Group Trade Products Manager at Equity Bank Kenya

Risk & Control Objective:

Understand and adhere to the appropriate policies, standards and procedures applicable to the role. Understand and manage risk and risk events/incidents relevant to the role. 

Overall job Purpose:

The role of Group Trade Products manager is crucial in the development and improvement of new and existing trade and working Capital products to deliver a differentiated value proposition from competitors. This includes both the Front Office and Back Office technological systems used to deliver or support the processing of the various products. Support with the growth of both the product and sector market share in the trade Intensive sectors within the Bank [Oil, trade & services, Commodities, Public Sector and Transport, Segments such as Multinationals, Large Enterprises and MSME.] as defined in the Bank’s Trade Finance Strategy.

Drive products marketing initiatives and activation of trade products for the group while ensuring consistency and standardization of messaging around our product capabilities. Partner with the branches, sectors and the various teams within the subsidiaries to enhance the trade products performance and penetration in the trade intensive sectors. Create and embed tools to ensure there is consistent commercialisation of trade products across all the countries.

Key Accountabilities:

Accountability: Strategy and Planning [15%] 

• Develop across products and industry, propositions for new and existing trade products suite [including systems working with the Transformation Team] to differentiate the Bank from its competitors.
• Ensure the plan is aligned with the Bank’s Trade & Working Capital Strategy and is supported by the various partners within the bank.
• Work with the Group Head of Trade Products to create world class Processing Centre for Trade Finance.
• Work with the branches, sectors and the various trade sales teams to understand customer needs, identify the most valuable customers and create customised propositions.
• Responsible for the review & development of trade products pricing strategies to match the bank’s expectation.
• Responsible for developing an empowered team within the branches to ensure that the Branch teams are able to originate and execute deals with minimal intervention from Head office.  

 Accountability: Financial Performance [30%] 

• Work with the Finance Department Reporting Teams to ensure that the monthly revenue and profitability reporting for the various trade products, branches and sectors are accurate across the countries.
• Report on trade & Working Capital product profitability, cost-to-income ratios, including ensuring that the other ratios for trade performance are achieved and are aligned with the bank's objectives.
• Acting as the custodian of the trade revenues & rebates, ensure that all the trade products revenues are reconciled and realized, this includes including appropriation of rebates from the Bank’s correspondence Network to Branches & timely processing & follow up of trade revenues included any revenue earned but not yet collected.
• Understand the key product drivers of revenue, pricing, volume, efficiency, leakage, cost of funds, liquidity, growth, supply and demand etc. 

Accountability: Product Management [30%] 

• Work with the various Trade Teams to ensure a high-quality customer experience in order to maximize the Group’s revenues from trade products.
• Research, create and implement the new products for targeted clients for the Bank.
• Develop and embed a series of Trade products technical tools (including Risk-Return Calculators, Basel II /III etc) to ensure the customer needs and the value of the solution to the clients are correctly understood and are profitable.
• Develop and embed a series of trade products reporting tools (for the assigned products revenue, client’s reports, utilisation etc) to ensure the customer needs and the value of the solution to the clients are correctly understood.
• Proactively manage the implementation of the country/branch trade initiatives and to ensure minimal impact to productivity effort for trade products
• Develop in-depth understanding of trade products for the Bank (trends, threats, and flows) and the economic/regulatory drivers.
• Maintain a high level of customer contact, both by direct and indirect means viz., calls, research visits, Focus groups, questionnaires, tele-research, call reports and CVP information etc. to ensure that all CVPs and initiatives are either customer driven or at least validated with customer feedback.
• Participate in external trade forums/seminars to enhance the bank’s visibility as a “Go To” Trade Bank. 
• Responsible for driving all the trade finance tactical strategies including all the tactical initiatives identified in the Trade Strategy. 
• Responsible for trade products reviews and enhancement.
• Represent the trade team in all internal committee meetings i.e. Credit Committee. New Product Approvals, Pricing Committees 

Accountability: Business Delivery [15%] 

• Support with the full automation and digitization of both the Front and back-Office trade functionalities for the Bank and subsidiaries.
• Ensure that all the new products developed and introduced, do not expose the bank to any undue risk. This includes the existing process and systems, the processing of trade instruments for the subsidiaries.
• Develop innovative product propositions & deal structures that balance the need of the clients’ and the bank from a risk/cost/benefit perspective.
• Embed a tool to monitor the sectors and product performance across the branches, sectors and subsidiaries.
• Ensure suitable capacity planning mechanism are in place & monitored.
• Develop and maintain detailed knowledge of the Trade products market share in Kenya & the subsidiaries while ensuring effective delivery to the client base.
• Responsible for the development of Business performance reports i.e. revenue per client, revenue per product, revenue per segments, limits utilization, flash, MBR, customer limits, customer pricing, special pricing etc

Accountability: People Management [10%] 

• Continuously up-skill staff with regard to Trade products knowledge, including knowledge of the related process and external market environment i.e. legal, regulatory etc. 
• Manage skills training and knowledge transfers within the team, including Intra & inter Teams training and knowledge transfer within the Group. Prioritising the skills transfer to Branches and subsidiaries. 
• Transfer and sharing of the best practice to ensure the Teams receive appropriate training and development opportunities. 
• Ensure we adhere to a high performing organisation profile and that the necessary tools are in place to maximise the ability of our people. 

Qualifications

Education and experience 

• Bachelors Degree
• Trade Finance Certification 
• 5 years’ experience in Banking or Product management role.
• Good understanding of the end-to-end operation of a trade organisation in both a local and international bank. 

Knowledge & Skills [Minimum of 5] 

• Strategic planning and management
• Good working knowledge of both simple & complex trade products
• Structuring & origination of Trade products
• Product development & business development
• Analytical skills
• Interpersonal and communication skills