Credit Risk Officer

As a Credit Risk Officer, you will be responsible for assessing and managing the credit risk associated with the organization's trading activities in the commodities market.  Your primary focus will be evaluating and assessing and managing the risks associated with margin lending and trading activities. Additionally, to evaluate the creditworthiness of counter parties, monitor credit exposures, and implement risk management strategies to mitigate potential losses. This role plays a critical part in safeguarding the financial health of the company and ensuring adherence to internal risk policies and regulatory requirements.

Core Responsibilities:

·      Risk Assessment: Evaluate the credit risk associated with margin accounts and margin lending transactions. Analyze the creditworthiness of existing and potential clients and counterparties and the collateral provided to support the margin positions.

·      Counterparty Credit Analysis, Credit Limit setting and Credit Exposure Monitoring.

·      Margin Policy and Procedures: Develop, maintain, and enforce margin policies and procedures to ensure compliance with internal risk management guidelines and regulatory requirements.

·      Margin Monitoring: Monitor margin accounts on an ongoing basis to identify potential credit risks and margin violations. Implement processes to detect margin calls and take appropriate actions to address them.

·      Margin Call Management: Coordinate and manage the margin call process, ensuring timely communication with clients or traders who are subject to margin calls. Assess the appropriate course of action in case of margin call non-compliance.

·      Risk Modeling: Utilize risk models and tools to quantify and analyze credit risk exposure for the commodity trading portfolio.

·      Risk Reporting: Prepare regular risk reports and updates for senior management and risk committees, highlighting key risk metrics, exposures, and trends related to margin credit risk.

Additional Responsibilities:

·      Model Development: Participate in the development and validation of margin risk models used for assessing credit risk exposure and setting margin requirements.

·      Portfolio Risk Analysis: Perform portfolio-level risk analysis to assess concentration risks and exposure to specific commodities, markets, or regions. Conduct portfolio stress testing and scenario analysis to evaluate the potential impact of adverse market conditions on margin positions and overall credit risk.

·      Client Interaction: Interact with clients or counterparties to address margin-related queries, explain margin policies, and discuss potential risk implications.

·      Client Relationship: Interact with counterparties and clients to address credit-related inquiries, negotiate credit terms, and resolve any credit-related issues.

·      Collaborate with Trading and Operations: Work closely with trading desks and operations teams to ensure efficient margin management and smooth settlement processes.

·      Cross-functional Collaboration: Work closely with other risk management teams, such as market risk and operational risk, to ensure a comprehensive risk management approach.

·      Credit Risk Policies: Develop, update, and enforce credit risk policies and procedures, in line with industry best practices and regulatory guidelines.

·      Risk Mitigation Strategies: Collaborate with trading desks and risk management teams to develop risk mitigation strategies and hedging techniques to reduce credit risk exposure.

·      Compliance and Regulation: Stay abreast of relevant commodity trading regulations and credit risk management standards to ensure compliance with all regulatory requirements.

Requirements

·      Chartered accountant or Master's degree in finance, economics, risk management, or a related field

·      10+ years of experience in agricultural commodity credit risk management, credit assessment and implementation of risk management strategies.

·      Solid understanding of financial markets, trading products, and margin trading concepts.

·      Experience in credit risk assessment, preferably in a margin trading environment.

·      Familiarity with risk modeling, financial analysis, and statistical techniques.

·      Knowledge of relevant financial regulations and compliance requirements.

·      Strong analytical skills and attention to detail.

·      Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to collaboratewith internal teams and external clients.

·      Ability to work in a fast-paced and dynamic trading environment.

·      Relevant certifications (e.g., FRM, CFA) are advantageous but not mandatory.