Associate Director - Sovereign Analyst

S&P Global Ratings Europe; Johannesburg; On-site; USD 60 000 - 120 000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking an experienced Associate Director to join their Sovereign Ratings team in Johannesburg. This critical role involves managing a diverse portfolio of sovereign and quasi-sovereign ratings across Africa, engaging with senior government officials and large multilateral institutions. You will be responsible for high-quality analytical work, timely rating surveillance, and maintaining issuer relationships. The position offers a stimulating environment for professional growth, continuous learning, and the opportunity to influence the financial landscape in emerging and frontier markets. If you are passionate about economics and credit analysis, this role is perfect for you.

Benefits

Health care coverage

Generous time off

Continuous learning resources

Financial wellness programs

Family-friendly perks

Retail discounts

Referral incentive awards

Qualifications

• 7-8 years of experience in credit or financial analysis focused on Sovereign or macroeconomic analysis.
• Solid knowledge of economics and sovereign rating methodology.

Responsibilities

• Primary analytical responsibility for a broad portfolio of sovereign ratings.
• Timely rating surveillance and publishing high-quality reports.

Skills

Analytical Skills

Communication Skills

Credit Analysis

Economic Analysis

Organizational Skills

Team Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance or Economics

Master's degree in a related field

Job description

We are looking for an experienced professional to join our Sovereign Ratings team in Johannesburg for the position of Associate Director. The role is part of the wider Financial Institutions & Sovereign team covering emerging and frontier markets across the Middle East Africa and Central Asia. The team is comprised of 20 analysts based out of our Dubai, Johannesburg, London, and Frankfurt offices.

The Impact:

The role is critical to the success of our Sovereign ratings franchise in the broader Africa, Middle East, and Central Asia region. The successful candidate will assume primary analytical responsibility for a broad portfolio of sovereign and quasisovereign ratings primarily in Africa. As an experienced sovereign analyst, coverage will include complex or analytically challenging credits.

What you stand to gain:

• The position offers the opportunity to interact with senior officials from central governments as well as management teams of large multilateral institutions representing S&P Global Ratings with the highest standards of professionalism.
• The portfolio is broad: Sovereigns, Government-related entities (GREs), and Multilateral Lending Institutions (MLIs) providing exposure to a stimulating range of analytical and relationship opportunities.
• Interaction with policymakers, investors, and analysts across EMEA and globally within S&P; the opportunity to assume and drive internal projects and develop new skills.
• Fundamental economic and financial analysis of sovereigns and government-related or multilateral entities across Africa. We encourage analysts to continuously develop their analytical skills and gain exposure across different asset classes in the Ratings organization.

Responsibilities:

• As a primary analyst for a portfolio of credits, key accountabilities include timely rating surveillance, publishing high-quality reports, staying abreast of external developments, and managing issuer relationships.
• Backup analytical responsibility for several credits and acting as the senior point of contact role for the Sovereign team in Johannesburg.
• Rating committee voting in accordance with SOP requirements.
• Delivery of new rating assignments within timeliness and quality standards.
• In coordination with the Lead Analyst and Analytical Manager, communication of S&P Global thought leadership, research credit themes via publications, speeches, conference presentations, and media interviews.

What We're Looking For:

• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English. Working knowledge of French or Portuguese is a plus.
• Solid knowledge of economics and sovereign rating methodology. A S&P employee at this level would typically have 7-8 years of experience in credit or financial analysis with a focus on Sovereign or macroeconomic analysis.
• Sound credit judgment supported by the ability to quickly absorb, analyze, and act upon information as required to maintain and enhance the quality and timeliness of our analysis.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to work in a diverse team setting. Ability to work across teams within S&P Global Ratings with a desire for continuous improvement and innovation whilst adhering to established ratings criteria, methodology, policies, and procedures. We operate in a highly regulated environment.
• The position will require occasional travel, mostly within Africa.

About S&P Global Ratings:

At S&P Global Ratings, our analyst-driven credit ratings research and sustainable finance opinions provide critical insights that are essential to translating complexity into clarity so market participants can uncover opportunities and make decisions with conviction. By bringing transparency to the market through high-quality independent opinions on creditworthiness, we enable growth across a wide variety of organizations including businesses, governments, and institutions.

S&P Global Ratings is a division of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI). S&P Global is the world's foremost provider of credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics, and workflow solutions in the global capital, commodity, and automotive markets. With every one of our offerings, we help many of the world's leading organizations navigate the economic landscape so they can plan for tomorrow today.

For more information visit In It For You.

Our Purpose:

Progress is not a self-starter. It requires a catalyst to be set in motion. Information, imagination, people, technology—the right combination can unlock possibility and change the world.

Our world is in transition and getting more complex by the day. We push past expected observations and seek out new levels of understanding so that we can help companies, governments, and individuals make an impact on tomorrow. At S&P Global, we transform data into Essential Intelligence, pinpointing risks and opening possibilities. We Accelerate Progress.

Our People:

We're more than 35,000 strong worldwide so we're able to understand nuances while having a broad perspective. Our team is driven by curiosity and a shared belief that Essential Intelligence can help build a more prosperous future for us all.

From finding new ways to measure sustainability to analyzing energy transition across the supply chain to building workflow solutions that make it easy to tap into insight and apply it. We are changing the way people see things and empowering them to make an impact on the world we live in. We're committed to a more equitable future and to helping our customers find new sustainable ways of doing business. We're constantly seeking new solutions that have progress in mind. Join us and help create the critical insights that truly make a difference.

Our Values:

Integrity, Discovery, Partnership

At S&P Global, we focus on Powering Global Markets. Throughout our history, the world's leading organizations have relied on us for the Essential Intelligence they need to make confident decisions about the road ahead. We start with a foundation of integrity in all we do, bring a spirit of discovery to our work, and collaborate in close partnership with each other and our customers to achieve shared goals.

Benefits:

We take care of you so you can take care of business. We care about our people. That's why we provide everything you and your career need to thrive at S&P Global.

Our benefits include:

Health & Wellness: Health care coverage designed for the mind and body.

Flexible Downtime: Generous time off helps keep you energized for your time on.

Continuous Learning: Access a wealth of resources to grow your career and learn valuable new skills.

Invest in Your Future: Secure your financial future through competitive pay, retirement planning, a continuing education program with a company-matched student loan contribution, and financial wellness programs.

Family Friendly Perks: It's not just about you. S&P Global has perks for your partners and little ones too with some best-in-class benefits for families.

Beyond the Basics: From retail discounts to referral incentive awards, small perks can make a big difference.

For more information on benefits by country visit: https://spgbenefits/benefitsummaries

Inclusive Hiring and Opportunity at S&P Global:

At S&P Global, we are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where all individuals have access to opportunities based on their skills, experience, and contributions. Our hiring practices emphasize fairness, transparency, and equal opportunity, ensuring that we attract and retain top talent. By valuing different perspectives and promoting a culture of respect and collaboration, we drive innovation and power global markets.

S&P Global has a Securities Disclosure and Trading Policy (the Policy) that seeks to mitigate conflicts of interest by monitoring and placing restrictions on personal securities holding and trading. The Policy is designed to promote compliance with global regulations. In some Divisions, pursuant to the Policy's requirements, candidates at S&P Global may be asked to disclose securities holdings. Some roles may include a trading prohibition and remediation of positions when there is an effective or potential conflict of interest. Employment at S&P Global is contingent upon compliance with the Policy.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

S&P Global is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race/ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, marital status, military veteran status, unemployment status, or any other status protected by law. Only electronic job submissions will be considered for employment.

If you need an accommodation during the application process due to a disability please send an email to: and your request will be forwarded to the appropriate person.

US Candidates Only: The EEO is the Law Poster discrimination protections under federal law. Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision Middle Professional (EEO Job Group) (inactive) 20 Professional (EEO2 Job Categories United States of America) RATNGS202.2 Middle Professional Tier II (EEO Job Group)

Required Experience:

Director

Key Skills:

Program assessment, FDA Regulations, Manufacturing & Controls, Program Evaluation, budget forecast, Research Experience, Operations Management, Research & Development, Strategic Planning, Contract Management, Leadership Experience, negotiation.