Trade Finance Operations Assistant - PIFD3 at African Development Bank - AfDB

Reference: ADB/18/182
Location: Côte d’Ivoire
Grade: GS7
Position N°: ADB/18/182

The Complex

• The Vice Presidency for Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialization is central to the Bank’s mission of developing the private sector, improving infrastructure and accelerating industrialization
• The complex main functions are to:
  • Strengthen the enabling environment for private sector [and financial sector] development conducive to inclusive growth and sustainable development,
  • Support the development of reliable and sustainable infrastructure, including cities and urban development, and
  • Place renewed emphasis on industrial and trade performance in support of structural transformation across Africa
• The Complex leverages knowledge, co-financing, and partnerships to attract private capital and work with governments on delivering the Bank’s development agenda.

The Hiring Department/Division

• The primary role of the Financial Sector Development Department is to help the Regional Member Countries increase the reach, depth, and breadth of their financial systems, while safeguarding financial stability
• The Department has four long-term objectives:
  • Development of a vibrant private sector through an inclusive access by households and enterprises to financial services;
  • Strengthening markets participants;
  • Developing efficient capital markets, and
  • Deepening regional financial integration.
• Working in partnership with other Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialization complex departments, the Financial Sector Development Department is responsible for implementing the Bank Group’s Financial Sector Development Policy and Strategy 2014-2019 towards vibrant, innovative, robust and competitive financial systems, both national and regional, and in both the public and private sector levels of Regional Members countries
• The Financial Sector Development Department plays a transversal role across the Bank’s five strategic priorities, applying its financial deepening and access tool kit to the High Five (H5) agenda. Fundamentally, the scalability and policy momentum inherent in the H5 agenda create an important opportunity for expanded relevance of the Financial Sector Development Department core skill-set: flexible financing instruments and delivery frameworks for financial inclusion, smart resource mobilization and capital markets development. The Financial Sector Development Department leverages partnerships to bring about greater developmental impact in financial sector development.
• The Trade Finance Division oversees all the trade finance activities of the Bank.  The Division seeks to address the trade finance gap in Africa by providing guarantees and liquidity support to commercial and development finance Banks involved in trade finance, Corporates, as well as various economic actors including parastatals engaged in this critical sector, with the objective of broadening access to affordable financing in Regional Members countries
• The division leads project teams that identify, appraise and process trade finance related projects until first disbursement, at which point primary responsibility, is passed to the portfolio management division depending on the specific product. The division also implements technical assistance and non-transactional programs in these areas.  

The Position

• The Trade Finance Operations Assistant is part of the middle/back office team of the Trade Finance Division
• He/she is responsible for verifying the accuracy of transactions reported by partner confirming banks against defined eligibility criteria and subsequently capturing those details in the Trade Finance Database System
• The incumbent monitors the trade transactions throughout their tenor and performs monthly reconciliation of outstanding commitments and revenue due to AfDB as a guarantor
• She/he also maintains constant dialogue with partner confirming banks.

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the guidance and supervision of the Division Manager through the Chief Trade Finance Office, the Trade Finance Operations Assistant will perform the following duties:

Client Relationship Management:

• Day-to-day management of the Risk Participation Agreements (RPA) signed with international and regional banks.
• Execution of requests from Confirming Banks  relating to inclusion of new issuing banks, increasing of limits, monitoring of maturing and past due payments and processing changes to credit terms by seeking approval at Credit and Risk Committee on behalf of the Trade Finance Division
• Participation in annual supervision visits to assigned RPA partners.

Monitoring and Supervision:

• Monitor the Bank’s exposure on a going basis and prepare regular portfolio reports for internal use.
• Review and reconciliation of outstanding exposure and income due to the Bank from each RPA partner.
• Prepare quarterly reports on the status of each RPA project.
• Assist in the preparation of annual supervision reports of RPA partners.
• Assist in the preparation of final project completion reports of completed RPA projects.

Database Management:

• Review and upload monthly reports from RPA partners
• Monitor all transactions in the database system and ensure data accuracy at all times.

Miscellaneous:

• Perform other related duties as assigned by the Division Manager and/or supervisor of the middle/back office.

Selection Criteria
Including desirable skills, knowledge and experience

• Hold at least a Bachelor's Degree or its equivalent in Banking, Finance, Accounting, Management,  Economics, or in related fields; Certification in trade finance would be an added advantage;
• Have a minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional experience in trade finance and back office operations/reconciliation or treasury middle/back office operations.
• Ability to solve related problems and enquiries through clear interpretation of agreements executed with each assigned RPA partner.
• Strong client orientation with commitment to operational experience
• Excellent analytical and interpersonal skills, with an eye for details;
• Ability to communicate effectively (written and oral) in English or French, with a working knowledge of the other language.
• Competence in the use of Bank standard software (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint).