Executive Director – Head of Reserve Based Lending

Santander Corporate & Investment Banking; England; On-site; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A global corporate banking firm is looking for a head of Reserve-Based Lending to lead the strategic development and execution of its offering. This role involves product design, credit structuring, and extensive market analysis in the oil and gas sector. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in energy finance, proven leadership skills, and the ability to negotiate complex deals. Attractive benefits and competitive salary offered.

Benefits

Discretionary performance-related annual bonus

Pension contributions up to 12.5%

30 days holiday plus bank holidays

Company funded private medical insurance

Voluntary healthcare benefits

Death-in-service benefit

Qualifications

• Deep expertise in upstream oil & gas sector.
• Proven leadership in high-performance environments.
• Availability to travel is a must.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and governance of the bank’s RBL product offering.
• Develop frameworks, policies, underwriting standards for RBL transactions.
• Collaborate with credit risk, legal, and technical experts.

Skills

Extensive experience in Reserve-Based Lending

Strong understanding of oil & gas reservoir engineering fundamentals

Expertise in financial modelling

Strong negotiation skills

Ability to build new products

Education

Engineering or Finance degree

Job description

WHY YOU SHOULD CONSIDER THIS OPPORTUNITY

At Santander CIB ( www.santandercib.com ) we are key players in the transformation of the financial sector. Do you want to join us?

Santander Corporate & Investment Banking (SCIB) is Santander's global division that supports some of the world's most complex and sophisticated corporate and institutional clients, offering customized services and value-added wholesale products to best meet their needs.

Our mission is to contribute to help more people and businesses prosper. We embrace a strong risk culture and all our professionals at all levels are expected to take a proactive and responsible approach toward risk management.

WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING

The head of Reserve-Based Lending will be responsible for leading the strategic development, growth, and execution of the bank’s RBL offering on a global basis. This role oversees product design, origination strategy, credit structuring, portfolio development, and end-to-end deal execution. The position requires deep expertise in the upstream oil & gas sector, strong technical knowledge of reserves evaluation, and extensive experience in structuring complex reserve-based financing solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, implementation, and governance of the bank’s Reserve-Based Lending product offering.
• Define and execute the RBL origination strategy aligned with the bank’s overall energy finance agenda.
• Develop frameworks, policies, underwriting standards, and risk appetite for RBL transactions.
• Build and refine the analytical, operational, and technological infrastructure necessary to support scalable RBL operations.
• Lead market intelligence efforts to monitor sector trends, regulatory developments, commodity price dynamics, and competitive positioning
• Oversee the technical and financial evaluation of borrowing bases, reserve reports, and field performance data.
• Lead deal structuring, including facility sizing, covenant design, hedging requirements, amortization structures, and borrowing base mechanisms.
• Collaborate closely with credit risk, legal, and technical experts to ensure well-underwritten and compliant transactions.
• Review and validate engineering assumptions, production forecasts, and reserve audits.
• Lead negotiations with clients and counterparties on term sheets, loan documentation, covenants, and operational conditions.
• Coordinate internal and external teams (technical advisors, legal counsel, risk, compliance, treasury, etc.) to ensure efficient transaction execution.

What we’re looking for

• Extensive experience in Reserve-Based Lending, Energy Finance, Structured Lending, or related fields., including documented Demonstrated track record of originating, structuring, and closing complex RBL or upstream lending transactions.
• Strong understanding of oil & gas reservoir engineering fundamentals, reserve classifications, and curve analysis.
• Expertise in financial modelling, credit structuring, and risk assessment for commodity-linked exposures.
• Experience leading cross-functional deal teams and managing multiple stakeholders.
• Strong negotiation, communication, and relationship-management skills.
• Ability to build new products, frameworks, or business lines from the ground up.
• Proven leadership in high-performance environments
• Strategic mindset with the ability to scale a product offering across regions and client segments
• Languages: English. Knowledge of Spanish or a third language will be positively valued.
• Engineering, Finance Economics, Finance, or other related degrees.
• Availability to travel is a must

What else you need to know

This role is based in our Triton Square office in London, conveniently located within walking distance from Euston Station and Warren Street Station.

How we’ll reward you

As well as a competitive salary, you’ll enjoy a benefits package that you can tailor to your needs.

• Eligible for a discretionary performance-related annual bonus
• Pension with generous contributions of up to 12.5% from Santander, depending on your own contribution and length of employment with us
• 30 days holiday plus bank holidays, with the option to purchase up to 5 contractual days per year
• Company funded individual private medical insurance
• Voluntary healthcare benefits at discounted rates such as private medical insurance for your family, dental insurance, healthcare cash plan and health assessments
• Benefits supporting you and your family, such as death-in-service benefit, income protection, and voluntary life assurance and critical illness cover
• Share in Santander’s success by investing in our Sharesave and Partnership shares plans

For more information about our wide range of benefits and family friendly policies visit our website.

Equal Opportunities

Santander are an equal opportunities employer. When we talk about diversity, we don’t just want to pay lip service. Our customers come from a wide range of backgrounds, and so do our people. It’s important to us that we create an inclusive culture where everyone counts, and we particularly welcome applications from different underrepresented groups.

For more information on our commitment to equal opportunities, please visit our diversity page.

What to do next

If this sounds like a role you’re interested in, then please apply on the link.

Due to high volume of applications we may need to close this role earlier than the advertised date, so recommend submitting an application as soon as possible.