Job Summary

The Lending Documentation Specialist position is primarily to support the various business units for the Non-Standard Documentation and, where applicable, Standard Documentation process in accordance with the Credit Documentation Process - General Roles and Responsibilities and any further guidance from the Global Head, LDU.  

It is a critical role in supporting multiple business units across Corporate, Commercial & Institutional Banking and ensuring client delivery through management of the Non-Standard and Standard Documentation processes. Working closely with the Regional Head LDU, this role oversees a broad, holistic perspective of transaction management challenges and requirements in the region.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy

•    Support the Regional Head LDU to set and implement the vision, strategy, direction for LDU regionally, consistent with the vision and strategy for LDU Global and in support of the Group's strategic direction and growth aspirations.

•    Non-Standard Documentation Process: 
•    Reviewing/checking bespoke / externally prepared loan documentation for complex, structured or syndicated transactions.
•    Ensuring the financing structure and documentation is in compliance with the terms and spirit of the relevant credit approval and the Bank’s policies and procedures (including Operational Risk).
•    Working closely with internal legal counsel and engaging and liaising with external counsel where required.
•    Reviewing and confirming satisfaction of all required finance documentation, including Conditions Precedent, Conditions Subsequent and legal registrations perfection requirements, policy requirements and approvals via formal handover confirmation to the Credit Risk Control team for the authorisation of client limits.

•    Standard Documentation Process: 
•    Drafting and negotiation of contractual, security and parental support documentation covering uncommitted and committed bilateral facilities in line with credit approvals.
•    Drafting and negotiating local and global guarantees within Region and for the wider Bank network.
•    Ensuring the financing structure and documentation is in compliance with the terms and spirit of the relevant credit approval and the Bank’s policies and procedures (including Operational Risk).
•    Setting and collating all condition precedent/subsequent documentation.
•    Engaging external counsel in relation to capacity and authority opinions and ensuring the review and sign of all legal opinions where required.
•    Drafting corporate resolutions / reviewing constitutional documentation.
•    Reviewing and confirming satisfaction of all required documentation, policy requirements and approvals via formal handover confirmation to the Credit Risk Control team for the authorisation of client limits.

Business

•    Be a business partner to and independent guardian of the business, achieving the right balance.
•    Single point of contact for any transactional escalations and remediation contact.
•    Be a business partner to and independent guardian of the business, achieving the right balance.
•    Utilise knowledge of business products and execution / funding processes undertaken in region to work with regional / cross-regional business and functions to respond to transaction-related questions. 
•    Work closely with stakeholders to ensure smooth integration of LDU processes with other processes of the Bank.  In particular:
-    Ensure that Legal and LDU work in an integrated fashion;
-    Work closely with LDU in other regions to reduce duplicative work and ensure logical allocation of work (proposing exceptions to R&R where necessary);
-    Ensure that hand-offs between Credit Risk Control and LDU are smooth and efficient;
-    Resolve all roadblocks and any points requiring clarity, in collaborative fashion between LDU centres or between Legal and LDU or LDU and CRC.
•    Adhere to LDU KPIs, ensuring that these are within thresholds. 

Processes

•    Identify process improvement initiatives / opportunities to drive efficiency across LDU.
•    Implement and adhere to standardised operational excellence processes.
•    Ensure completion of the LDU Data Activity Tracker in accurate and timely manner to facilitate preparation and management of Management Information including reports and dashboards.
•    Support all control checks undertaken by LDU under the Operational Risk Framework (ORF).
•    Ensure all LDU management information is updated/supplied promptly and accurately as required by the Regional/Global Heads, LDU.

Risk Management

•    Mitigate possible risk and escalate to relevant stakeholders on potential identified risks.
•    Ensure timely implementation and adherence to the Operational Risk Framework. 
•    Ensure Control Sample Test reviews are performed in a timely manner.
•    Ensure all audit issues are handled in timely and appropriate manner.

Governance

•    The maintenance of a robust control environment to ensure:
-    The execution of documentation is approved by LDU in accordance with the Bank’s policies and the Credit Documentation Process - General Roles and Responsibilities therefore ensuring the Bank is not exposed to unnecessary legal, commercial or regulatory risks.
-    The timely processing of documentation and handover of condition precedent documentation to enable limit activation and collateral RWA to optimise revenue generation / return on tangible equity. Ensure the timely processing of any deferred conditions precedent / subsequent. 

Regulatory & Business Conduct

•    Display exemplary conduct and live by the Group’s Values and Code of Conduct. 
•    Take personal responsibility for embedding the highest standards of ethics, including regulatory and business conduct, across Standard Chartered Bank. This includes understanding and ensuring compliance with, in letter and spirit, all applicable laws, regulations, guidelines and the Group Code of Conduct.
•    Effectively and collaboratively identify, escalate, mitigate and resolve risk, conduct and compliance matters.

Key stakeholders

•    Client Businesses covered by LDU
•    Relationship Managers 
•    Global Credit Markets 
•    Credit Risk Approvers / Analysts 
•    Client Managers
•    Legal
•    Credit Documentation Unit (CDU) / Credit Risk Control (CRC)
•    Global Lending Services 
•    Stressed Assets Group

Qualifications

•    Education: Degree In Legal, Finance Or Business Administration Studies 
•    Licenses: Legal Qualification Or Equivalent Extensive Work Experience.
•    Languages: English   

Skills and Experience

•    Relevant experience in a similar finance documentation and transaction management role in the relevant market enabling day-to-day responsibilities to be carried out with minimal supervision.
•    Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-moving, demanding environment whilst maintaining high quality output, good analytical skills, risk-based approach and excellent attention to detail.  Strong organisational and prioritising skills are essential.
•    Strong team player with excellent communication skills in order to effectively liaise with and develop close working relationships with stakeholders and business partners, across various jurisdictions.
•    Good level of experience of international loan and security documentation (including LMA, LSTA, APLMA).
•    Good level of knowledge of the Bank’s products (including Project & Export Finance, Leveraged & Acquisition Finance, Shipping, Subscription Finance, Commercial Real Estate) in relation to documentation.
•    Detailed knowledge of the Bank’s relevant policies and procedures. 
•    Ability to quickly assimilate complex syndication and bilateral lending deals and product structures.
•    Good knowledge of minimum acceptance criteria and collateral verification requirements.
•    Good knowledge of the Bank’s standard template documentation.
•    Good level of drafting and negotiation skills.

Role Specific Technical Competencies

•    Manage Conduct
•    Manage Risk
•    Manage People
•    Products and Processes
•    Bank Lending
•    Business Partnering
•    Process Management

Competencies

About Standard Chartered

We're an international bank, nimble enough to act, big enough for impact. For more than 170 years, we've worked to make a positive difference for our clients, communities, and each other. We question the status quo, love a challenge and enjoy finding new opportunities to grow and do better than before. If you're looking for a career with purpose and you want to work for a bank making a difference, we want to hear from you. You can count on us to celebrate your unique talents and we can't wait to see the talents you can bring us.

Our purpose, to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, together with our brand promise, to be here for good are achieved by how we each live our valued behaviours. When you work with us, you'll see how we value difference and advocate inclusion.

Together we:

• Do the right thing and are assertive, challenge one another, and live with integrity, while putting the client at the heart of what we do
• Never settle, continuously striving to improve and innovate, keeping things simple and learning from doing well, and not so well
• Are better together, we can be ourselves, be inclusive, see more good in others, and work collectively to build for the long term

What we offer

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.

Recruitment Assessments

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Visit our careers website www.sc.com/careers