Senior Credit Analyst at Talented Recruitment Specialists

• A well-established company based in Melrose is seeking an astute, analytical, and commercially minded Senior Credit Analyst to join their team.
• This is an excellent opportunity for a finance professional skilled in evaluating risk, making sound lending decisions, and supporting quality credit outcomes in a dynamic environment.

Key responsibilities:

• Assess new and existing clients, including the company, directors, shareholders, related entities and sureties.
• Go through financial statements, management accounts, bank statements, tax records, debtor and creditor lists, asset registers, contracts, cashflows and existing debt.
• Look at profitability, liquidity, debt levels, working capital and whether cash flow is steady.
• Work out whether the client can afford the new facility on top of what they already owe.
• Take note of arrears, returned debit orders, bad credit records, tax debt, too much debt and other signs of trouble.
• Conduct stress testing to assess the client’s ability to withstand adverse financial scenarios, including declining sales, increased operating costs and delayed customer payments.
• Evaluate industry dynamics, key customer relationships, contractual obligations, management capabilities and trading history to determine the overall risk profile.
• Identify discrepancies, unusual transactions, inconsistencies or potentially misleading information within financial records and supporting documentation.
• Exercise independent judgement in assessing client creditworthiness and risk, ensuring that recommendations are based on a thorough, objective analysis of available information rather than relying solely on input from the marketing team.

Deal evaluation and structuring:

• Evaluate deals in construction, mining, transport, agriculture, aviation, power generation and other approved sectors.
• Check whether the deal works commercially, whether it is asset finance, rental or rent-to-own.
• Recommend deposits, terms, instalments, interest rates, fees, balloons and security.
• Check that the instalment is affordable for the client's cash flow.
• Check that supplier quotes, purchase prices, valuations, expected rental income and resale values are reasonable.
• Consider VAT, costs, commissions, funding costs and likely recovery costs when working out profit.
• Recommend ways to reduce risk, like bigger deposits, sureties, cessions of receivables, insurance and other enforceable security.
• Evaluate whether the anticipated returns justify the associated risks, investment term and capital commitment.
• Challenge proposed instalments, deposits, repayment terms and residual values where they do not adequately mitigate the company’s financial risk.
• Suggest other ways to structure a deal so it can still work within the risk appetite.
• Escalate deals that look good commercially but have a credit structure we can't accept.

Asset and security evaluation:

• Look at the asset itself: market value, condition, age, hours, specs and remaining life.
• Check that the asset suits the deal and that its value supports the amount we are funding.
• Know the difference between market value, orderly sale value and what we would really get in a forced sale.
• Consider how easy it is to resell specialised equipment like heavy construction, and mining machinery, aircraft etc.
• Take into account hours, maintenance history, obsolescence, location, transport costs, refurbishment and export restrictions.
• Check the supplier or dealer, and make sure descriptions, serial numbers, ownership details and quotes all match.
• Look out for existing liens, ownership disputes, double financing, insurance gaps and security we might not be able to enforce.
• Work with the Technical Manager or outside inspectors when we need an inspection, valuation or condition report.
• Ask for more collateral or lower our exposure when the value is uncertain or recovery looks weak.
• Always consider both whether the client can pay and what we would get back if they can't.

Credit reports and recommendations:

• Write clear, accurate credit reports for the approving authority or credit committee.
• Cover the deal, the client, financial performance, ability to pay, security, profitability and risks.
• Keep verified facts, what management told us, assumptions and open questions separate.
• Clearly communicate key risks and concerns in the main assessment, rather than relying solely on supporting schedules.
• Make a clear recommendation: approve, decline, defer or ask for more information.
• If recommending approval, state the terms, conditions precedent, security and any monitoring needed.
• Show a way to reduce each major risk and be honest about what risk is left.
• Review the junior analysts' reports and send back anything incomplete, wrong or poorly motivated.
• Present and defend recommendations at credit meetings and answer management's questions.
• Keep a record of approval conditions, policy exceptions, outstanding items and why we made the recommendation.

Independent judgement and challenging risk:

• Stay independent of sales pressure.
• Challenge forecasts that are too optimistic, revenue that isn't supported and customer contracts that haven't been verified.
• Question deals that look unaffordable, over-geared or reliant on uncertain future cash flow.
• Be more careful where the client's finances, industry or security call for it.
• Give marketers feedback on what is weak in their applications and what we need from them.
• Recommend a decline when the risk can't be reduced, no matter how attractive the deal looks.
• Escalate major risks, suspected misrepresentation, unusual related-party arrangements and conflicts of interest.
• Distinguish between applications requiring further information and those that do not meet the company’s risk appetite or lending criteria
• Make sure policy exceptions are motivated, documented and sent to the right authority.

Quality control and technical review:

• Be the first technical reviewer of the junior analysts' submissions, where delegated.
• Check that calculations, debt schedules, cash flow, affordability and terms are correct.
• Make sure all the material risks have been picked up and dealt with.
• Set consistent standards for credit reports, analysis, supporting documents and recommendations.
• Spot the same mistakes coming up in applications and give Sales feedback so they improve.
• Flag incomplete applications and follow up until the missing information is in.
• Review complex or high-value deals and help the juniors with the technical side.
• Apply credit policy the same way across analysts, business units and deal types.
• Look for ways to turn deals around faster without lowering quality.

Due diligence, compliance and documentation:

• Make sure the required checks on the client, directors, shareholders and related entities are done, as policy and the law require.
• Check that the financial information and supporting documents are complete, consistent and reliable.
• Make sure FICA, NCR and any other regulatory requirements are covered for the product, entity and deal.
• Escalate bad findings, compliance concerns, possible fraud and big discrepancies.
• Make sure the credit recommendation lists the security documents, sureties, cessions, waivers and insurance we need.
• Work with Legal and Operations so the approved conditions end up in the deal documents.
• Make sure conditions are met, or formally waived by the right person, before payout.
• Keep full records of assessments, documents, approvals and exceptions for audit and future reference.

Portfolio monitoring and early warning:

• Keep an eye on how the loan and rental book is performing, together with Finance, Collections and Operations.
• Review arrears, missed instalments, returned debit orders, broken payment arrangements and other signs a client is slipping.
• Pick out clients whose finances, trading conditions or payment behaviour point to a higher chance of default.
• Reassess our exposure when a client is in trouble, loses a key contract, takes on a lot of new debt or can't repay as well as before.
• Recommend what to do, such as closer monitoring, more security, new payment arrangements, restructuring or recovery action.
• Judge restructures on their merits. Will it really get us paid, or just delay a loss we can't avoid?
• Help assess impaired exposures, potential losses and recovery prospects when needed.
• Give Credit and Operations management clear reports on new risks and portfolio concerns.
• Look at repeat arrears and defaults to see where the original assessment, deal structure or monitoring fell short.

Credit process and Monday.com or CRM system:

• Keep credit records on Monday.com accurate and up to date.
• Make sure every application has a status, an owner, a next step and a list of what is outstanding.
• Track each deal from credit submission through assessment, approval, conditions and handover for payout.
• Record important discussions, decisions, outstanding items and conditions on the deal record.
• Watch how long applications sit at each stage and see whether the delay is with Credit, Sales, the client, Legal or someone else.
• Keep track of the pipeline, pending approvals, declined deals and deals waiting on conditions.
• Escalate stalled applications and repeat bottlenecks to the right manager.
• Help report on turnaround times, approval rates, how many deals reach payout and why deals are declined or withdrawn.
• Make sure credit files are complete enough for handover, audit, portfolio reviews and recoveries.

Mentoring junior analysts:

• Guide and support the junior credit analysts.
• Review their work and explain where their analysis, risk identification, deal structuring or report writing falls short.
• Teach them how to assess cash flow, affordability, asset values, security and whether a deal makes sense commercially.
• Encourage them to think for themselves and find the risks, not just collect information.
• Build working papers, checklists, report templates and assessment standards.
• Spot skills gaps and recommend training.
• Get them to own their assessments and back up their recommendations with evidence.
• Hold them accountable for accuracy, completeness, turnaround times and the quality of their recommendations.

Continuous improvement and management reporting:

• Look for ways to improve credit policies, procedures, assessment templates and reporting tools.
• Study approval rates, declines, defaults, recoveries and deal performance to spot trends.
• Show management the quality of the pipeline and why deals don't turn into funded deals.
• Help develop assessment criteria for mining, construction, transport, aviation and other approved industries.
• Recommend changes to risk appetite or assessment requirements based on how the portfolio performs, subject to management approval.
• Keep track of changes in the economy, interest rates, industry risks, equipment markets and client trading conditions.
• Support management's efforts to improve credit quality, turnaround times, profitability and efficiency.
• Take part in credit meetings and offer practical solutions to recurring problems.

Requirements:

• At least 5 years' experience in credit analysis, including the assessment of complex commercial transactions.
• A relevant qualification in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Risk Management or a related field.
• Strong financial analysis capabilities, including the interpretation of annual financial statements, management accounts, bank statements, cash flows, debt schedules and financial ratios.
• The ability to independently assess affordability, cash flow, existing debt, repayment capacity and the overall creditworthiness of businesses and their directors.
• Experience in asset-backed lending, equipment finance, security structures and the evaluation of asset values and recovery risks.
• Strong deal structuring capabilities, including the assessment of deposits, repayment terms, interest rates, residual values, fees, sureties and other security requirements.
• The ability to assess the commercial viability and profitability of transactions while ensuring that the return justifies the associated risk.
• Proven experience preparing comprehensive credit reports with clear recommendations, identifying key risks and proposing practical risk-mitigation measures.
• The confidence and independence to challenge assumptions, identify red flags and recommend declining transactions where the risk cannot be adequately mitigated.
• Experience reviewing credit applications and reports prepared by junior analysts, ensuring accuracy, consistency and compliance with internal credit standards.
• The ability to present and defend credit recommendations at credit committee meetings and engage constructively with management.
• Experience monitoring existing portfolios, identifying early warning signs, assessing arrears and potential defaults, and recommending appropriate interventions.
• A sound understanding of relevant compliance requirements, including FICA, applicable NCR requirements and internal credit policies.
• Advanced Excel skills and experience using credit workflow, CRM or pipeline management systems such as Monday.com.
• The ability to mentor junior analysts, improve credit processes and maintain high standards of credit assessment and reporting.

Key competencies:

• Independent, objective credit judgement
• Commercial awareness and financial sense
• Attention to detail and accuracy
• Spotting risks and challenging assumptions constructively
• Understanding of deal structuring and security
• Strong written and verbal communication
• Handling several deals and deadlines at once
• Integrity, and the willingness to say no to unsuitable deals
• Working well with Credit, Sales, Operations, Legal and Finance
• Coaching and mentoring
• Taking initiative to improve processes, and taking accountability