Senior Credit Risk Analyst- CIB

With over 100 years of rich history and strongly positioned as a local bank with regional and international expertise, a career with our family offers the opportunity to be part of this exciting growth journey, to reset our future and shape our destiny as a proudly African group.

Job Summary

This senior credit analyst role will involve managing a high value portfolio of ARO Countries’ clients, together with the sanctioning of credit applications within a delegated individual mandate and taking on responsibility as the credit lead on specific ARO Countries.
This requires active senior stakeholder engagement and supporting applications up to credit committees.
The role also involves carrying out comprehensive and quality credit assessments and analysis on potential and existing clients within the ARO Countries portfolio to enhance the decision making process in determining the Bank's appetite to extend credit to these clients. To work within existing credit policies and in country regulatory requirements to structure appropriate bankable solutions for the client and manage all other credit related issues for a portfolio of clients.

Job Description

Risk Management:

To conduct quality credit risk assessments and reviews and proactively manage credit risks associated with clients for your respective ARO Country Portfolio. Key accountabilities include:

• Review research on the industry in which the client operates to understand the industry’s overall profitability, industry trends, and client's market standing relative to its competitors.
• Review full assessment of the risks and potential mitigating factors impacting a client.
• Review robust financial and non-financial analysis on the client that supports the review of facilities or new funding proposals.
• Make use of clients' historical data, for example, its financial statements, to forecast the clients’ potential growth and sustainability. Conduct a sensitivity/scenario analysis to determine the impact that a change in, for example, the economy, political situation, consumer demand, etc., will have on the clients’ financial health.
• Based on analysis conducted, structure a lending solution for the client that will account for the potential threats to the client and that is within set credit limits and the Bank's credit lending policies and appetite.
• Review the credit papers from country credit teams which include the clients’ background and needs, the research findings, and the final recommendation on which credit lending solution is best for the client, for the Credit Manager to approve in the interim and escalate further for the necessary approval.
• Raise questions and revert to country credit teams where gaps and inadequate mitigants are identified in the credit papers through the review process by the Centre Credit Sanctioner.
• Once the credit paper is finalized, facilitate the credit sanctioning process by responding to sanctioned enquiries and/or attending all relevant Credit Committee meetings in order to present and sponsor credit applications that have been submitted under your signature.
• Using individual delegated mandate to review and support individual mandate credit applications.
• Compile reviews, amendments, and new applications to the appropriate lending authorities. Monitor the client performance on a continuous basis, in addition to performing annual reviews of clients, to ensure early detection of a client's business or operating environment.

Governance and controls:

• Ensure that the Bank's credit policies, philosophy, and all relevant legislation are fully complied with at all times and that any policy breaches have been suitably addressed and mitigated against.
• Ongoing credit portfolio monitoring and maintenance of Group Risk Appetite across core ARO Country clients.
• Ensure that all covenants are measured and reported during the review or new credit application process.
• Perform quarterly sampling of credit approvals conducted within in-country credit mandates.

Data and Systems Management:

• To produce relevant management information and manage exposures, including the maintenance of relevant systems.
• Drive RWA efficiencies through ensuring that the data in terms of Default Grades (DG's), Loss Given Defaults (LGD's), limits, and review dates are correctly captured on the Bank's credit systems and adequately supported by in the credit systems.

Business Enablement:

• Provide solution-driven support to business to facilitate growth initiatives while maintaining a healthy balance between risk and reward.
• Participate and add value to business committees where required (Business Selection Committees, monthly In-Country Portfolio Quality meetings, monthly In-Country Watchlist meetings).
• Communicate and interact regularly and proactively with business stakeholders while providing insights on risk trends and providing clear risk appetite guidance.
• Travel to respective ARO Countries and attend client meetings and provide training to in-country credit colleagues.
• Provide quick turnaround times to business based on agreed timelines with respective country teams.

Education and Experience Required

• Degree in Accounting, Finance is a minimum requirement- CA(SA) / CFA preferable.
• Minimum of 3-5 years credit/investment analysis and credit sanctioning experience within an investment banking/corporate banking environment.

Knowledge & Skills: (Maximum of 6)

• Credit Sanctioning knowledge (Advanced)
• Sound Financial and Economics background (Advanced)
• Knowledge of Risk Management principles and practices (Advanced)
• Financial and mathematical knowledge (Advanced)
• Leadership Skills (Advanced)
• Analytical Skills (Expert)
• Stakeholder Management Skills (Advanced)

Education

Bachelor's Degrees and Advanced Diplomas: Business, Commerce and Management Studies (Required)

Absa Bank Limited is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. In compliance with the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998, preference will be given to suitable candidates from designated groups whose appointments will contribute towards the achievement of equitable demographic representation of our workforce profile and add to the diversity of the Bank.

Absa Bank Limited reserves the right not to make an appointment to the post as advertised.