Associate Director - Sector Agricultural Team

Business Unit:  Group Commercial – Business Network
Salary range: £39,600 - £59,400 per annum DOE + red hot benefits 
Location:  Sector Agriculture Team – Scotland

Take control of your career. Live a life more Virgin.

Our Team

We’re at our best when we have something to drive us forward, a belief that underlines who we are and what we do. Our Purpose. We want to make people happier about money – and that idea starts with every single one of us here at Virgin Money. Feeling Insatiably Curious about your next adventure? You might have just found it.

Exciting opportunities exist within our Sector Agricultural Team Scotland right now.  Our Sector Agri team supports larger farming businesses across the UK and is looking to continue to grow its lending in the coming years. If you're passionate and ambitious about playing a key role in helping shape and grow our business, then please read on.

What you’ll be doing

• Be a key member of the Scotland Agri Sector team primarily accountable for assisting our Agri Business Managers / Snr Director supporting customers and our business growth.
• Assist in the relationship management and sourcing of high-quality customers and strengthening the brand visibility in the local and regional marketplace whilst developing and expanding your own network of internal and external contacts.
• Work with the Sector Agri Business Managers / Snr Director, evaluating and generating opportunities with existing and new customers and assist in the conversion thereof from initial meetings through to completion of new transactions including analysis of new business proposals and undertaking independent research on companies and sub-sectors.
• Prepare credit applications in respect of existing customers and new proposals, including the preparation and analysis of financial models.
• Instruct, complete and process internal and external documentation to ensure loan and security documentation is prepared and in order and due diligence is correctly scoped.
• Provide new to bank customers with a seamless on-boarding experience, working collaboratively with colleagues across the business to support Agri Business Managers / Snr Director in managing and monitoring the portfolio, ensuring compliance on all credit, operations, loan administration and other risk and administrative matters as necessary.
• Monitor ongoing compliance with the facility agreement and covenants, and ensuring that all pre-and post-deal housekeeping and internal compliance requirements are met.
• Liaise effectively with customers, various Agency functions and Credit in respect of existing customer reviews and consent requests.

We need you to have

• A passion for – and good knowledge of – supporting larger businesses and delivering outstanding customer service.
• Excellent qualitative and quantitative analytical skills (including Excel financial modelling skills) with an ability to understand and interpret financial statements and due diligence reports.
• Knowledge of lending and securities policy and procedures.
• Understanding of risk and compliance requirements in line with the role.
• Strong organisational, relationship and project management skills to deliver excellent levels of customer service, high standards of work and outstanding attention to detail.
• Capacity to cope with complex situations, tight deadlines and to have a flexible approach to challenges and problem solving.
• Good interpersonal skills and written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to assimilate, understand and efficiently present information to various stakeholders to produce effective lending outcomes.
• Experience of engaging with the local professional community.
• Be a strong team player.

It’s a bonus if you have but not essential

• A relevant vocational qualification is desirable, but not mandatory.
• Knowledge of systems and processes in a business banking/ financial services environment.
• Knowledge and empathy with the farming sector.

Red Hot Rewards

• Generous holidays - 38.5 days annual leave (including bank holidays and prorated if part-time)​ plus the option to buy more.
• Up to five extra paid well-being days per year​. 
• 20 weeks paid, gender-neutral family leave (52 weeks in total) for expectant parents and those looking to adopt. 
• Market-leading pension.
• Free private medical cover, income protection and life assurance.
• Flexible benefits include Cycle to Work, wellness and health assessments, and critical illness. 

And there's no waiting around, you'll enjoy these benefits from day one.

Feeling insatiably curious about this role? If we’re lucky to receive a lot of interest, we may close the advert early and would hate you to miss out.

We're all about helping you Live a Life More Virgin, so happy to talk flexible working with you.

Say hello to Virgin Money
We’re making great strides towards achieving our ambition of becoming the UK’s best digital bank.  As a full-service digital bank with a heritage stretching back over 180 years, we’re a workforce to be reckoned with, and we're putting the full power of our experience behind disruptive ideas that reinvent the role a bank plays in people's lives. We're customer-obsessed and work tirelessly to deliver on our purpose, ‘Making You Happier About Money.’ This means we're able to do banking differently, and by innovating and working together we can make a real difference by creating memorable moments and red-hot experiences for our millions of customers. Join us and Live a Life More Virgin that empowers you with choice and flexibility in how you work. 

Be yourself at Virgin Money
Our purpose is to make people happier about money, this means seeing and feeling the world as our customers do by creating a workforce that reflects the rich diversity of our customers and communities.  We’re committed to creating an inclusive culture where colleagues feel safe and inspired to contribute, speak up and be heard.  

As a Disability Confident Leader, we're committed to removing any obstacles to inclusion.  If you need any reasonable adjustments or support making your application, contact our Talent Acquisition team careers@virginmoney.com

It’s important to note that there may be occasions where it’s not possible to interview all candidates declaring a disability who meet the essential criteria for the job. In certain recruitment situations such as receiving a high-volume of applications, we may need to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled and non-disabled applicants. 

Now the legal bit
Living A Life More Virgin allows our colleagues to be based anywhere in the UK (if the role allows it), but we'll need you to confirm you have the right to work in the UK.

If you're successful in securing a role with us, there are some checks you need to complete before starting. These include credit and criminal record checks and three years' worth of satisfactory references. If the role is part of the Senior Manager Regime and Certification Regime, it requires enhanced pre-employment checks – we'll ask for six years of regulatory references, and once in the role, you'll be subject to periodic employment checks.