Trade Finance Manager

Role Overview

The Manager – Trade Finance owns the commercial and technical heartbeat of the Bank's trade finance franchise across the Enterprise and Business Banking segments. Day to day, that means sitting down with relationship teams, credit partners and clients to structure import, export and guarantee facilities, chasing wallet share with existing names, and keeping a close eye on utilisation, fee income and portfolio quality. The role matters because trade finance growth and client stickiness depend on transactions being structured well and turned around quickly — without letting documentary, credit or money-laundering risk slip through the cracks.

Key Responsibilities

• Turn the Bank's annual and three-year business plans into a working trade finance strategy, including a clear sales plan covering target segments, product priorities and market penetration goals.
• Acquire new trade finance clients and deepen existing relationships within Enterprise and Business Banking, working alongside Business Development teams to uncover needs and convert them into mandates.
• Structure trade transactions — letters of credit, guarantees, documentary collections and related facilities — with an eye to optimising fees, commissions and overall client value.
• Contribute trade finance input to credit applications and collaborate closely with Credit, Risk, Product and Sales Support to get proposals through efficiently and accurately.
• Act as the go-to technical resource for trade finance queries, giving internal teams and customers clear guidance within agreed turnaround times and providing interim updates when a request needs further work.
• Track approved line utilisation, revenue, fees and commissions across the portfolio, and flag emerging risks or underperformance early enough to act on them.
• Apply Trade-Based Money Laundering (TBML) due diligence and ensure all trade activity stays within regulatory requirements, internal policy and the Bank's stated risk appetite.
• Lead, coach and develop the trade finance team, deliver trade finance training to wider Bank staff, and stay connected with the Group Trade Finance team and wider market developments.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Economics, Banking or a related discipline; an MBA or relevant postgraduate qualification is an added advantage.
• At least 8 years in banking, of which a minimum of 5 years sits in trade sales, trade finance or product management.
• Demonstrated track record of winning trade finance business — not simply servicing it — through business development, sales and portfolio management.
• Solid command of trade finance products, including how each one behaves from a risk and regulatory standpoint.
• Experience in credit structuring and portfolio management, with a working style that fits seamlessly with Credit, Risk and Business Development colleagues.
• Practical understanding of Trade-Based Money Laundering risks and the due diligence that mitigates them.
• Proven ability to grow trade finance volumes while holding portfolio quality and profitability steady.
• Commercial acumen and the interpersonal range to advise management, negotiate with clients and financial institutions, and build capability in a team.

Why Join

• Own the trade finance agenda end to end — strategy, sales direction, product input and portfolio health — rather than inheriting a fixed mandate.
• Work at the intersection of Business, Credit, Risk and Product, with direct visibility to management on market intelligence and business performance.
• Grow a team, shape internal trade finance capability through training and succession planning, and stay plugged into Group-level and industry developments.