Private Credit Financial Analyst £55,000 - £60,000London/Hybrid

Sterling Williams are working alongside a Financial Institution they are seeking a financial analyst that will focus on the ongoing risk management and surveillance of client’s investments in various private credit and other investments. This role involves ensuring that all investments are in compliance with the client’s risk appetite, it’s established policies and procedures, and the services provided are delivered within the relevant Service Level Agreements (SLAs). Responsibilities of the role will include:

Financial Analysis: Conduct thorough analysis of financial statements, including income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements, to assess the borrower's financial health.
Covenant Performance Information: Monitoring the borrower's adherence to agreed-upon covenant Market Analysis: Stay informed about market trends and economic conditions that could impact investments
Identifying potential risks in the loan portfolio and develop strategies to mitigate them.
Direct Communication with Borrowers: Engaging in regular communication with borrowers to discuss their financial status, address any concerns, and ensure transparency.
By maintaining a proactive approach to management and communication, the analyst ensures that any potential issues are identified and addressed promptly, thereby safeguarding the client's investments and fostering a collaborative relationship with borrowers.

Purpose of the role:

Carry out thorough analysis of borrower’s financial statements to assess financial health and assign internal rating.
Identifying potential risks in the loan portfolio and implementing strategies to mitigate these risks.
Staying informed about market trends and economic conditions that could impact the investments.
Developing contingency plans to address potential issues before they escalate.
Manage multiple deliverables, meet pre-agreed deadlines and deliver a consistent high quality of service to clients, both internal and external, whilst adhering to policies and procedures.
Meeting commitments and deadlines, working independently, taking accountability, staying focused under pressure as well as showing the ability to adjust plans to meet changing needs.
Providing regular updates to clients on the status of their investments. Addressing client inquiries and concerns promptly and professionally.

Core Responsibilities:

Review of Management Information, monitoring of financial covenants as well as ongoing review of borrowers’ e.g. cash position and working capital headroom, pipeline of contracts, aged debtors and creditors, other key performance indicators which are appropriate to monitor.
Ensure timely covenant tracking with adequate recording in relevant credit management system.
Review of cash flow projections and business plans.
Preparation of robust and concise internal credit papers (credit review, waivers/amendments) according to agreed formats and in a timely manner for review by line manager to obtain relevant client approvals during loan life.
Preparation of watch-list reports incl. forward looking credit risk assessment, discussing trends and challenges of individual borrowers, provide advice regarding possible resolutions or exit strategies.
Review of legal documentation (incl. the facility agreements, any amendments, any subordination agreements and any reservations of rights letters).
Review of the borrower’s corporate structure (incl. shareholding, identity and role of directors, the debt structure (WCFs, Senior TLs, Junior TLs) and other liabilities (payables, deferred, lease liabilities, pension liabilities).
Review of security (incl. any guarantees) and related documentation (incl. any subordination agreements).
Lead the negotiation for any kind of waiver or amendment requests, early repayments and restructuring's of payment schedules with borrower and client.
Maintain electronic credit files for respective deals, ensuring key documents have been saved before submission of approval requests (in accordance with client’s guidelines and naming conventions).
Discuss/negotiate any kind of waiver requests, early repayments and restructurings with borrowers/agents and other external/internal parties e.g. lawyers.
Attend site visits and borrower meetings (as required).

Skills and Competencies

University degree and at least 3 years working experience in relevant field in Corporate or Private Credit, risk or portfolio management
High level of familiarity of MS Excel (ideally including VBA), Word, PowerPoint and/or other data processing and analysis tools.
Good understanding and knowledge of credit risk drivers and risks inherent in the respective borrower industry sectors.
Proven ability to analyse financial reports and provide concise and forward-looking assessment of credit risks
Ideally, a track record in negotiating loan restructurings (covenant resets, payment schedule amendments, fresh money injections) and the ability to improve results for client.
Good analytical and technical skills and ability to understand loan documentation, financing structures and financial models.
Strong oral and written communication abilities.
Comfortable in a client facing role and the ability to confidently present recommendations up to client’s committee level.