Loans Specialist - Syndicated Loans Specialist - RFR Specialist

About Wholesale Lending Operations

Wholesale Lending is part of CIBD Operations, and is made up of Credit Analysis, Financial Monitoring & Control, Lending Fulfilment, and post drawdown management & Collateral.

About Operations

Operations is an exciting and fast moving function. More than 10,000 employees work in Operations, across 17 countries and 30 cities, supporting millions of financial transactions, worth billions of pounds. We ensure that trades get to the right client and to the right account, at the right time, and cover the full spectrum of financial products, from bonds and equities to swaps and options. The environment we operate within is continually changing and Operations plays a key role in driving market initiatives and regulatory changes. By ensuring we are ahead of competitors on these initiatives, Operations can help drive down costs and increase revenue.

About Bank Debt Management / US Facility Capture Combined Team

Bank Debt Management/US Facility Capture (“BDM/USFCT”) is responsible for overseeing the execution, booking and ongoing asset management of investment grade, leveraged loan facilities and Asset Based Loans in Wholesale Lending Operations. Where the firm acts as Lender, BDM/USFCT executes the close of transactions from beginning to end, engaging with Leveraged Finance, Global Lending Group, Asset Based Lending Team, Legal, Credit, Portfolio and Loan Operations to submit Commitment Letters, review Credit Agreements for operational mechanics, support amendments, review Borrowing Base certificates, and build facilities into our back-end operational system, ACBS, to send wires out of the firm.

Overall purpose of role

Play a significant role in Barclays’ accommodation and execution of the LIBOR Reform program. This includes contributing to working groups and executing on both the current and future books of work. Knowledge of the LIBOR Reform that is occurring in the market is critical for employees interested in this role at Barclays and will be central to successful candidacy.

The BDM/USFCT role will have responsibility and ownership for proactively managing the transactional closing, booking and long term asset management of a portfolio of both investment grade and non-investment grade loan transactions, including Asset Based Loans. AVPs in Bank Debt Management will collaborate with front office teams in a variety of ways, assisting in the routine operational support along the transaction closing cycle. Out of the support role evolves a contribution role, where the AVP should look to develop agile and lean ideas that will help senior members of the team as well as the wider Operations group to improve efficiency and productivity as a whole.

Key Accountabilities

·         The BDM/FCT AVP will oversee the daily operations of the BDM/FCT team workflow for the loan transactions where Barclays is a lead agent or lender participant and will manage a team of 8 analysts

·         The BDM/FCT AVP manager will review closing documentation to ensure it meets operational requirements and manage teams’ performance to ensure all financial closings are properly positioned to fund (as necessary) following engagement with the GLG Group, Syndicate and Credit Risk. 

·         The BDM/FCT AVP will ensure all appropriate approvals, sanctions, documentation, and KYC are complete and in place to ensure efficient and timely closing.

·         Candidate must have the ability to review legal loan documentation and ensure it meets operational ABL requirements where applicable for agented and participation transactions

·         Working with Client Servicing and Letter of Credit Team in respect to any LC Issuances at closing that may be required under a Guarantee request for Agented transactions and act as lead with the respective teams in the US and UK

·         Manage the associated closing process utilizing internal systems to complete the setup of a transaction profile and completion of post-closing functions across their portfolio.

·         Coordinate primary assignment process with Primary Closing Operations team (for led deals) 

·         Oversee the team’s ongoing asset management of high grade and leveraged loan facilities, including, but not limited to, collating and managing Borrower’s financial information and input on internal systems in capacity of Agent and Collateral Agent and posting on Syndtrak.

·         Managing the deal flow pipeline and maintenance of data sites as it relates to Agency portfolio

·         Supervise the processing of amendments/ waivers and consent requests from Borrowers which are technical in nature and included within the terms of the credit agreement on the internal systems and with Loan Operations.

·         Handle routine operational support, review of compliance reporting for applicable pricing of Quarterly/Annual compliance certificates against the terms of the credit agreement and manage adhoc internal business partner questions.

·         Answer Investor and business partner queries relating to the credit agreement/ loans within the team’s portfolio

·         Proactively maintain up to date pipeline across their portfolio

·         The BDM/FCT AVP will be an escalation point for off shore teams as it relates to their portfolio and team related matters

·         Undertake and adhere to all compliance requirements and internal policies applicable to this role

·         Manage interactions with GLG Group relating to relevant industry sectors

·         Oversee the booking process in ACBS, including building the deal size, pricing grids, amortization schedules, Barclays commitment amount, and for Agented deals, other lenders’ commitments.

·         Review and approve the initial wires out of the bank for the closing of a new deal or amendment.

·         Validate all borrowing notices, incumbency certificates, funds flows, perform wire call-backs to fund

·         Verifying the work of teams for NFAs and entries in ACBS/E-Serve/GBS, investigating and resolving complex cash breaks, position breaks and escalating to senior management where appropriate

·         Agency roles will require strong client servicing skills and ability to communicate effectively with CFOs, treasury managers, controllers, etc.

·          Provide ‘best in class’ customer service (internal and external).

Stakeholder Management and Leadership

The BDM/FCTAVP will be managing many stakeholders including the front office coverage team, the external client which is our Borrower, as well as Global Lending Group, Asset Based Lending Team, Credit Risk and Legal. This person needs to have strong interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate clearly and efficiently across multiple teams from multiple countries. The person should have experience with leadership roles and accountabilities, as they will be expected to be highly autonomous to move the loan product through the various stages to execution.

Decision-making and Problem Solving

This position requires strong judgement and analytical skills, as these revolving credit facilities, term loans and letters of credit can be quite complex. Knowledge of the loan product and arena are imperative, as well as the legal review of credit agreements. Decisions will need to be made on whether language is acceptable to Barclays and the BDM/USFCT role will make this call and negotiate as necessary.

Risk and Control Objective

Ensure that all activities and duties are carried out in full compliance with regulatory requirements, Enterprise Wide Risk Management Framework and internal Barclays Policies and Policy Standards.

Person Specification

Essential Skills/Basic Qualifications:

Basic Qualifications: 

·         Bachelor’s Degree

·         5+ years of experience in loan operations

·         5+ years of banking/finance industry experience

·         Capability to review and understand loan documentation and lending transactions

·         Strong interpersonal skills, written and verbal communication

·         Team player with a strong work ethic and attention to detail

·         Proficient in using Microsoft Office applications

·         Working knowledge of primary lending systems: ACBS, ClearPar, WSO, Loan IQ, SyndTrak, Intralinks, DebtDomain, payments systems GBS,

Desirable skills/Preferred Qualifications:

·         Ability to review legal loan documentation and ensure it meets operational ABL requirements for agented and participation transactions

·         The role requires a high level of attention to detail and interpersonal skills demonstrated by good oral and written communication. The successful candidate will be a team player who is friendly and confident when dealing with colleagues and third parties. The nature of the job requires the applicant to work to tight deadlines and be able to respond immediately to urgent requests.

·         Capability to review and understand loan documentation, the Letter of credit product and lending transaction

·         Ability to work very independently and take full ownership of defined tasks

·         Strong interpersonal skills, written and verbal communication

·         Team player with a strong work ethic and attention to detail

·         Proficient in using Microsoft Office applications

·         Experience in the lending process and ability to network effectively both internally and externally, and maintain/develop relationships with all stakeholders

·         Very high level of initiative and self-motivation,

·         Solid understanding of loan documentation and closing process

·         Aptitude to learn new software / applications

·         Keen risk awareness, ability to understand, identify and discuss risks associated with transactions they cover

·         Solid interest and knowledge in the loan market and financial terms