Trade Finance Analyst

Job Title : Trade Finance Analyst
Location: Chennai

About Barclays
Barclays is a British universal bank. We are diversified by business, by different types of customers and clients, and by geography. Our businesses include consumer banking and payments operations around the world, as well as a top-tier, full service, global corporate and investment bank, all of which are supported by our service company which provides technology, operations and functional services across the Group.

Risk and Control Objective

Take ownership for managing risk and strengthening controls in relation to the work you do

Working Flexibly

We're committed to providing a supportive and inclusive culture and environment for you to work in. This environment recognises and supports ways to balance your personal needs, alongside the professional needs of our business. Providing the opportunity for all our employees, globally to work flexibly empowers each of us to work in a way that suits our lives as well as enabling us to better service our customers' and clients' needs. Whether you have family commitments or you're a carer, or whether you need study time or wish to pursue personal interests, our approach to working flexibly is designed to help you balance your life. If you would like some flexibility, then please discuss this with the hiring manager, and your request will be reviewed subject to business needs.

Hybrid Working

Structured hybrid role:
At Barclays, we offer a hybrid working experience that blends the positives of working alongside colleagues at our onsite locations, together with working from home. We have a structured approach where colleagues work at an onsite location on fixed, 'anchor', days of the week, for a minimum of two days a week or more, as set by the business area (or nearest equivalent if working part-time hours). Please discuss the working pattern requirements for the role you are applying for with the hiring manager. Please note that as we continue to embed our hybrid working environment, we remain in a test and learn phase, which means that working arrangements may be subject to change on reasonable notice to ensure we meet the needs of our business.

Introduction:

Trade finance being a highly specialised field , process experts are a key member of the operation team supporting trade process , data management for various transactions based on processing of instructions within agreed timelines by combining analysis and judgment with speed & accuracy to consistently provide a high level customer service.

What will you be doing?

As a team member reporting directly to the Assistant Vice President, UAE Trade Finance, you will be responsible for your assigned role which includes the following responsibilities;
• Document Checking for Advised and Confirmed Letters of Credit, Issued Letters of Credit, Back to Back Letters of Credit, Transferred Letter of Credit, Guarantees and Bonds and Bills for Collections in accordance to approved process and procedures, international regulations (Standard banking practises and ICC Rules - UCP, ISBP, URC, URDG) and within pre-agreed service levels and with speed and accuracy.
• Discrepancy handling, Advise of rejection to (Beneficiary, Presenting Bank and Issuing Bank) o Record Acceptance on the system and advice beneficiary of maturity date
• Carry out, enhance, improve and scale our trade surveillance (market abuse), AML and other financial crime monitoring processes
• Chasers to Issuing banks on Documents forwarded on approval basis
• Daily review of related reports
• Ensure appropriate internal ledger entries passed
• Respond to queries and enquiries from beneficiaries or issuing banks
• Establish the most effective and efficient solutions to complex technical issues referred by Advisors.
• Co-ordinate / liaise with IT Support on faults and changes, user Ids, etc
• Work with the Team Manager/Operational Manager to plan and provide support and guidance with Disciplinary & Grievances, completing documentation and scribing for interviews
• Accountable for ensuring operatives have timely and complete understanding of technical changes and their implications for the customer experience
• Accountable for identifying, analysing and resolving/implementing processing issues to prevent re-occurrence, reducing loss to the business
• Work with Team Manager and take joint responsibility for the control the workflow to ensure process efficiencies are achieved, team performance is optimised, Service Level Agreement are met by ensuring productivity and accuracy measures are in place
• Return to Work
• To provide support and cover in terms of process management to other Process Experts as required ensuring effective team working across the operation
• Responsible for verification and authorisation of transactions within authorization limits and non-conformant items/referrals which may be staff prompted or system generated.
• Accountable for ensuring staff understand and adhere to procedures and quality controls, and that checks are completed as required
• Provision of 2-way feedback to Team Manager/Operations Manager
• Conduct daily huddles to provide process updates and share process scores
• Act as a back-up Team Manager in his/her absence
• Work with the onshore and offshore teams to prioritize transactions that needs to be turned around on exceptional basis.
• Conduct periodical process trainings for advisors and manage training for new joinees
• Understanding of the Trade business and an understanding of the lifecycle of trades.
• Test activities include analysis of requirements, designing test cases and scripts, conducting peer reviews of test scripts, identifying test data and environment needs, test execution, defect management
• Ability to understand the business context of the solution being tested
• Ability to verify and judge if the solution provided meets business requirements
• Rework defects and take part in defect analysis
• Be a Continuous Improvement champion: suggest, encourage and deliver.

What we're looking for:

o Minimum of 24-60 months of relevant experience in trade finance.
o Must have completed Professional qualification such as CDCS or CSDG.
o Graduate in any discipline.
o Flexibility in hours of work and ability to work changing shifts patterns
o Effective communication, including questioning skills
o Ability to work independently or as part of a team.
o Achieving high standards and delivering results with accuracy and attention to detail
o MS Office Applications (preferably, Excel, word & PowerPoint)
o Ability to comprehend given set of instructions by combining analysis and judgement and apply the same for day to day transaction processing
o Risk awareness

Skills that will help you in the role:
• Experienced back office professional in International Trade Operations with working knowledge of relevant Trade Product(s) and full understanding of relevant ICC rule(s).
• Proven track record in the financial services industry, preferably Trade finance operations.
• Must have an understanding of the International Trade operations framework of a financial institution and knowledge of general operational policies
• Good experience of SWIFT and relevant message types
• General experience of Pay/Receive operations, local and foreign settlements, Documentary Collections and Funds transfers
• Ability to identify, analyse and manage operational risks
• Good understanding of Compliance requirements, including Know Your Customer, Anti Money Laundering and Treating Customers Fairly
• Knowledge of related risk and audits
• Ability to work within deadlines/customer demand

Where will you be working?
Chennai

Be More at Barclays
At Barclays, each day is about being more - as a professional, and as a person. 'Be More @ Barclays' represents our core promise to all current and future employees. It's the characteristic that we want to be associated with as an employer, and at the heart of every employee experience. We empower our colleagues to Be More Globally Connected, working on international projects that improve the way millions of customers handle their finances. Be More Inspired by working alongside the most talented people in the industry, and delivering imaginative new solutions that are redefining the future of finance. Be More Impactful by having the opportunity to work on cutting-edge projects, and Be More Valued for who you are.
Interested and want to know more about Barclays? Visit home.barclays/who-we-are/ for more details.

Purpose, Values and Mindset
We deploy finance responsibly to support people and businesses, acting with empathy and integrity, championing innovation and sustainability, for the common good and the long term.

Our values underpin everything we do: Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship.

Respect
We harness the power of diversity and inclusion in our business, trust those we work with, and value everyone's contribution.
Integrity
We operate with honesty, transparency and fairness in all we do.
Service
We act with empathy and humility, putting the people and businesses we serve at the centre of what we do.
Excellence
We champion innovation, and use our energy, expertise and resources to make a positive difference.
Stewardship
We prize sustainability, and are passionate about leaving things better than we found them.
Our Mindset shapes how we take action, living by our Values, driven by our Purpose, always with our customers and clients at the heart of what we do; our Mindset is to Empower, Challenge and Drive.
Empower
Trust and support each other to deliver. Make decisions with those closest to the topic. Include diverse perspectives. Celebrate success and learn from failure.
Challenge
Question whether things can be done better. Use insights based on data to inform decisions. Be curious about how we can adapt and improve. Speak up and be open to alternative viewpoints.
Drive
Focus on outcomes. Deliver with pace. Be passionate and ambitious about what we do. Take personal responsibility. Actively build collaborative relationships to get things done.

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