Credit Risk Quality Assurance Analyst

Company Description

Natixis in Portugal is fully integrated in the global organization of Natixis, a French multinational financial services firm specialized in Asset & Wealth Management, Corporate & Investment Banking, Insurance and Payments. A subsidiary of Groupe BPCE, Natixis counts nearly 16.000 employees across 38 countries.

Based in Porto, Natixis Centre of Expertise mission is to transform traditional banking by developing innovative solutions for the bank’s business, operations and work culture worldwide, as a key driver of the company’s culture of agility and innovation. Teams of IT and Banking Support Activities work in an integrated, inclusive and transversal way, supporting all the business lines and country platforms.

Natixis in Portugal is the best combination of a “start-up mindset” with a large, solid structure. Its unique culture gives true meaning to a “beyond banking” personality: to be a real entrepreneur, self-challenging, ever striving to excel and go that extra mile.

**Job Description**:
The Credit Risk Quality Assurance (“QA”) Analyst is part of the Credit Risk Monitoring team under Credit Risk Department management for the Americas. For day-to-day activities, the QA analyst works directly under the guidance of the “Surveillance” stream.

The QA process identifies deficiencies and discrepancies in sample files and enables continuous improvement via feedback provided to the first and second lines of defense.

**Essential duties and responsibilities**
- Acting as a risk and controls expert/liaison in a critical role on the QA Team
- Supporting the QA manager by enhancing risk assessment abilities and driving timely completion of QA reviews in accordance with local and global policies and procedures
- Assisting with sample selection methodologies (tiering), performing data analysis to identify inconsistencies and/or inaccuracies in documentation submitted.
- Assessing justification relevance within front office memos and risk opinions supporting probability of default ratings, regulatory ratings, and sources of repayment, all of them being indicator counterparty’s credit quality
- Validating collateral coverage calculations against internal base case and stress case scenarios, testing accuracy and substantiality of assumptions used.
- Building relationships with the credit analysts and business analysts to ensure that meaningful and value-added reviews and recommendations are being made, post QA.
- Communicating and escalating observations, drafting recommendations, and tracking progress of remediation plans with stakeholders.
- Participating in special projects as assigned, related to risk assessment, and enhancing assessment process.
- Contributing to the QA team's effort to confirm the effectiveness of action plans or controls implemented to address risk attributes identified through ongoing validation process.
- Keeping up with current best practices regarding credit risk management/internal auditing and participating in ongoing training to enhance his/her skill set.

**Qualifications**:

- Master's degree from finance/accounting/risk management related major
- 2+ years of experience in risk management, control functions and/or internal audit. Credit risk experience (a plus).
- Notions of different credit products
- Skills in risk assessment and data analytics, Financial statement analysis, Credit Risk Management knowledge, Enterprise/collateral valuation (mandatory)
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office: Excel (level 3), and PowerPoint (mandatory); PowerBI (a plus).
- Effective verbal and written communication skills
- Ability to solve problems, and to adapt to changing priorities

Additional Information

Early morning. Campo 24 de Agosto. In 4 minutes, you are clocking in at the office. After grabbing a cup of coffee and fresh fruit, pick up your laptop and choose your spot for the day. It's going to be a busy one: French class before lunch and, just after, quick medical appointment at Natixis doctor's office. Lunch break. Outside in the big terrace (look at your crops at the Urban Garden; ready to harvest) or, if you feel like stretching your legs, walk downtown to grab lunch.

Back inside. Quick sprint review (working together anywhere means virtual happy birthday to that colleague in Paris that just turned 35). The afternoon went flying (tasks, reports, calls, some jokes with your teammates). End it on a high note: just one PlayStation game or the final match for that ping-pong tournament.

Tomorrow, you complete that certified technical training and the day after, you will work from home, taking advantage to finally do that online course on Udemy. Once you are done with your tasks for the day, you can visit the office for a board games session or show up at the rehearsal of one of Natixis bands. If that is too steady for you, meet your colleagues to surf some waves or join them in a football match.