- Our Client is seeking a proactive, analytical, and detail-oriented Trade Finance Analyst to manage the end-to-end execution of trade finance transactions across its commodity trading operations.
- The successful candidate will coordinate financing, procurement, quality assurance, logistics, inventory, and repayment activities to ensure seamless execution of financed trades, minimize operational risks, and fulfill financing obligations within agreed timelines.
Key Responsibilities
Trade Opportunity Assessment & Underwriting:
- Identify, evaluate, and recommend viable commodity trade opportunities.
- Conduct commercial due diligence on suppliers, buyers, commodities, and market conditions.
- Analyze transaction economics, expected margins, cash flow, and profitability.
- Assess transaction risks, including price volatility, supplier performance, buyer creditworthiness, logistics, quality, and operational risks.
- Review financing requests and determine appropriate transaction structures, funding requirements, repayment sources, and risk mitigants.
- Prepare detailed trade investment memoranda covering transaction rationale, risks, expected returns, and recommendations.
- Monitor commodity prices and market trends to identify profitable trading opportunities.
Trade Finance & Transaction Management:
- Manage the end-to-end lifecycle of financed trade transactions from purchase through final repayment.
- Coordinate trade finance drawdowns and ensure compliance with financing conditions.
- Monitor utilization of trade finance facilities and maintain accurate transaction schedules.
- Track repayment obligations and ensure facilities are settled on or before their due dates.
- Prepare transaction summaries and funding reports for management and financing partners.
Procurement & Trade Execution:
- Coordinate commodity purchases with approved suppliers.
- Monitor purchase orders, supplier performance, and delivery timelines.
- Ensure procurement activities comply with internal policies and financing requirements.
- Maintain accurate records of contracts, invoices, warehouse receipts, and supporting transaction documents.
Quality Control & Inspection:
- Coordinate commodity quality inspections before purchase and prior to shipment.
- Liaise with independent inspection agencies and laboratories to ensure products meet agreed specifications.
- Review quality reports and escalate variances before payments are processed.
- Ensure proper documentation of quality certificates and inspection reports.
Logistics & Delivery Monitoring:
- Coordinate the transportation of commodities from suppliers to warehouses, processors, or customers.
- Monitor deliveries to ensure goods are received in full and within agreed timelines.
- Work with logistics providers, warehouse operators, and internal operations teams to resolve delivery issues.
- Track inventory movements and ensure financed goods remain properly accounted for throughout the transaction lifecycle.
Portfolio Monitoring & Risk Management:
- Monitor the performance of active trade finance transactions.
- Identify early warning signals that could affect repayment, profitability, or transaction execution.
- Monitor buyer payments and collections to ensure repayments are received on schedule.
- Escalate emerging operational, credit, market, or counterparty risks.
- Recommend corrective actions where transactions deviate from approved parameters.
Reporting & Performance Analysis:
- Prepare transaction profitability reports and post-transaction performance reviews.
- Produce reports covering outstanding facilities, repayments, inventory positions, and portfolio performance.
- Analyze completed transactions to identify lessons learned and opportunities for process improvement.
- Provide management with market intelligence, pricing trends, and portfolio analysis.
- Bachelor's Degree, or HND in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business Administration, Agriculture, Supply Chain Management, or a related discipline.
- 2 - 5 years of relevant experience in one or more of the following:
- Trade Finance.
- Commercial Banking.
- Commodity Trading.
- Credit Analysis.
- Structured Trade Finance.
- Supply Chain Finance.
- Agribusiness.
Technical & Professional Knowledge:
- Strong understanding of trade finance, commodity trading, transaction structuring, and working capital financing.
- Experience in financial analysis, commercial due diligence, transaction underwriting, and preparation of investment or credit memoranda.
- Good understanding of commodity procurement, logistics, inventory management, and quality assurance processes.
- Strong analytical and financial modelling skills.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
- Strong commercial and analytical mindset.
- Excellent negotiation and communication skills.
- Strong stakeholder management abilities.
- High attention to detail and accuracy.
- Strong organizational and multitasking skills.
- Ability to work effectively under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
- Strong risk identification and problem-solving abilities.
- The ideal candidate is a highly organized and analytical professional with experience in trade finance, commodity trading, financial analysis, transaction underwriting, and supply chain operations.
- The candidate should be comfortable coordinating with suppliers, logistics providers, warehouses, inspection agencies, financiers, and buyers in a fast-paced trading environment.