Credit Manager Business Banking at Absa Bank Limited

Job Purpose

The role holder will provide support to the Business Banking Credit Head in the following key areas;

• Structuring and sanctioning covering multiple industry sectors. The role holder will have specific responsibilities for a range of Business Banking customers (typically, with credit exposures of up to US$ 7.5 million and less).
• Provide cover in leading the Business Banking Sanctioning Team in providing credit input to ABSA Bank of Kenya (ABKE), delivering a World-Class Credit service and contributing towards achievement of the teams risk and business objectives.
• Ensuring the optimal quality of the credit portfolio by application of best practice in decision-making, to a maximum personal lending discretion of $5 million.
• Alternate Chair to the risk governance committees including RRCC, PQR and EWL for Business Banking Commercial and SME
• Monitoring of Concentration risks across key sectors and managing limits within defined risk appetite and business growth plans for Business Banking.
• Supporting Growth Agenda within Business Banking by chairing and providing support in in structuring key transactions through Pre-Deal Forums, New business Committee (NBC).
• Aligning credit risk appetite with Business Banking through development of lending criteria for Structured Trade Commodities Financing products (STCF), Trade and Working Capital Teams (TWC), Agriculture propositions.
• Driving Credit process simplification and automation agenda through reviewing of the end to end processes. Automation of monitoring and control processes. Credit Origination and Pre-Approved/selected lending Criteria to support business growth.
• Customer service – Supporting the business through Joint Customer visits for key clients and complex deals.
• Training and coaching business and credit colleagues on Credit policies, Standards, Credit structuring and Credit writing.
• Support the Head of Wholesale Credit in providing effective leadership for the Corporate Credit team in Kenya.

Key Accountabilities.

Credit Risk management – 40%

• Ensure the highest standard of credit quality through the structure, sanctioning, monitoring and control of credit applications. Maintenance of these standards both personally and as part of the Corporate Credit Team.
• Sole lending discretion, DG linked up to a maximum of $5 Million (depending on personal experience/accreditation).
• Exercise judgement and discretion in the evaluation and approval/decline of higher risk classification credit proposals and provide support for those going to ARO Credit in South Africa or the Kenya Wholesale Credit Committee (KWCC).
• In charge of portfolio quality within Business Banking Commercial and Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) including impairment by ensuring booking of the deals within risk appetite.
• Provide feeds into business and credit policy/process development, where appropriate.
• Implementation and ongoing delivery of business and credit policies and processes.
• Responsibility for personal adherence to governance, compliance and lending portfolio controls.  Ensuring own conformance to policy and procedures within the Corporate Credit Function, including proactive management of agreed responsibilities for Data Integrity.
• Monitoring mandate and scale limits within agreed credit appetite.
• Reviewing and revising lending criteria and sector appetite informed by emerging trends that could impact credit risk
• Maintain interactive relationship with Internal Audit and Conformance Teams.
• Advise on risk reward and challenge pricing where appropriate.

Business Risk Partnership – 30%

• Deliver service in line with agreed business needs.
• Work in partnership with Country colleagues and proactively anticipate, respond to and seek to exceed the expectations of customers. 
• Work with Country colleagues, providing post application-based coaching and discussion, where appropriate to ensure effective development and delivery of bespoke Risk solutions for customers.
• Alternate Chairing and providing support in in structuring key transactions through Pre-Deal Forums, New business Committee (NBC).
• Development of lending criteria for Structured Trade Commodities Financing products (STCF), Trade and Working Capital Teams (TWC), Agriculture propositions in close collaboration with Business Banking leadership.
• Driving Credit process simplification and automation of end-to-end processes. Including monitoring and control. Credit Origination and Pre-Approved/selected lending Criteria to support business growth.
• Customer service – Supporting the business through Joint Customer visits for key clients and complex deals.
• Proactively contribute to embedding agreed change management initiatives in support of process and quality improvements, cost reductions and development of people.
• Contribute towards the Team operating within cost budgets making recommendations for ‘working smarter’.
• Support in building of the business-risk partnership with the Business Banking sales team and in highlighting/resolving any issues.

People Management – 30%

• Support the Business Banking Credit Head in delivering effective performance development for individuals within the team.
• Support in Coaching and training colleagues in policies, credit management and credit origination in order to improve quality of credit applications.
• Support in driving proactive application of ABSA Behaviours both personally and throughout the team and coach and support colleagues within the Team.

Experience

• 10 years of credit sanctioning

Skills & Expertise

• Strong intellect balanced by practical and pragmatic approach
• Decisive
• Analytical and numerate
• Technical Lending Analysis
• Risk Management
• Build effective working relationships with staff
• Communications (written and oral) and presentations
• Effective negotiation and influencing