Senior Corporate Credit Analyst at Rand Merchant Bank

Job Description

• The essence of this role is to strengthen the credit department and its processes and enhance corporate velocity. The Senior Credit Analyst will be responsible for a portfolio of Corporate Clients and Trade/Commodity Finance exposures, typically across all major industries of focus for RMB Nigeria. He/she will assist the HOC in the day-to-day running of the department and execution of the RMB credit philosophy, as well as take on the responsibility for the development of other Credit Analysts in the team.

Responsibilities:

The successful candidate will have the following responsibilities:

• A good understanding of RMB’s credit philosophy and processes   
• A strong understanding of the Bank’s credit risk appetite, credit grading, and credit pricing models   
• A good understanding of the respective businesses of counterparties operating in the various industries of interest to RMB Nigeria     
• Identify transaction-specific risks, including structure, credit, taxation, accounting, currency, and legal   
• Introduce risk-mitigating measures as input to structure transactions in line with the risk philosophy of FirstRand Bank   
• Keeping up to date with news and events that might affect the Bank, various industries, as well as individual counterparties and portfolios of focus for RMB Nigeria    
• Keeping up to date with trends in the lending environment, particularly as they relate to corporate lending   
• A general understanding of trends in the global lending market to provide input into the bank-wide lending policy development process   
• Assisting with credit portfolio management and monitoring, including day-to-day administration, portfolio reporting (monthly & quarterly), and implementing collection strategies as may be required   
• Review and provide input in terms of the credit reports of other Analysts before the final submission to Credit Committees   
• Assist HOC with the generation and presentation of Board and Executive Management reports  
• Assist with strategic decision-making and management for the credit team as a whole
• Assist with Credit input into the annual ICAAP exercise  

Qualifications and Experience:  

The ideal candidate must have:     

• An undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline   
• At least 10 years of relevant working experience within a core credit (lending or consulting) environment       
• Prior experience in Credit (preferably as a Financial/Credit Analyst or within a Credit Rating Agency) will be an added advantage   
• A relevant professional qualification (ICAN, ACCA, CFA, etc) or a graduate degree will be an added advantage 

Competency and General Skills:

Technical Skills:

• General knowledge of practical economics relating to business, industry, and the Nigerian macroeconomic environment   
• Good understanding of financial instruments and banking products   
• Good understanding of the BCBS requirements as relate to lending and credit
• High level of numeracy, and a strong ability to interrogate data     
• Proficient in the use of spreadsheets, databases, and word-processing applications   
• Strong communication, writing, and presentation skills, with an ability to debate issues effectively, and  convincingly     
• Ability to analyze company financial statements and assess financial instruments   
• Must possess good leadership and strong interpersonal skills   

Key Competencies:

• Result-oriented and driven - A self-starter who produces a consistently high quality of output within agreed deadlines. Prompt and proactive in driving for results and must have a problem-solving aptitude.     
• Creative / Innovative - Must possess the ability to identify and initiate more efficient ways of doing things   
• Detail - Must possess a strong level of attention to detail and be well organized.
• Must also possess the ability to process and work with large volumes of data.     
• Good communication skills - Must possess the ability to communicate and debate views effectively, constructively, and convincingly using verbal and non-verbal means.      
• Relationship-building capability - Must possess the ability to put people at ease and build sound relationships based on mutual trust and openness.     
• Strong character & integrity are paramount     
• Self-confidence with a pleasant personality and well-presented     
• Well organized / good time management capabilities / disciplined / detail detail-oriented   
• A good communicator (i.e. verbal and written) who is deadline and solutions driven     
• Self-starter able to work with minimal supervision     
• Strong work ethic and ability to operate in a fast-growing environment     
• Flexible when necessary and able to work effectively under pressure     
• Team-oriented