Senior Credit Analyst

Position: Senior Credit Analyst

Department: Credit

Reports to: Head of Credit / Credit Manager and Head of Operations

1. Key responsibilities

1.1 Credit risk and financial analysis

• 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.

• Test how the client would cope if things went badly, such as lower sales, higher costs or customers paying late.

• Look at their industry, key customers, contracts, management and trading history.

• Pick up things that don't add up, like unexplained transactions or information that looks misleading.

• Form your own view of the client. Don't rely only on what the marketer tells you.

1.2 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.

• Work out whether the return is worth the risk, the term and the money we are putting in.

• Recommend ways to reduce risk, like bigger deposits, sureties, cessions of receivables, insurance and other enforceable security.

• Push back when the instalment, deposit, term or residual doesn't protect us.

• Suggest other ways to structure a deal so it can still work within our risk appetite.

• Escalate deals that look good commercially but have a credit structure we can't accept.

1.3 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.

1.4 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.

• Put the real concerns up front. Don't bury them in 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.

1.5 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.

• Know the difference between a deal that just needs more information and one that is wrong for us.

• Make sure policy exceptions are motivated, documented and sent to the right authority.

1.6 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.

1.7 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.

1.8 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.

1.9 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.

1.10 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.

1.11 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.

2. Minimum requirements

• A qualification in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Risk Management or something similar.

• At least five years of credit analysis experience, including complex commercial deals.

• Asset finance, equipment finance, commercial lending or specialist finance experience is strongly preferred.

• A good understanding of financial statements, cash flow, debt servicing, ratios and credit risk.

• Experience with asset-backed lending, security structures and deal profitability.

• Knowledge of the regulations that apply to our products, including FICA and NCR.

• Advanced Excel, and experience with credit systems or workflow tools like Monday.com or CRM systems.

• Strong credit report writing, analytical thinking and communication skills.

• Experience reviewing junior analysts' work or guiding them is an advantage.

3. 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 process