Managing Director for Leveraged Finance Underwriting & Portfolio Mgmt in Chicago w Major International Bank

Purpose

The primary purpose of this position is to lead the team’s risk management activities with a focus on credit underwriting, policy, portfolio management and development of Relationship Managers (RMs) in the Leveraged Finance Group. Position is with a major international bank and is based in Chicago.

Duties and Responsibilities

The MD  for Leveraged Finance  will be responsible for but not limited to the following activities. Primary responsibility for this position will be that of managing the group’s risk and supporting Commercial Relationship Managers.

• Supervise team workflow, including that of direct reports (generally junior RMs and underwriters). Work closely with team to navigate deals through the credit approval process. Identify and address bottlenecks with moving a deal through the Credit and Loan Closing process
• Understand all credit requests and attend Committee meetings to support RMs/Market Leaders on behalf of Group Head
• Monitor the portfolio quality against established criteria, and recommend adjustments to existing credit facilities as appropriate
• Based on the risk rating of the credit facility, credit portfolio management staff can recommend holding the current portfolio level or syndicating to potentially lower levels of risk
• Work closely with counterparty credit/underwriting staff and relationship managers to determine and evaluate potential risks
• Attend client meetings in person and virtually to support Relationship Managers and build industry knowledge
• Coordinate initial meetings and deal screens with Market Lead, RM and/or Group Head to lead discussions on structure, risk and resources required for proposed credit facilities
• Oversee timely preparation of Group’s portfolio responsibilities including portfolio reviews (quarterly and annually), criticized asset reviews, Shared National Credit reviews, leveraged and high risk reporting, risk rating verification, pricing verification, etc.
• Represent group in portfolio review meetings and retain knowledge of the portfolio risk points (portfolio concentration limits, portfolio mix, etc.)
• Review loan proposals prior to submission to ensure appropriate structure, accuracy, compliance, etc.
• Advise on credit actions related to the existing portfolio (e.g., structure, waivers, modifications)
• Ensure reviews, renewals, document exceptions and reporting are timely and coordinate with RMs to ensure risk ratings are accurate
• Serve as the Group’s liaison to Credit Risk Management and Financial Crimes Compliance
• Provide Group Head with portfolio updates including opportunities in the approval queue
• Advise Team on portfolio trends to facilitate consistency in deal structuring
• Attend industry events to maintain current market knowledge
• Provide career development and coaching to direct reports and Commercial RM team
• Maintain strong partnerships with other business functions/units (i.e. Private Wealth, cross-sell partners and loan services) to ensure effective communication across lines of business
• Coordinate and communicate loan closing pipeline and internal creditwith relevant parties
  

Qualifications

• Very high level of industry / product expertise.
• May participate in strategic decision-making beyond his or her specific product area.
• College Degree with an emphasis in Business, Finance, Accounting or Economics preferred
• MBA preferred
• Minimum of ten years of experience in Leveraged Finance with a bank or direct lender as a Commercial Relationship Manager, Portfolio Manager, Underwriter or equivalent
• Ability to prove credit expertise within a specific commercial banking industry or vertical
• Formal credit training preferred
• Supervisory experience is a plus
• Desire to understand financial markets is a plus