Careers
Build Your Future With Us
At Merchant West, we believe in equal opportunity employment, employing the right person for the job. Employing to inspire, inspiring you, inspiring growth, and inspiring businesses. We are committed to providing a collaborative and supportive work environment, alongside real opportunities for professional growth and development.
Build Your Future With Us
At Merchant West, we believe in equal opportunity employment, employing the right person for the job. Employing to inspire, inspiring you, inspiring growth, and inspiring businesses. We are committed to providing a collaborative and supportive work environment, alongside real opportunities for professional growth and development.
Africa's Leading Specialist Financial Services Company
Merchant West is one of the largest privately-owned providers of specialised financial solutions and advisory services to businesses and high net worth individuals in South Africa. Founded in 1998, Merchant West provides tailor-made lending, wealth management, asset management and transactional solutions to businesses and high-net-worth individuals, with offices in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria, George, Durban, Nelspruit, Port Elizabeth, Namibia, and North Carolina USA.
Certain companies in the Merchant West Group are licenced and authorised financial services providers. Merchant West lending products extend to bespoke asset finance (across an extensive range of asset classes), fleet finance, working capital funding, property finance solutions and specialised finance. Merchant West advisory products extend to investment strategies, private wealth management and treasury solutions.
“Employing to inspire – inspiring you, inspiring growth, and inspiring businesses.”
Equal
Opportunity employer, choosing the right person for every role
Growth
Continuous professional development and succession planning
We are a high-performance, entrepreneurial team that thinks beyond limits, acts with intent, and delivers meaningful outcomes. We build trust through professionalism, fairness and authenticity, and do what is right, even when it is not easy. We work as one team, combining our expertise to deliver smarter solutions, move quickly, and turn challenges into impact.
The Merchant West Way
Core Values
A
Ambition
Our commitment and desire is to excel and succeed.
R
Respect
With humility, we treat people the way we want to be treated.
I
Integrity
We do the ethically right thing at the right time, all the time.
S
Synergy
United, we work to exceed our goals.
E
Enterprise
With imagination and initiative, we will find the solution and deliver the result.
More Than Just A Workplace
At Merchant West, we invest in your wellbeing, growth, and sense of belonging, because when our people thrive, so does our business.
Holistic Wellness & Support
We take a comprehensive approach to financial, mental, and physical wellbeing. This includes access to tax-efficient benefits through our Group Discovery Medical Scheme, confidential support via the LYRA Employee Assistance Programme, tailored financial wellbeing offerings with exclusive banking and financial benefits through approved partners, and ongoing initiatives such as Vitality health checks and in-office wellness campaigns.
Work-Life Balance
We foster a culture that supports you in thriving both professionally and personally. Competitive annual leave, family responsibility leave, religious leave, study leave, and special leave recognise that life extends beyond the workplace.
Sustainable Career Growth
We focus on building long-term careers through mentorship, study assistance, succession planning, and structured development pathways that enable meaningful progression.
Recognition & Belonging
Meaningful recognition programmes and initiatives that celebrate our people, reinforce our ARISE values, and strengthen connection across the business.
A Values-Led, Ambitious & Collaborative Culture
Grounded in our ARISE values, we combine strong collaboration and accessible leadership with ambition, integrity, and an entrepreneurial mindset that encourages ownership and initiative.
Social & Engagement Activities
Regular team events and shared moments that build connection, celebrate success, and make work more enjoyable.
We are always interested in quality applicants. Our process is designed to be transparent, thorough, and respectful of your time, helping us find the right fit for both sides.
Our Interview Process
1.
Screening
Initial review of your application and CV
2.
Interview
In-depth conversations to validate your fit
3.
Assess
Group or role-specific assessments
4.
Select
Final candidate selection
5.
Offer
Offer and onboarding
What Our People Say
I joined Merchant West at a young age, as a Jnr Portfolio Manager, and was given the opportunity to learn fast and deliver from day one. Over the past 10 years, now Head of the Commercial Property Finance and Working Capital Solutions business, my journey has been defined by a relentless focus on performance - consistently executing and delivering strong outcomes through both tough markets and challenging cycles. One of my most memorable moments remains completing a large aviation transaction in my first year and still retaining that same client a decade later - proof of long term relationships built on trust, delivery, and partnership.
I joined Merchant West Investments for its strong investment culture and commitment to independent, fundamental-driven research. From early on, I was given real responsibility, which accelerated my development as an equity analyst. Ideas are tested rigorously, and priority is given to originality in thought supported by robust analysis. A standout moment for me was seeing my research debated and translated into real and actionable portfolio decisions. Merchant West's culture is unique in that it combines high performance with a supportive, entrepreneurial environment that encourages ownership and long-term thinking.
My journey with Merchant West over the past six and a half years has been nothing short of transformative. Moving from the structured world of banking into a privately held finance company was a big shift, but the exposure and learnings have been invaluable. I started as an Internal Portfolio Manager, grew into a Sector Head leading a newly formed division, and later embraced a complete career pivot by joining the IT team as a Business Analyst. Merchant West has continuously opened doors, challenged me, and given me the opportunity to grow in ways I never imagined. It’s been an incredible place to evolve, explore, and redefine my career.
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Apply Today
Ready to Join the Team?
If you haven’t seen a current open position but are interested in joining the Merchant West team – please feel free to fill in the form, upload your CV and we’ll get back to you.