Manager Trade Finance True North Consult Ltd

To grow and manage the trade finance Business portfolio to ensure set targets of portfolio growth, income and quality are achieved.

Key Accountabilities
Financial:
• Responsibility for leading Trade Sales across Corporate & Retail segments.
• Primary responsibility for management of the Trade finance Budget in collaboration with the relationship management teams in the respective business units/segments.
Advising and structuring for International Trade & Commodities Finance and Correspondent Banking relationships.
• Provide necessary support to the relationship teams through sales materials, sales drives etc. to ensure sustainable growth of Trade funded and NFI numbers.
• Work with Manager, Transactional Banking, and Corporate & Retail Banking segments to develop sales pipelines of Trade related business in line with overall
Account Plans.
• Maintenance of the existing client base and acquisition of new businesses from the market and region in which the NCBA Group is represented.
• To structure Working Capital solutions and sell Trade solutions to new and existing customers within Corporate & Retail Banking segments.
Drive innovative product offerings through re- engineering existing products or developing new ones for roll out to clients across the region.
• Ensure adherence to statutory and bank legal requirements in relation to operations in the Trade Finance front office in the respective subsidiary offices.
• Provide support for approvals for concessionary pricing of both funded and nonfunded Trade finance products to business units and operations.
• Represent NCBA Bank in various Trade finance forums and marketing of the NCBA Group Brand to various stakeholders.
Gather market intelligence on a continuous basis and leverage the information to ensure NCBA Group remains competitive from a pricing and product perspective.

Internal business processes:
• Regularly identify, measure, monitor and control the overall levels of risks in the Trade Finance business

Job Description
• Responsible for the units RCSA development, regular reviews and updates to ensure risk management adaptation to the changing business environment
• Responsible for the Performance management of all Trade staff ensuring effective target setting, monitoring and correct performance measures are done.
• Support in development of policies and procedures for structured Trade finance and Trade products that have been customized for use by the various business units.
Maintain a reporting schedule of defined Key Risk Indicators and measure performance against these on a monthly basis to reduce possible losses due to omissions and mistakes.
• Provide advisory and guidance services to the Bank’s operations staff, credit risk teams and branch network in relation to Trade Finance related products and transactions.
• Periodically review and support in development of Structured Trade Finance procedures and processes to mitigate against inherent risks in the region using a solid understanding of the working capital cash conversion cycle, and be able to effectively quantify and relate how our Supply Chain Finance and / or traditional
Import LC or Export LC solutions would improve a company’s working capital metrics.
Periodic liaisons with Collateral Managers for STF facilities for purposes of audit and monitoring of covenants as set out in offer letters.
• Co-ordination of utilization reports for STF facilities between the Trade finance back office, the relationship management team(s) and credit risk for purposes of monitoring.
• Ensure effective resolution of operational issues covering areas under direct control.
• Ensure that the Bank remains reasonably unexposed to any undue risks, by collecting, collating and analyzing market related intelligence information for use by the Bank.

Customer:
• Support to draw up and implement process SLAs (service level agreements) in respect of Trade Finance in relation to all service areas under the direct control of the role holder and ensure that Operational standards and cost targets are understood by all stakeholders.
• Effectively monitor drawn SLA’s to ensure that Trade products are handled in a timely and efficient manner and that all elements of operational risk, e.g., fraud, follow up of audit recommendations, are managed effectively across all areas under the direct control of the role holder.
Initiate actions to overcome problems identified in meeting the service levels and ensure agreed SLAs with the department are executed and adhered to by all stakeholders.

Learning and Growth:

Job Description
• Develop and agree on an annual basis, individual and team performance objectives, standards, and targets in conjunction with Manager, Transactional Banking and ensure that processes are in place to monitor performance against budget.
• Provide ongoing coaching and feedback to direct reports.
• Identify development and training needs and develop plans to meet set objectives in the identified areas.
• Provide technical and product training to staff in the Bank as well as conduct Trade forums and workshops to support business units across the group.

Stakeholder
Management
Internal:
• Manager Transactional Banking Regular meetings to discuss performance and business – as- usual issues such as policy, risks, business development, incomes etc.
• Internal Customers Business Heads, Relationship Managers, Treasury,
Correspondent Banking, Operations/Risk, Legal, Branches, IT, Marketing, Finance, Credit Analysis etc.
• Consultations with other Head Office Departments, Group office and Branches on issues relating to the above etc

External:
• Customer/Client: Customer meetings to understand their needs/requirements, pricing expectations etc. Prepare product
• solutions, presentations for customer pitch.
• Involvement in negotiations with external service providers e.g., Correspondent
Banks, other Local Banks, sectorial stakeholders and the regulatory bodies (Central Banks).
• Collateral Managers: Ensuring Bank’s assets are properly stored and secured maintaining its original value.
• Professional Advisors (legal, tax, accounting etc.): obtaining all required information on specific legal, operational procedures on the various
• Trade finance products.

Decision Making
Authority

Managerial
Work cycle and impact
1month – 3 months

Person Specification
Education, Training,
Skills & Experience
Academic:
• A bachelor’s degree from a recognized University.

Professional:
• Trade Finance Certification will be an added advantage

Desired work experience:
• At least 5 years work experience in Banking, 3 years of which should be in a Trade or Relationship Management role.
• Demonstrate in-depth technical knowledge and proven analytical skills in International Trade finance and good problem- solving skills.
• Experience in relationship management and service delivery.
• Sound Trade Products knowledge with ability to package simple and complex Trade transactions.
• Ability to interact and negotiate with customers at a senior level.

Job Description
• Customer focused and results oriented.
• Excellent communication skills incorporating verbal, written and presentation skills
• Operations experience preferably at a Central Operations Centre level.
• GeneralBranch BankingOperations including Foreign Exchange operations, International Trade Finance., and treasury front and back-office knowledge.

Technical Competencies:
• Financial analysis Skills: Ability to analyze and/or interpret financial statements, prepare, and assess credit papers.
• Analytical business and investment appraisal Skills: Keen to detail and able to conceptualize financial investment proposals and provide viable solutions.
• Technology Skills: Computer literate with proficiency in computerized financial analysis applications.
• Industry knowledge: Candid knowledge of the financial sector, Government securities investment, International Trade Finance opportunities, Money Market and Forex.
• Dealing Concepts as well as current banking operations practice and Liquidity
• Management.

Behavioral Competencies:
• Goal driven and results oriented: Enjoys being measured and judged by financial and other performance targets.
• Personal Ethics: Must be honest, fair, and just with self and others, and demonstrate integrity in work and business contacts.
• Communication Skills: Excellent communication skills.
• Interpersonal Skills: Must be a people’s person, with ability to interact with key stakeholders in the various business sectors.
• Proactive Initiator: Must be pro-active, a self-starter and have the ability to see, grasp and advise on opportunities.
• Human Resources Management Skills: Staff supervisory skills and ability to train and develop staff.