SME Area Director

Lloyds Banking Group; Hereford; Hybrid; GBP 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension up to 15%

Annual bonus

Share schemes

Discounts on lifestyle products

30 days holiday

Job summary

Lloyds Banking Group is recruiting a senior banking leader to head the Black Country and Shropshire Trading Team. You will lead a diverse portfolio of Trading and Agricultural Sector clients, driving business growth and regulatory compliance.

You will shape strategy with the Leadership Team, coach a high-performing group, and engage with senior clients and stakeholders to deliver sustainable income and client satisfaction. Hybrid working applies with office and client-site visits.

Qualifications

• Proven SME or commercial banking leader with accountability for a significant client portfolio and team performance.
• Experience leading Relationship Director and Relationship Manager teams, driving consistent outcomes.
• Strong track record of income generation and balance sheet management.
• Expertise in credit, risk and trading, including complex client structures.
• Solid understanding of governance and risk within a regulated environment.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to strategic leadership and planning of the Sector in partnership with the Regional Director for Midlands & East.
• Motivate, develop, mentor and appraise team members to deliver stretching business goals.
• Develop the Relationship team and client portfolios while ensuring policy and compliance adherence.
• Provide oversight on client proposals to meet customer requirements and identify income opportunities.
• Support and manage relationship management across client segments, engaging with senior stakeholders.
• Interact with complex clients at MDs, FDs and Board level to respond to business needs.
• Promote the bank's image and develop new business opportunities with partners.

Skills

SME leadership

Commercial banking

Relationship management

Credit risk

Regulatory compliance

Job description

SALARY:

Competitive - will be discussed at interview stage

HOURS:

Full-time

WORKING PATTERN:

Our work style is hybrid, which involves spending at least 1 day per week, or 20% of our time, at one of our office sites and at least 1 day per week, or 20% of your time with clients. The remaining 60% of your week can be spent working from home. As this is a senior leadership role, we'd expect you to manage your diary to suit business needs.

About the role

We have an exciting opportunity to lead the hard-working and successful Black Country and Shropshire Trading Team.

You'll lead a team that supports a diverse portfolio of primarily Trading and Agricultural Sector clients, helping businesses navigate the opportunities and challenges within their respective markets.

What you'll be doing:

• Contribute, as a member of Black Country and Shropshire Leadership Team, to the strategic leadership and planning of the Sector in partnership with other senior members of staff under the overall direction of the Regional Director for Midlands & East.
• Through inspiring leadership and promotion of Equal Opportunities, motivate, develop, mentor and appraise team members, so that individual and collective performance delivers stretching business goals.
• Develop the capability of the Relationship team and utilise specialist knowledge to support them in all aspects of their work, specifically developing their own local business plans and run their client portfolio to ensure full adherence with all policy and compliance requirements.
• Provide oversight to developing, structuring and assessing client proposals to meet customer requirements and find opportunities to further develop income; guiding, recommending and supporting implementation of the appropriate solutions.
• Regularly evaluate the team's performance against business objectives, including the supervision of regulated products (where the role requires), recognising individual / team achievement and taking corrective action where appropriate.
• Provide the appropriate support to the relationship management of clients and introducers in and across client segments, ensuring effective response to their business needs through all the available offers. Regularly interacting with complex clients at MDs, FDs and Boards of Director level.
• Promote the bank's image in the local community/market with a range of partners including influential, high value clients in order to support development of new business opportunities.

Why Lloyds Banking Group?

If you think all banks are the same, you'd be wrong. We're an innovative, fast-changing business that's shaping finance as a force for good. A bank that's empowering its people to innovate, explore possibilities and grow with purpose.

What we need from you?

• Proven SME or commercial banking leader, with accountability for a significant client portfolio and team performance.
• Strong track record of managing and growing a mature client book, with responsibility for income generation and balance sheet performance.
• Experience leading Relationship Director and Relationship Manager teams, driving consistent performance outcomes.
• Demonstrated experience managing senior client relationships, influencing effectively at senior leader level.
• Expertise in credit, risk and trading, including oversight of complex client structures and proposals.
• Strong understanding of operating within a regulated environment, with a focus on governance and risk management.

This is a place for you:

Our ambition is to be the leading UK business for diversity, equity and inclusion supporting our customers, colleagues and communities, and we're committed to creating an environment in which everyone can thrive, learn and develop.

We were one of the first major organisations to set goals on diversity in senior roles, create a menopause health package, and a dedicated Working with Cancer Initiative.

We offer reasonable workplace adjustments for colleagues with disabilities, including flexibility in office attendance, location and working patterns. And, as a Disability Confident Leader, we guarantee interviews for a fair and proportionate number of applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role with a disability, long-term health or neurodivergent condition through the Disability Confident Scheme.

We provide reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process to reduce or remove barriers. Just let us know what you need.

We also offer a wide-ranging benefits package, which includes:

• A generous pension contribution of up to 15%
• An annual performance-related bonus
• Share schemes including free shares
• Benefits you can adapt to your lifestyle, such as discounted shopping
• 30 days' holiday, with bank holidays on top
• A range of wellbeing initiatives and generous parental leave policies

Ready for a career where you'll learn and thrive? Apply today!