Trade Finance & Operations Manager

Job Purpose

• The Trade Finance & Operations Manager will serve as the primary custodian of all trade finance activities, banking relationships, and treasury operations
• The role demands a highly experienced finance professional capable of managing end-to-end import/export documentation, FX execution, royalty payments, and cash & investment management, while leading a team of six and supporting strategic financial planning and reporting.

Key Responsibilities

Trade Finance & Banking

• Manage the full lifecycle of Letters of Credit (LCs) issuance, amendment, presentation, and settlement — in coordination with issuing and confirming banks.
• Oversee Bills for Collection (BCs) for both import and export transactions, ensuring timely document handling and compliance

FX & Royalty Payments

• Execute FX purchases from banks, obtaining competitive rates and managing FX exposure in line with company policy.
• Process royalty payments to parent/affiliated companies in compliance with CBN regulations and applicable tax treaties.
• Monitor FX market trends and advise treasury management on optimal timing and hedging strategies.

Cash & Investment Management

• Oversee daily cash positioning, ensuring adequate liquidity across all Naira and foreign currency accounts.
• Manage short-term investment placements (T-bills, money market instruments) to optimise returns on surplus cash.
• Monitor and report on overall financing costs, including interest expense, bank charges, and FX transaction costs.

Forecasting, Budgeting & Financial Reporting

• Prepare treasury management reports, variance analyses, and commentary for the Finance Director and group reporting.

Debt Management

• Track financial covenant compliance (leverage ratios, interest cover, DSCR) and prepare compliance certificates for submission to lender banks.
• Prepare monthly debt management reports covering outstanding balances, financing costs, covenant status, and upcoming maturities for Finance Director review.

Qualifications and Experience

• Full ICAN membership (mandatory requirement).
• 7 - 10 years of progressive experience in trade finance, treasury operations, or corporate banking.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience with LCs, Bills for Collection, FX management, debt management, and bank liaison in a large corporate or FMCG environment.
• Proficiency in SAP — particularly FI/CO, Treasury & Risk Management (TRM), and AP/AR modules — for transaction processing, reporting, and month-end closing.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills including financial modelling, pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, and dashboard/reporting templates for treasury and debt tracking.