Define and monitor turnaround times and service-level agreements across the Virtual RM value chain.
• Ensure accurate records, customer documents, and evidence of engagement are maintained in approved systems.
• Champion automation, standardized workflows, and reliable management information.
• Ensure Virtual RM activities comply with applicable laws, regulatory requirements and Bank policies.
• Maintain strong controls over customer identification, KYC, consent, documentation, product disclosure, and application submission.
• Work with VRM Compliance, Risk, Operations and Product teams to address recurring control gaps.
• Monitor application quality, return rates, documentation exceptions, and control breaches.
• Ensure timely escalation and closure of operational, conduct, compliance and fraud risks.
• Implement and monitor corrective actions arising from reviews, audits, and quality checks.
• Set individual and team expectations aligned with the Bank’s strategic and commercial objectives.
• Maintain dashboards covering sales, pipeline value, customer contacts, conversion, portfolio growth, product penetration, turnaround times, service issues, and campaign outcomes.
• Review performance by employee, product, customer segment, campaign and lead source.
• Provide periodic reports to senior management, Product Heads, Segment Heads, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Identify underperformance early and implement structured corrective action and coaching plans.
• Use performance information to guide lead distribution, resource allocation, training and campaign prioritisation.
• Lead, coach and motivate the Virtual RM team to deliver sustainable commercial and customer outcomes.
• Build a culture of accountability, collaboration, professionalism, customer ownership and ethical conduct.
• Conduct regular performance reviews, coaching sessions, and development discussions.
• Identify capability gaps and coordinate product, sales, compliance, digital and customer experience training.
• Develop succession plans and strengthen the unit’s leadership pipeline.
• Support workforce planning, recruitment, onboarding, and deployment of Virtual RM resources.
• Ensure employees have the systems, information, tools, and working environment required to perform effectively.
• Build effective working relationships with Product Heads, Segment Heads, Branch and Regional Leadership, Client Solutions, Campaign Management, Marketing, Credit, Operations, Compliance, Risk, Technology, Digital Channels, Service Quality, Customer Experience, Human Resources, Finance, Data and Analytics.
• Ensure stakeholder engagements conclude with clear decisions, named owners, agreed timelines and measurable outcomes.
• Represent the Virtual RM Unit in relevant business, product, segment, governance, and performance forums.

• Strategic planning and commercial execution.
• Financial and performance analysis.
• Retail, premium and virtual banking.
• Risk, compliance and operational control.
• Product and customer-segment management.
• Digital channels and virtual engagement.
• Sales leadership, campaign and pipeline management.
• Stakeholder management and influencing.
• Portfolio analysis and relationship deepening.
• Coaching and people development.
• Cross-functional programme coordination.
• Communication, presentation and change leadership.
• Customer journey design and experience management.
• Problem-solving and decision-making.

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, Commerce, Finance, Economics, Marketing, or related fields.
• A postgraduate qualification or relevant professional certification is an added advantage.
• Substantial experience in relationship management, retail banking, premium banking, sales leadership, virtual banking, or customer portfolio management.
• Demonstrated experience leading a sales or relationship management team.
• Experience coordinating initiatives across Product, Segment, Operations, Credit, Compliance and Digital teams.
• Strong exposure to portfolio growth, customer acquisition, product cross-selling, and performance management.
• Experience managing technology-enabled or virtual customer engagement channels is advantageous.