Relationship Manager, Structured Trade Finance

• Job Type Full Time
• Qualification BA/BSc/HND , Professional Certificate
• Experience 5 years
• Location Nairobi
• Job Field Finance / Accounting / Audit
• Manage and grow the Bank's Structured Trade Finance portfolio in line with strategic objectives, risk appetite, and profitability targets.
• Drive innovation and contribute to the development of new structured trade finance products and solutions.
• Identify and pursue new business opportunities within target sectors and markets to expand the Bank's structured trade finance offering.
• Build, maintain, and deepen relationships with corporate customers and key stakeholders to drive portfolio growth and customer retention.
• Develop tailored financing solutions that address customer needs while ensuring adequate risk mitigation and security coverage.
• Maintain high standards of customer service and responsiveness while balancing commercial objectives and risk considerations.
• Identify opportunities to enhance customer experience, operational efficiency, and product competitiveness.
• Recommend and implement process improvements aimed at strengthening controls, reducing turnaround times, and improving service delivery.
• Monitor market trends, commodity developments, industry dynamics, and regulatory changes to support product enhancement and portfolio strategy.
• Originate, structure, negotiate, execute, and monitor a broad range of structured trade finance solutions, including collateral management arrangements, receivables financing, supply chain finance, and trade-backed lending structures.
• Support credit appraisal processes by providing transaction analysis, collateral assessments, portfolio performance reports, and risk insights.
• Coordinate with internal and external stakeholders to ensure smooth transaction execution and operational efficiency.
• Oversee the end-to-end transaction lifecycle, including documentation, approvals, disbursement, monitoring, reconciliation, and closure.
• Ensure timely and accurate implementation of approved facility structures and risk controls.
• Participate in annual reviews, covenant monitoring exercises, and facility renewal assessments.
• Serve as the key liaison between Business, Credit, Trade Finance, Operations, Legal, Compliance, and Collateral Management teams.
• Engage effectively with external service providers, including collateral managers, warehouse operators, inspectors, insurers, and legal advisors, to ensure proper transaction administration and risk mitigation.
• Conduct continuous monitoring of financed transactions, collateral positions, and customer performance to ensure compliance with approved facility terms and conditions.
• Track stock movements, limits utilization, collateral values, insurance coverage, and covenant compliance.
• Identify emerging risks and implement proactive measures to mitigate potential losses arising from market, operational, credit, or collateral-related risks.
• Review transaction structures, security arrangements, and control mechanisms to ensure enforceability and adequacy of risk coverage.
• Conduct periodic portfolio reviews and recommend appropriate remedial actions for exceptions, breaches, or deteriorating credit profiles.
• Prepare and present portfolio performance reports, utilization reports, risk assessments, and management information to relevant stakeholders and management committees.
• Analyze portfolio trends and provide actionable insights to support strategic decision-making and risk management.
• Maintain accurate and timely portfolio records and reporting dashboards.
• Ensure compliance with applicable regulatory requirements, internal policies, credit approvals, operational procedures, and industry best practices.
• Maintain robust operational and credit risk controls to mitigate risks relating to fraud, documentation deficiencies, collateral deterioration, process failures, and funding gaps.
• Support internal audits, regulatory inspections, and compliance reviews by providing timely information and implementing corrective actions.
• Ensure all transactions are appropriately documented and administered in accordance with approved standards and legal requirements.
• Provide technical support, guidance, and subject matter expertise on structured trade finance products and processes across the Bank.
• Conduct training and knowledge-sharing sessions to enhance staff understanding of structured trade finance structures, controls, and risk management principles.
• Promote awareness of best practices and emerging trends within the structured trade finance landscape
• All the relevant banks customers, majorly Corporates, larger SMEs.
• Financial institutions both Local and international, and various underwriters.
• Various Stakeholders in the trade industry including the Collateral Managers
• Various other trade counterparties, including the regulators like International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), in cases where arbitration is called for.
• Relationship and Business development teams
• Trade finance operations department.
• Credit department
• Deep understanding of international Trade and various governing rules. (Uniform Customs & Practice Rules, International Standards Banking Practice, International Standby Practices) and other relevant provisions of ICC