Relationship Director- International Corporates

Barclays; Frankfurt; On-site; EUR 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Barclays in Frankfurt is seeking a Vice President to lead high-impact client relationships with European corporates, focusing on complex financing, risk management and regulatory compliance. The role requires in-depth knowledge of corporate and investment banking products and a track record of coordinating teams to ensure coverage and strong execution.

The successful candidate will demonstrate fluency in English and German, plus a proactive approach to risk, governance, and client-centric

Qualifications

• Excellent communication and presentation in English and German.
• Credit risk management expertise with mandatory risk accreditation within 12 months.
• Experience coordinating junior colleagues to ensure coverage and efficient capacity utilisation.
• Experience with highly regulated financial institutions, risk controls, governance and KYC processes.
• Strong knowledge of corporate and investing banking products, services and policies.

Responsibilities

• Manage client relationships and identify financial goals, risks and opportunities for service expansion.
• Research client industries, regulatory landscape and competition to inform strategic recommendations.
• Design customised solutions using bank products to meet client objectives.
• Communicate value propositions, justify recommendations and negotiate terms favorable to client and bank.
• Provide guidance on investments, risk management and wealth strategies; keep clients informed on market trends.

Skills

English language

German language

Credit risk management

KYC controls

Client relationship management

Regulatory knowledge

Communication and presentation

Staffing / team coordination

Tools

Salesforce

Refinitiv

Job description

To Be Successful In This Role You Will Have

• Extensive client coverage experience, with a preference given to experience covering European headquartered large corporates with EUR 500m turnover and above and complex financing requirements
• Strong technical knowledge including financial statement analysis, credit analysis, and experience in loan/trade origination and deal execution.
• Strong knowledge of corporate and investing banking products, services and policies.
• Experience with highly regulated financial institutions, an appreciation for and sensitivity to risk, controls and governance as well as market conduct standards; ability to maintain control over KYC processes and their high quality and in-time completion
• Excellent communication and presentation skills in English and German.
• Credit risk management expertise – requirement to complete risk accreditation within 12 months of being in role, plus any other targeted learning or annual accreditations, and application of the skills to a high level on a daily basis and proactively; ability to work and build trust with senior credit risk officers to originate sub-investment grade transactions
• Previous experience in coordinating the activities of junior colleagues ("staffing") to ensure adequate coverage of client management tasks and efficient capacity utilisation across the team
• Personal interest in business news, geopolitical and macroeconomic developments worldwide and ability to understand implications for their own client portfolio from an opportunity and risk perspective
• The job holder will be required to undertake a significant number of visits to customers at their own premises requiring a high degree of mobility. The role is Frankfurt based and the successful candidate must adhere to in office requirements (four days minimum on site per week).

Desirable Skills Include

• Good awareness of Corporate & Investment Banking profit drivers (income, RWAs, pricing, credit grading, etc.)
• Understanding of risks associated with Global Treasury products, specifically payments, trade finance, working capital, FX, Interest Rates and the global landscape
• Familiarity with enhanced credit risk management and deal structuring in LBO context
• Understanding of competitive landscape in corporate and investment banking in DACH region
• Understanding of systems and processes, including GPT, Salesforce, Refinitiv etc.

This role is based in Frankfurt.

You may be assessed on the key critical skills relevant for success in role, such as risk and controls, change and transformation, business acumen, strategic thinking and digital and technology, as well as job-specific technical skills.

This role is deemed as a Controlled Function role under the Central Bank of Ireland Fitness and Probity Regulations and may require the role holder to hold mandatory regulatory qualifications or the minimum qualifications to meet internal company benchmarks.

Purpose of the role

To establish and nurture profitable partnerships with both corporate and individual clients. It's the bridge between the bank's offerings and clients' needs, ensuring mutual benefit and long-term success.

Accountabilities

• Management of client relationships to identify the clients financial goals, challenges, and risk tolerance to support the analysis of data obtained from various sources, including the investment portfolio and cash flow, to identify trends, insights, areas for improvement and additional services to support client needs.
• Research and understanding of the client's industry trends, regulatory landscape, and competitive environment to inform strategic recommendations.
• Design of customised solutions that address the client's specific needs and objectives, incorporating a range of products and services from the bank's portfolio.
• Communication of the value proposition of proposed solutions, justification of recommendations, and negotiation of terms that are beneficial for both the client and the bank.
• Provision of guidance to clients to support their financial decisions, offering expert investment advice, risk management and wealth management strategies support, and updates on market trends to ensure a positive and continuous relationship.
• Assessment of financial, legal, and operational risks associated with client relationships, and implementation of measures to minimise potential losses.
• Documentation of all client interactions, transactions, and agreements to ensure transparency and auditability, and communicate findings effectively to support product development, service offerings, and the overall bank strategy.
• Monitoring of client satisfaction, revenue generated, and other relevant metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of relationship management efforts.

Vice President Expectations

• To contribute or set strategy, drive requirements and make recommendations for change. Plan resources, budgets, and policies; manage and maintain policies/ processes; deliver continuous improvements and elevate breaches of policies/procedures..
• If managing a team, they define jobs and responsibilities, planning for the department’s future needs and operations, counselling employees on performance and contributing to employee pay decisions/changes. They may also lead a number of specialists to influence the operations of a department, in alignment with strategic as well as tactical priorities, while balancing short and long term goals and ensuring that budgets and schedules meet corporate requirements..
• If the position has leadership responsibilities, People Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviours to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L – Listen and be authentic, E – Energise and inspire, A – Align across the enterprise, D – Develop others..
• OR for an individual contributor, they will be a subject matter expert within own discipline and will guide technical direction. They will lead collaborative, multi-year assignments and guide team members through structured assignments, identify the need for the inclusion of other areas of specialisation to complete assignments. They will train, guide and coach less experienced specialists and provide information affecting long term profits, organisational risks and strategic decisions..
• Advise key stakeholders, including functional leadership teams and senior management on functional and cross functional areas of impact and alignment.
• Manage and mitigate risks through assessment, in support of the control and governance agenda.
• Demonstrate leadership and accountability for managing risk and strengthening controls in relation to the work your team does.
• Demonstrate comprehensive understanding of the organisation functions to contribute to achieving the goals of the business.
• Collaborate with other areas of work, for business aligned support areas to keep up to speed with business activity and the business strategies.
• Create solutions based on sophisticated analytical thought comparing and selecting complex alternatives. In-depth analysis with interpretative thinking will be required to define problems and develop innovative solutions.
• Adopt and include the outcomes of extensive research in problem solving processes.
• Seek out, build and maintain trusting relationships and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders in order to accomplish key business objectives, using influencing and negotiating skills to achieve outcomes.

All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.