Head of Division, Short Term Transaction (Trade Finance) at ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID)

ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) is an international financial institution established by the 15 Member States of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). EBID includes: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.

The main objective of EBID is to contribute to the economic development of West Africa through the financing of ECOWAS and NEPAD projects and programs. The headquarters of the bank is in Lome in the Togolese Republic.

As part of its capacity building efforts, the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development is seeking qualified candidates who are citizens of the community to fill the position below:

Job Title: Head of Division, Short Term Transaction (Trade Finance)

Grade P5-1
Location: Togo

Job Summary

• Reporting to the Director of Finance, the Head of Division and Short Term Transaction shall manage the centralized trade finance operations activities, Letters of Credit, Guarantees, and Bills/TRs.
• He/she will also implement the objectives, policies and procedures as well as user manuals for the trade finance unit;

Duties

• Review requirements of business units in terms of operational support and discuss in detail with the business units concerned;
• Ensure the change-over to new systems through smooth and error-free processes;
• Execute projects related to trade finance operations, ensure their timely completion, achievement of objectives and cost effectiveness;
• Execute transactions within pre-set and standardized turnaround times for all trade finance activities and service level agreements with business units;
• Review delivery processes with a view to ensuring smooth workflow within the Unit, reduce turnaround times and achieve efficiency and cost benefits;
• Ensure that all transaction processing are in compliance with regulations and the Bank’s policies, procedures and norms and be able to intervene promptly to resolve problems areas;
• Manage maintenance of transactional records and documents and create archival system for easy retrieval;
• Ensure proper check and balance approach for trade finance processes;
• Monitor customer trade transactions, settlements and report any exceptions to concerned unit;
• Develop and maintain relations with partner Banks and Central Banks in order to facilitate and ensure smooth working support and quick resolution of issues and concerns;
• Prepare regular reports for senior management for effective monitoring and control;
• Cultivate and manage relationships with key clients with appropriate relationship management skills over the length of the business cycle i.e. from origination, disbursement to facility expiry;
• Translate business development plans into real business for the Bank from all segments of trade finance;
• Carry out all other duties assigned by Management.

Qualifications, Experience and Skills

• Master's degree in Business Administration, Banking or Finance from a recognized University or a professional qualification in Banking or International Trade Finance or any other related field;
• Minimum of ten (10) years' experience in the relevant fields acquired within a leading organization;
• Sound knowledge of major trade finance products to be offered to clients especially syndication, co-financing, club deals, correspondent banking products including letters of credit, factoring, and proven knowledge of how they work;
• Sound knowledge of operations in the main segments of trade finance markets;
• Proven experience in marketing trade and project finance products;
• Experience and knowledge of designing and selling structured trade finance products;
• Ability to meet senior officials in banks, corporate bodies and governments and win their trust that the specialized products will meet their needs;
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills as well as good analytical skills;
• Ability to lead a team in a multicultural environment; ability to impart knowledge, delegate duties and responsibilities, supervise and take decisions;
• Good physical condition to enable participation in field missions. 

General Requirements
Candidates must:

• Be citizens of ECOWAS Member States;
• Not be above 45 years of age;
• Be computer literate (Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint)
• Be fluent in French and/or English and/or Portuguese, and proficient in one of the other two languages.

Application Closing Date
17h00 GMT; 30th June, 2015.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should send or deliver their applications and CV's in sealed envelope, marked "2015 Recruitment Exercise" and state the position applied to the address below:
ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID)
Department of Administration and Human Resources
128, Bd. du 13 Janvier,
BP 2704,
Lome-Togo.

Application must include

• A detailed curriculum vitae;
• A letter of interest;
• Copies of degrees or certificates;
• Copy of identity card or passport;
• Copy of birth certificate.

Note: Only shortlisted candidates will be invited for a test. EBID reserves the right to stop further action on this job vacancy notice