Senior Client Manager (Commercial) - Manchester

The Role:

• To manage a team of Client managers and executives within the Northern region, reporting to the Head of Commercial Client Services, South, ensuring excellent client outcomes are delivered and minimising attrition, whilst protecting risk of credit loss. Team portfolio will consist of ABL Clients across a broad range of sectors, with facilities comprising a mix of invoice discounting / factoring, cash-flow, inventory and property elements, up to £3m.

The Responsibilities:

• Manage a team of relationship managers to deliver strong risk management and a high touch service model.
• Lead the team aligned to our Strategic Priorities – Protect (maintain the key strengths of our business model), Grow (maximise opportunities) and Sustain (secure the long-term future of our business, customers and the world we operate in).
• Support a strong Culture combining expertise, service and relationships with teamwork, integrity and prudence. This includes supporting continual development of team members, and a collaborative environment where employees can share ideas.
• Responsibility for collaboration between teams and sharing of ideas and best practice. Ensure our control environment is consistent across the team and subject to continued review and enhancement.
• Assist with implementation of commercial strategy and initiatives aligned with delivering strong and safe growth, alongside budgets and associated client stock, loan book, margin and overhead objectives.
• Maintain and enhance client relationships / networks ensuring we have sufficient coverage taking into account new business opportunities, geography and expertise.
• Responsibility for Commercial client facilities operating within the company and within the credit policy.
• Help ensure an effective post Credit Committee / Switch On process.
• Work in Collaboration with Head of Client Services - Operations.

Standards of performance:

• Maintain bad debt provisions to within annual budget, ensuring risk reducing actions are prioritised and completed, and risk issues are promptly escalated.
• Ongoing management of collateral performance and reporting within the team.
• Ensure risk reducing actions are prioritised and completed, and risk issues are promptly escalated.
• Establish and maintain effective relationships with clients and internal stakeholders.
• Source new business referrals from existing clients.
• Ensure team KPIs in respect of annual reviews and client visits are completed per targeted requirements.
• Additional income generation as per annual budget.
• Help ensure an effective post Credit Committee / Switch On process.

Risk & Compliance:

• Ensure that all Governance and Compliance requirements are adhered to and all reporting and reviewing activities required by the Regulatory Bodies are carried out to the standards required.

Person Specification:

Essential

• An ability to build effective, lasting relationships with clients and do likewise with internal stakeholders (including operations, local / group credit and audit functions where necessary).
• Excellent communication skills and an ability to negotiate satisfactory solutions between client and bank which are considered “best outcomes” by all parties.
• Successfully organise team and personal workload and prioritise tasks to ensure internal deadlines are met, and client relationships are maintained to achieve zero qualifying attrition.
• Strong financial analysis skills and experience of managing a deteriorating credit profile in an ABL finance environment.
• Understand book debts as core collateral for an ABL facility, be aware of common issues / signs of deterioration and appropriate responses to mitigate the risks identified.
• Ability to mentor and share best practice with direct reports effectively to drive consistency and improvement across the team in a way which enhances team morale.
• A successful track record managing people in an ABL or Bank / lending environment.

Desirable

• Underwriting, both new and existing business.

Qualifications:

• ABFA/UK Finance qualifications.
• Banking/credit or accountancy qualifications.