Corporate Banking Manager (Development considered) - Bedford

Handelsbanken; Bedford; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Handelsbanken Bedford is seeking a Corporate Banking Manager (Development considered) to lead the management and growth of a corporate client portfolio, driving profitable business through the bank’s products and services.

You will attract new customers through focused business development, develop relationships with professionals and introducers, and oversee end-to-end credit processes with financial analysis, lending proposals and risk assessments, ensuring high standards of service and

Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to originate and manage a broad corporate client base.

Responsibilities

• Develop and grow a portfolio of existing and new corporate customers through targeted business development.
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Skills

Business development

Portfolio management

Local market knowledge

Relationship building

Cross-selling

Financial analysis

Credit risk understanding

Stakeholder management

Attention to detail

Banking qualifications

Education

Professional banking qualifications

Job description

Job Introduction

Handelsbanken offers a genuinely different approach to banking. We are a local relationship bank providing bespoke, customer-led banking and wealth management services for personal and corporate customers.

Job Introduction

Handelsbanken offers a genuinely different approach to banking. We are a local relationship bank providing bespoke, customer-led banking and wealth management services for personal and corporate customers.

Our branch teams build trusted, long-term relationships with customers in their local communities. With our decentralised ways of working, decisions are made in the branch, close to the customers. Teams decide who they work with and how best to support them, without short-term sales targets or bonus-driven incentives. Instead, we focus on doing what is right for the customer, even when that means prioritising long-term value over short-term profit.

This approach has underpinned our success for decades. Today, Handelsbanken holds the strongest credit rating among its peer banks, is independently recognised as Europe’s safest commercial bank, and is consistently ranked highly for customer satisfaction and relationship banking,

Our culture is values-led, shaped by trust, respect, and long-term thinking. We empower our people to use their expertise, make confident decisions and build long-term careers. We look for people who share our long‑term vision, want to grow and want to make a meaningful impact in their local community and with the Bank.

We also recognise that flexibility can support people to perform at their best, and that it looks different for everyone. While arrangements will depend on the requirements of the role and the needs of the business, we are open to having a conversation around what flexibility could look like for you.

Check our Handelsbanken website for further information

The opportunity

We are looking for a Corporate Banking Manager (Development considered) to join our Bedford Branch. You will be responsible for the management and development of a corporate customer portfolio driving profitable business growth through the promotion of the Bank’s products and services.

The role includes attracting new customers to the Bank through focused business development activities including, customer recommendations, active prospecting, developing commercial broker relationships and working with professional advisors.

You will have a strong focus on lending, wealth and deposit growth in addition to full responsibility for all aspects of the client relationship including profitability, credit risk management and ensuring our customers have full knowledge of the Bank’s services.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and grow a portfolio of existing and new customers, through active prospecting, working with professionals and other business introducers.
• Build and develop a sound understanding of the local business market and referral networks and maintain strong relationships with professional firms and business introducers to support sustainable growth.
• Identify cross‑selling opportunities across the bank’s product offerings to deliver tailored solutions for customers.
• Communicate a clear message to Market and Customers as to what the Bank stands for and how we differentiate ourselves in terms of our culture, decentralised operating model, local relationship banking and our focus on customer satisfaction.
• Responsible for the end to end credit processes including financial analysis, lending proposals, structuring transactions and credit assessments, ensuring strong commercial and risk-balanced decisions in line with the Bank's Credit Policy.
• Partner closely with functional stakeholders to ensure customers receive the full offering of Handelsbanken services.
• Operate in line with the Bank's Risk Management framework (including sub-frameworks) and relevant risk and compliance policies and procedures, ensuring appropriate and timely escalation of any concerns to their line manager.

What we’re looking for

Research (by Harvard University) shows that women are particularly likely to second guess themselves and not apply - so if you are worried you don't meet all the criteria, get in touch anyhow and let us do the worrying...

• Demonstrate strong desire and success in business development, including originating new customer relationships and growing an existing portfolio.
• Proven experience of managing a broad customer portfolio, ideally within a relationship-focused banking model.
• Familiarity with local market dynamics and referral-based business development would be highly desirable.
• Ability to influence, build and maintain meaningful and long‑lasting professional relationships, acting as an ambassador for Handelsbanken at all times.
• Track record of identifying cross selling opportunities.
• Strong understanding of financial statements, cash flow analysis, credit processes and risk assessments.
• Collaborative working style with a focus on strong stakeholder management skills and shared success.
• Demonstrates attention to detail, where needed, with a structured, methodical approach, and operate with high levels of integrity and discretion, and shows resilience in a changing environment.
• Professional banking qualifications or equivalent professional qualifications are welcomed but not mandatory.

Why join Handelsbanken

We want everyone at Handelsbanken to feel supported, motivated, and able to do great work. That's why, alongside brilliant colleagues, meaningful work and training and development opportunities, we provide a variety of benefits designed with your wellbeing in mind.

In addition, there is a flexible benefits package with the key highlights detailed below.

The Bank is deeply committed to embedding good equality and diversity practice into all of our activities. This is so that we are an inclusive, welcoming and inspiring place to work that encourages everyone to apply, regardless of socio-economic background, age, disability, pregnancy and/or parental status, race (including colour, nationality, and ethnic or national origin), veteran status, marital and civil partnership status, religion or belief, sex, gender reassignment or sexual orientation.