Associate Director, Loan Trading, Europe

The Associate Director, Loan Trading, Europe plays a critical role within Standard Chartered's dynamic Loan Trading desk based in London. This position demands a well-rounded professional accountable for implementing comprehensive loan trading strategies, specifically targeting broadly syndicated leveraged loans. The successful candidate will be responsible for managing the leveraged loan portfolio, ensuring alignment with the desk's income and Return on Risk-Weighted Assets (RoRWA) targets as stipulated in the Annual Corporate Plan.

This role requires not only a strong conviction in identifying optimal buy and sell opportunities but also vigilant awareness of risk parameters and prevailing market liquidity conditions prior to initiating trades. Post-trade responsibilities encompass rigorous monitoring of mark-to-market valuations, credit exposures, and managing market risks to optimise portfolio performance. This pivotal position directly reports to the Global Head of Loan Trading and necessitates proactive communication, strategic insight, and strong accountability for income outcomes, contributing significantly to Standard Chartered's fixed income trading capabilities and overall markets division objectives.

Beyond transaction execution, the role demands strategic input into trading philosophies, fostering effective collaboration across sales teams, risk management, legal, compliance, and operations to maintain robust governance standards. This function supports Standard Chartered’s commitment to excellence in market practices and adherence to regulatory frameworks, facilitating sustainable growth and long-term value creation in a complex and evolving financial landscape.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the trading of leveraged loans, taking full accountability for RoRWA performance and funding of the leveraged loan portfolio to maximise profitable returns while managing associated risks effectively.
• Develop and refine trading strategies, engaging in active book management by churning inventory within defined issuer and ageing risk limits to maintain liquidity and optimise holding periods.
• Oversee all procedural and operational aspects required for accurate risk entry and exit across trading and hedging activities, ensuring seamless execution and compliance.
• Demonstrate strong market insight and trading acumen to proactively identify and act upon buy and sell opportunities that align with client demand and risk appetite.
• Collaborate closely with Market Sales counterparts to source trade ideas, leveraging client relationships to identify market inefficiencies and bespoke opportunities.
• Champion a compliance-first culture by embedding internal controls and adhering rigorously to external regulatory requirements, promoting transparency and integrity within trading activities.
• Work alongside key stakeholders, including Traded Risk Management, Legal, Compliance, and Operations teams, fostering an inclusive and collaborative working environment supporting Standard Chartered’s desired people culture.
• Monitor and enforce compliance with issuer and portfolio ageing limits set by risk management, integrating operational risk monitoring as a core business process to uphold firm-wide risk standards.

Skills and Experience

• Proven expertise in trading leveraged/par loans, with a deep understanding of the nuances of broadly syndicated loan markets.
• Solid grasp of risk‑weighted assets, capital usage, and balance sheet/funding considerations.
• Track record of generating consistent profits through accurate credit selection and tactical buy/sell decisions, contributing positively to RoRWA and income targets.
• Strong grasp of customer behaviour and market preferences, enabling tailored trade execution strategies that meet diverse client needs.
• Extensive knowledge of investments and portfolio management principles, including assessment and mitigation of market risk.
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate complex credit risk profiles, identify profitable trading opportunities, and manage risk exposures within a bank’s trading book.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills to facilitate collaboration with internal teams and external market participants.
• Strong analytical skills and the capacity to make sound, risk-aware decisions under conditions of market uncertainty and ambiguity.

Qualifications

• Strong academic background from reputable university.

Benefits

• In line with our Fair Pay Charter, we offer a competitive salary and benefits to support your mental, physical, financial and social wellbeing.
• Core bank funding for retirement savings, medical and life insurance, with flexible and voluntary benefits available in some locations.
• Time-off including annual leave, parental/maternity (20 weeks), sabbatical (12 months maximum) and volunteering leave (3 days), along with minimum global standards for annual and public holiday, which is combined to 30 days minimum.
• Flexible working options based around home and office locations, with flexible working patterns.
• Proactive wellbeing support through Unmind, a market-leading digital wellbeing platform, development courses for resilience and other human skills, global Employee Assistance Programme, sick leave, mental health first-aiders and all sorts of self-help toolkits.
• A continuous learning culture to support your growth, with opportunities to reskill and upskill and access to physical, virtual and digital learning.
• Being part of an inclusive and values driven organisation, one that embraces and celebrates our unique diversity, across our teams, business functions and geographies – everyone feels respected and can realise their full potential.