The EIB, the European Union’s bank, is seeking to recruit for its Portfolio Management and Monitoring Directorate (PMM), Counterparty Management Department (CM) at its headquarters in Luxembourg, (Associate) Portfolio Management Officers*.

These are full time positions at grade 4/5 for which the EIB offers a permanent contract.

*internal benchmark: (Associate) Financial Monitoring Officer

Panel interviews are anticipated for mid January 2024.

Purpose

As part of the Bank’s First Line of Defence, the Portfolio Management & Monitoring (PMM) Directorate monitors counterparts and financial contracts and acts on contractual events under its responsibility, as well as on distressed transactions in order to protect the EIB’s financial interest and reputation.
PMM/CM is the Department responsible for the monitoring of financial institutions, corporates, public sector entities and sub-sovereign authorities across all countries, both inside and outside the EU. The Department is structured around Divisions (composed of several Units), and covers three asset classes (CORPORATES, FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS inside and outside the EU, and PUBLIC SECTOR inside and outside the EU). The Department also plays an active role in the disbursement process of lending operations (excluding the first disbursement).
To be noted that under the Three Line of Defence structure, PMM will have a First Line role, together with the Operations Directorate, and will be in charge of handling all the existing business after the first disbursement.
You will be assigned to a specific monitoring Division and Unit, covering a specific asset class/region/sector. The allocation process will be, to the extent possible, aligned to the profile, competencies, and interest of each candidate.

Operating Network

Under the supervision of the Head of Division/Head of Unit and under the mentorship of senior colleagues you will:

• Carry out a regular monitoring of a portfolio of signed EIB lending operations, in order to contribute to an understanding of EIB exposure to risks and to identify breaches or contractual events.
• Propose event resolutions for standard and complex post-signature events, thereby ensuring the stability and solidity of the Bank’s portfolio of outstanding loans.
• Play an active role in the disbursement process of the Bank (excluding the first disbursement).
• Cooperate closely with other Directorates across the Bank, with other Divisions in PMM, and with PMM staff located in external offices as the case may be.
• Have external contact with counterparts, other transaction stakeholders, co-lenders, agents, shareholders, borrowers, sponsors, and sector experts.

More specifically, per Asset Class:

1. CORPORATES

The selected candidate will carry out the regular monitoring of a portfolio of corporate counterparts in EU countries as well as in non-EU countries. Solid corporate credit / financial analysis skills and strong understanding of the fundamentals of corporate analysis and the economic environment is required.
Sector knowledge in one or several of the following sectors would be an advantage: infrastructure, energy, transport (air, maritime, road), telecom, investment goods, construction and building materials, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, automotive and aerospace, agriculture, consumer goods and retail.
Ability to negotiate in Polish would be considered a strong advantage.

2. FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

The selected candidate will carry out the regular monitoring of a portfolio of banking counterparts to be assigned in the Western Europe and Nordics (WEN) Unit, encompassing Spain, Portugal, France, Benelux, and Nordics or (ii) the outside EU Unit (developing countries).

Interest and experience in one or more of the financial sectors covered by the geographical scope of the WEN Unit or the outside EU Unit would be an advantage.
Solid knowledge of a language relevant to those geographies, especially French, Spanish or Portuguese, would be a strong asset.

3. PUBLIC SECTOR

The selected candidate will carry out the regular monitoring of a portfolio of Local Governments and Public Sector Entities in EU countries or in non-EU countries (developing countries).
The ability to identify the main risks connected to the specific socio-economic environments and the understanding of the regulatory framework in which such entities operate are key for the performance of the duties connected to the position.
In Non-EU countries, the selected candidate will follow very closely projects’ implementation, also through regular monitoring missions with colleagues from the technical Projects Directorate (Engineers and Economists), and will be, after the first disbursement, the projects’ main point of contact.
For monitoring activities in EU countries, solid knowledge of French and Dutch would be considered a strong advantage.

Accountabilities

Under the close supervision of the Head of Unit, and under the mentorship of senior colleagues, when necessary, you will work on several tasks in parallel and within well-defined deadlines.
Depending on the seniority of the selected candidate, the responsibilities will be as follows:

• Carry out, according to an agreed programme, reviews of counterparts, assess their credit standing, and propose internal counterpart ratings and climate ratings.
• Propose solutions/remedies to contractual breaches or other requests from EIB counterparts and participate in their implementation, working with colleagues in other EIB Directorates and with external co-financiers as appropriate.
• Monitor the contracts of these counterparts, review the guarantees in place, if required, and check the counterparts’ compliance with the protective clauses included in the loan documentation.
• Handle client contact, including organising and participating in site visits to facilitate the monitoring and event resolution activities.
• For NEU, coordinate and contribute to annual Project Monitoring Reports based on an established working programme and deadlines.
• Perform ad hoc reviews, if necessary, in response to external market events to ensure that the Bank’s response is timely and appropriate.
• Perform regular or ad hoc KYC due diligences and tax integrity checks.
• Participate in the subsequent disbursements in coordination with the Disbursement Analyst and promote utilization of the signed loans.
• Collaborate and coordinate activities with other parts of the Bank, in particular with the other Divisions in PMM, to ensure alignment and proper implementation of procedures across the Bank.
• Perform regular checks on Early Warning Signals, providing update of comments, outlook and additional information in view or regular impairment testing.
• Contribute to the Division’s regular reports, in particular Early Warning/Non-Performing Entities’ reports to ensure proper views on EIB’s portfolio and the risks it entails.
• Participate in horizontal tasks in topics of common interest across PMM or other Directorates.
• Contribute to a sustained flow of information internally in the team and offer support/back-up to other colleagues.

Qualifications

• University degree (minimum an equivalent to a Bachelor), preferably in Business Administration, Finance or Economics, and ideally supplemented by post – graduate studies
• At least 3 years of relevant professional experience for the Associate role including a solid track record in lending to the Public Sector and/or Corporates and/or Financial Institutions, from a structuring, origination, negotiation, credit, or transaction monitoring perspective.
• Proficiency in MS Office Tools (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint). Any knowledge of computer programming will be an advantage.
• Excellent numerical skills.
• Strong financial analysis and credit rating skills, specific on the job training can be provided for all asset classes.
• Understanding of the EIB mission and activities as well as the operating and political framework in which the Bank operates.
• Excellent knowledge of English and/or French (*) with a good command of the other. Knowledge of other EU languages would be an advantage (please refer to the paragraph for each asset class).

Competencies

Find out more about EIB core competencies here

(*) Unless stated explicitly as a required qualification, a good command of French is not a pre-requisite for hire. As both English and French are however official working languages of the EIB, proficiency in both languages is a pre-requisite for your future career development. Any language clause in your contract must be fulfilled in order for you to be eligible for a promotion (either via the annual appraisal cycle or via an internal selection process). Proficiency is understood to mean the attainment of level 5 of the Inter Institutional language courses, corresponding to B1.2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL). The Bank offers appropriate training support.

“We are an equal opportunities employer, who believes that diversity is good for our people and our business. We encourage all suitably qualified and eligible candidates to apply regardless of their gender identity/expression, age, racial, ethnic and cultural background, religion and beliefs, sexual orientation/identity, disability or neurodiversity.

Applicants with specific needs are encouraged to request reasonable accommodations at any stage during the recruitment process. Please contact the EIB Recruitment team [email protected] who will ensure that your request is handled.”

By applying for this position, you acknowledge the importance of maintaining the security and integrity of the Information of the EIB Group. In case of selection for the position you agree to comply with all measures (policies, controls, document classification and management) implemented by the EIB Group to prevent unauthorised disclosure of any information or any damage to the EIB Group reputation.

Deadline for applications: 10^th November 2023

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