Corporate Credit Manager at Absa Bank Limited

Job Summary

• Facilitate the generation of revenue and assist the business strategic priorities in close working relationship with Corporate & Investment Banking stakeholders.
• Support the Credit leadership in management of impairment and other losses to ensure these are within agreed budgets / forecasts.
• Improving the control and governance environment for risk activities.
• A credit professional acting as credit expert to the relationship team and the conduit to the Credit Risk function for sanctioning purposes.
• Improve and deepen understanding of our clients’ needs through joint client visits with the assigned portfolio Relationship Managers.
• Responsible for developing practical and appropriate credit solutions (i.e. lending structures) through understanding customers’ needs.
• Delivering high quality and consistent, credit applications and making sound recommendations.
• Monitor and control accounts within designated portfolios to ensure early detection of signs of credit deterioration and taking appropriate actions.
• Maintain integrity of Commercial Credit Risk System (CCRS) data ensuring customer is accurately updated.
• Regularly maintain and update Early Warning Status (EWL) and related strategy sheets for clients classified under these buckets.
• Responsible for championing Credit policy issues to the designated portfolio and relationship teams through attendance of industry and portfolio meetings.
• Responsible for efficient use of Bank capital by challenging pricing of facilities within their portfolio and ensuring borrowings to customers meet the minimum required return for the bank.
• Ensuring Risk Key performance measures are captured correctly and in a timely manner to aid in performance management and decision making.

Job Description

Key Accountabilities

Understanding Credit/ Solutions Development: 35%

• Assessment of credit proposals through analysis of Business and Credit risks associated with the provision of the bank’s products and services to the customer.
• Facilitate the generation of revenue and support business growth through development of high-quality credit solutions aimed obtaining fast credit approval from Sanctioning teams.
• Ability to undertake sector and industry analysis to guide the bank in strategy formulation and areas of focus for lending and application of the same within designated portfolio

The Credit Process 35%

• Preparation Credit proposals using the CCRS with relevant supporting documentation and recommendations to Credit managers for Sanction.
• Liaise directly with the Absa Africa Credit Team (BACT) sanctioning office for all credits that are outside local Risk Team discretion.
• Attend customer meetings with the Relationship Manager where credit related issues are to be discussed/ resolved.
• Support the timely preparation of facility letters through preparation of accurate Facility Letter Aide Memoirs (FLAM) and ensuring all proposed conditions of sanction, covenants and internal risk triggers are correctly and accurately captured.
• Ensure efficient management of capital by ensuring. Where facility letters are not accepted within set timelines, facilities are cancelled from CCRS.
• Ensure efficient management of capital by ensuring. Where facility letters are not accepted within set timelines, facilities are cancelled from CCRS.

Portfolio Management- Monitoring and Control: 20%

• Responsible for reviewing and analyzing financial information produced by customers against set Credit triggers and financial covenants.
• Monitor and Control quality of portfolio using agreed triggers. Reviewing and engaging Sanctioners on deteriorating trends and trigger events if they give cause for concern, advising the Relationship Manager simultaneously.
• Recognise and control potential lending fraud risk through robust operational risk and control management

Staff Management Time Split: 10%

• Support the Team Leaders in delivering effective performance development for Corporate Credit Managers Assistants (CCMAs) within the team.
• Drive proactive application of Absa values both personally and throughout the team.
• Coach and support colleagues within the Team

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent and/or the ACIB
• Knowledge of credit analysis techniques
• Accreditation on use of the Commercial Credit Risk system would be an added advantage

Experience

• Proven experience in a Credit role at a junior management level gained within the Bank or a blue-chip financial organization
• Excellent understanding of credit and associated risks
• Experienced user of Commercial Credit Risk System (CCRS) or a similar system to analyze, monitor and report on credit applications.
• Good interpersonal skills that have been proven in a Business or Credit environment at a management level

Knowledge & Skills

• Knowledge of lending fundamentals, credit procedures and processes as laid out in the Absa Africa Wholesale Credit Risk Standards.
• Products and services frequently used by customers 
• Knowledge of Commercial Credit Risk System and other relevant bank systems.
• Awareness of legislation affecting the Bank and customers having the highest regard for confidentiality.
• A fair understanding of current issues including macro and micro economic environment.