SUMMARY:
A well-established company based in Melrose is seeking an astute, analytical, and commercially minded Senior Credit Analyst to join their team.
This is an excellent opportunity for a finance professional skilled in evaluating risk, making sound lending decisions, and supporting quality credit outcomes in a dynamic environment.
POSITION INFO:
Key responsibilities: Assess new and existing clients, including the company, directors, shareholders, related entities and sureties. Go through financial statements, management accounts, bank statements, tax records, debtor and creditor lists, asset registers, contracts, cashflows and existing debt. Look at profitability, liquidity, debt levels, working capital and whether cash flow is steady. Work out whether the client can afford the new facility on top of what they already owe. Take note of arrears, returned debit orders, bad credit records, tax debt, too much debt and other signs of trouble. Conduct stress testing to assess the client's ability to withstand adverse financial scenarios, including declining sales, increased operating costs and delayed customer payments. Evaluate industry dynamics, key customer relationships, contractual obligations, management capabilities and trading history to determine the overall risk profile. Identify discrepancies, unusual transactions, inconsistencies or potentially misleading information within financial records and supporting documentation. Exercise independent judgement in assessing client creditworthiness and risk, ensuring that recommendations are based on a thorough, objective analysis of available information rather than relying solely on input from the marketing team. Deal evaluation and structuring: Evaluate deals in construction, mining, transport, agriculture, aviation, power generation and other approved sectors. Check whether the deal works commercially, whether it is asset finance, rental or rent-to-own. Recommend deposits, terms, instalments, interest rates, fees, balloons and security. Check that the instalment is affordable for the client's cash flow. Check that supplier quotes, purchase prices, valuations, expected rental income and resale values are reasonable. Consider VAT, costs, commissions, funding costs and likely recovery costs when working out profit. Recommend ways to reduce risk, like bigger deposits, sureties, cessions of receivables, insurance and other enforceable security. Evaluate whether the anticipated returns justify the associated risks, investment term and capital commitment. Challenge proposed instalments, deposits, repayment terms and residual values where they do not adequately mitigate the company's financial risk. Suggest other ways to structure a deal so it can still work within the risk appetite. Escalate deals that look good commercially but have a credit structure we can't accept. Asset and security evaluation: Look at the asset itself: market value, condition, age, hours, specs and remaining life. Check that the asset suits the deal and that its value supports the amount we are funding. Know the difference between market value, orderly sale value and what we would really get in a forced sale. Consider how easy it is to resell specialised equipment like heavy construction, and mining machinery, aircraft etc. Take into account hours, maintenance history, obsolescence, location, transport costs, refurbishment and export restrictions. Check the supplier or dealer, and make sure descriptions, serial numbers, ownership details and quotes all match. Look out for existing liens, ownership disputes, double financing, insurance gaps and security we might not be able to enforce. Work with the Technical Manager or outside inspectors when we need an inspection, valuation or condition report. Ask for more collateral or lower our exposure when the value is uncertain or recovery looks weak. Always consider both whether the client can pay and what we would get back if they can't. Credit reports and recommendations: Write clear, accurate credit reports for the approving authority or credit committee. Cover the deal, the client, financial performance, ability to pay, security, profitability and risks. Keep verified facts, what management told us, assumptions and open questions separate. Clearly communicate key risks and concerns in the main assessment, rather than relying solely on supporting schedules. Make a clear recommendation: approve, decline, defer or ask for more information. If recommending approval, state the terms, conditions precedent, security and any monitoring needed. Show a way to reduce each major risk and be honest about what risk is left. Review the junior analysts' reports and send back anything incomplete, wrong or poorly motivated. Present and defend recommendations at credit meetings and answer management's questions. Keep a record of approval conditions, policy exceptions, outstanding items and why we made the recommendation. Independent judgement and challenging risk: Stay independent of sales pressure. Challenge forecasts that are too optimistic, revenue that isn't supported and customer contracts that haven't been verified. Question deals that look unaffordable, over-geared or reliant on uncertain future cash flow. Be more careful where the client's finances, industry or security call for it. Give marketers feedback on what is weak in their applications and what we need from them. Recommend a decline when the risk can't be reduced, no matter how attractive the deal looks. Escalate major risks, suspected misrepresentation, unusual related-party arrangements and conflicts of interest. Distinguish between applications requiring further information and those that do not meet the company's risk appetite or lending criteria Make sure policy exceptions are motivated, documented and sent to the right authority. Quality control and technical review: Be the first technical reviewer of the junior analysts' submissions, where delegated. Check that calculations, debt schedules, cash flow, affordability and terms are correct. Make sure all the material risks have been picked up and dealt with. Set consistent standards for credit reports, analysis, supporting documents and recommendations. Spot the same mistakes coming up in applications and give Sales feedback so they improve. Flag incomplete applications and follow up until the missing information is in. Review complex or high-value deals and help the juniors with the technical side. Apply credit policy the same way across analysts, business units and deal types. Look for ways to turn deals around faster without lowering quality. Due diligence, compliance and documentation: Make sure the required checks on the client, directors, shareholders and related entities are done, as policy and the law require. Check that the financial information and supporting documents are complete, consistent and reliable. Make sure FICA, NCR and any other regulatory requirements are covered for the product, entity and deal. Escalate bad findings, compliance concerns, possible fraud and big discrepancies. Make sure the credit recommendation lists the security documents, sureties, cessions, waivers and insurance we need. Work with Legal and Operations so the approved conditions end up in the deal documents. Make sure conditions are met, or formally waived by the right person, before payout. Keep full records of assessments, documents, approvals and exceptions for audit and future reference. Portfolio monitoring and early warning: Keep an eye on how the loan and rental book is performing, together with Finance, Collections and Operations. Review arrears, missed instalments, returned debit orders, broken payment arrangements and other signs a client is slipping. Pick out clients whose finances, trading conditions or payment behaviour point to a higher chance of default. Reassess our exposure when a client is in trouble, loses a key contract, takes on a lot of new debt or can't repay as well as before. Recommend what to do, such as closer monitoring, more security, new payment arrangements, restructuring or recovery action. Judge restructures on their merits. Will it really get us paid, or just delay a loss we can't avoid? Help assess impaired exposures, potential losses and recovery prospects when needed. Give Credit and Operations management clear reports on new risks and portfolio concerns. Look at repeat arrears and defaults to see where the original assessment, deal structure or monitoring fell short. Credit process and Monday.com or CRM system: Keep credit records on Monday.com accurate and up to date. Make sure every application has a status, an owner, a next step and a list of what is outstanding. Track each deal from credit submission through assessment, approval, conditions and handover for payout. Record important discussions, decisions, outstanding items and conditions on the deal record. Watch how long applications sit at each stage and see whether the delay is with Credit, Sales, the client, Legal or someone else. Keep track of the pipeline, pending approvals, declined deals and deals waiting on conditions. Escalate stalled applications and repeat bottlenecks to the right manager. Help report on turnaround times, approval rates, how many deals reach payout and why deals are declined or withdrawn. Make sure credit files are complete enough for handover, audit, portfolio reviews and recoveries. Mentoring junior analysts: Guide and support the junior credit analysts. Review their work and explain where their analysis, risk identification, deal structuring or report writing falls short. Teach them how to assess cash flow, affordability, asset values, security and whether a deal makes sense commercially. Encourage them to think for themselves and find the risks, not just collect information. Build working papers, checklists, report templates and assessment standards. Spot skills gaps and recommend training. Get them to own their assessments and back up their recommendations with evidence. Hold them accountable for accuracy, completeness, turnaround times and the quality of their recommendations. Continuous improvement and management reporting: Look for ways to improve credit policies, procedures, assessment templates and reporting tools. Study approval rates, declines, defaults, recoveries and deal performance to spot trends. Show management the quality of the pipeline and why deals don't turn into funded deals. Help develop assessment criteria for mining, construction, transport, aviation and other approved industries. Recommend changes to risk appetite or assessment requirements based on how the portfolio performs, subject to management approval. Keep track of changes in the economy, interest rates, industry risks, equipment markets and client trading conditions. Support management's efforts to improve credit quality, turnaround times, profitability and efficiency. Take part in credit meetings and offer practical solutions to recurring problems. Requirements: At least 5 years' experience in credit analysis, including the assessment of complex commercial transactions. A relevant qualification in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Risk Management or a related field. Strong financial analysis capabilities, including the interpretation of annual financial statements, management accounts, bank statements, cash flows, debt schedules and financial ratios. The ability to independently assess affordability, cash flow, existing debt, repayment capacity and the overall creditworthiness of businesses and their directors. Experience in asset-backed lending, equipment finance, security structures and the evaluation of asset values and recovery risks. Strong deal structuring capabilities, including the assessment of deposits, repayment terms, interest rates, residual values, fees, sureties and other security requirements. The ability to assess the commercial viability and profitability of transactions while ensuring that the return justifies the associated risk. Proven experience preparing comprehensive credit reports with clear recommendations, identifying key risks and proposing practical risk-mitigation measures. The confidence and independence to challenge assumptions, identify red flags and recommend declining transactions where the risk cannot be adequately mitigated. Experience reviewing credit applications and reports prepared by junior analysts, ensuring accuracy, consistency and compliance with internal credit standards. The ability to present and defend credit recommendations at credit committee meetings and engage constructively with management. Experience monitoring existing portfolios, identifying early warning signs, assessing arrears and potential defaults, and recommending appropriate interventions. A sound understanding of relevant compliance requirements, including FICA, applicable NCR requirements and internal credit policies. Advanced Excel skills and experience using credit workflow, CRM or pipeline management systems such as Monday.com. The ability to mentor junior analysts, improve credit processes and maintain high standards of credit assessment and reporting. Key competencies: Independent, objective credit judgement Commercial awareness and financial sense Attention to detail and accuracy Spotting risks and challenging assumptions constructively Understanding of deal structuring and security Strong written and verbal communication Handling several deals and deadlines at once Integrity, and the willingness to say no to unsuitable deals Working well with Credit, Sales, Operations, Legal and Finance Coaching and mentoring Taking initiative to improve processes, and taking accountability Should you not receive a response within 2 weeks, please consider your application unsuccessful. Please refer to our website, , where all our active vacancies are advertised. IMPORTANT NOTICE By applying to this advert you hereby acknowledge that you have read and accept the following Protection of Personal Information ACT (POPIA) disclaimer: I hereby consent for Talented Recruitment to process my personal information as part of the recruitment process. Talented Recruitment shall take all reasonable measures to protect the personal information of applicants and for the purpose of this disclaimer \"personal information\" shall be defined as detailed in the Protection of Personal Information Act, Act 4 of 2013 (\"POPIA\").
