Job Title:                   Head of Trade Sales – UK

Industry:                    Banking

Location:                     United Kingdom

Salary:                       Competitive Salary + Other Benefits

Role Overview

An international financial institution is seeking an experienced and commercially driven Head of Trade Sales to lead its trade finance growth strategy across key client segments and international trade corridors.

The successful candidate will be responsible for driving revenue growth through the origination, structuring and execution of trade finance solutions, while strengthening client relationships and enhancing the institution’s market presence across cross-border trade ecosystems.

This role requires strong leadership capability, deep technical expertise in trade finance products, and the ability to work collaboratively across Coverage, Treasury, Credit Risk, Operations, Compliance and Legal functions to deliver sustainable business growth within established risk parameters.

Key Responsibilities

Trade Finance Origination & Revenue Growth

• Lead the sourcing, structuring and execution of trade finance transactions across priority sectors and international markets.
• Originate and manage opportunities across documentary trade, guarantees, supply chain finance, receivables finance and structured trade solutions.
• Build and deepen relationships with corporates, financial institutions, exporters, importers and commodity-focused businesses.
• Work closely with Relationship Management teams to identify client needs and deliver tailored working capital and trade solutions.
• Maintain a disciplined transaction pipeline with clear deal progression and timely execution.
• Coordinate internal stakeholders including Credit, Legal, Operations, Treasury and Compliance to facilitate approvals and transaction delivery.

Trade Sales Strategy & Market Expansion

• Develop and implement the institution’s trade sales strategy aligned to commercial objectives and risk appetite.
• Identify priority trade corridors, growth sectors and emerging opportunities across international markets.
• Drive market penetration initiatives and product development strategies to enhance competitiveness and client experience.
• Support balance sheet optimisation through transaction structuring, risk distribution and participation strategies where appropriate.
• Establish robust management information reporting covering pipeline activity, profitability, portfolio trends and performance metrics.
• Contribute to strategic business initiatives and represent the trade business in relevant internal governance forums.

Client Advisory & Relationship Management

• Act as a trusted advisor to clients on trade finance structures, market practices and transaction solutions.
• Lead client presentations, commercial negotiations and solution discussions with senior stakeholders.
• Build strong relationships with partner banks, insurers, development finance institutions and trade ecosystem participants.
• Promote high standards of client service delivery through proactive communication and efficient issue resolution.

Risk, Governance & Compliance

• Operate as first line of defence across all trade-related activities.
• Ensure adherence to internal credit policies, product governance standards and regulatory requirements.
• Maintain strong oversight of KYC, AML, sanctions and financial crime controls in partnership with Compliance teams.
• Monitor portfolio and transaction-level risks including country, counterparty, tenor and concentration exposures.
• Ensure all approvals, documentation and transaction conditions are completed to required standards prior to execution.
• Promote a strong risk culture and support remediation of audit and compliance findings where required.

Stakeholder Engagement

Internal Stakeholders

• Corporate & Institutional Banking
• Relationship Management / Coverage Teams
• Treasury & Markets
• Credit Risk
• Trade Operations
• Legal
• Compliance & Financial Crime
• Finance
• Risk & Controls

External Stakeholders

• Corporate Clients
• Financial Institutions
• Commodity Traders
• Exporters & Importers
• Correspondent Banks
• Insurers & DFIs
• Trade Finance Market Participants

Leadership Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor and develop a high-performing trade sales team.
• Establish clear objectives, accountability frameworks and performance expectations.
• Provide technical guidance and transaction support to team members.
• Drive capability development, succession planning and cross-functional collaboration.

Candidate Profile

Skills & Capabilities

• Strong business development and sales leadership capability within trade finance or transaction banking.
• Proven ability to originate and close complex cross-border trade transactions.
• Excellent relationship management and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Strong commercial judgement with understanding of pricing, risk and portfolio optimisation.
• High levels of integrity, control awareness and regulatory understanding.
• Strong analytical, communication and presentation skills.
• Collaborative leadership style with ability to work across multicultural environments.

Technical Knowledge

• Deep understanding of trade finance products and transaction structures including:
  • Letters of Credit
  • Guarantees & Standby LCs
  • Collections
  • Supply Chain Finance
  • Receivables Finance
  • Risk Participation Structures
• Strong knowledge of international trade rules and market practice including:
  • UCP 600
  • ISP98
  • URDG 758
  • Incoterms
  • Documentary trade workflows
• Good understanding of:
  • Credit Risk
  • Country & Counterparty Risk
  • Operational Risk
  • AML / Sanctions Compliance
  • Correspondent Banking Risk

Experience

• Significant experience within trade finance sales, structuring or transaction banking roles.
• Proven track record of revenue generation and client acquisition.
• Prior leadership experience managing teams and delivering results through others.
• Experience working within a regulated banking or financial services environment.
• Exposure to African and international trade corridors is advantageous.
• Experience in trade asset distribution or risk sharing programmes would be beneficial.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Business or related discipline.
• MBA or postgraduate qualification is advantageous.
• Professional trade finance certifications such as CDCS or CSDG are desirable.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office and CRM/pipeline management tools.

Professional Standards

The successful candidate will be expected to:

• Adhere to all internal policies and governance standards.
• Maintain strict confidentiality and information security standards.
• Operate with professionalism, integrity and strong ethical conduct at all times.
• Comply with all applicable regulatory and compliance requirements.