Senior Credit Officer

Our client, a large international bank, is seeking a Senior Credit Officer to review and advise on loan documentation from a legal standpoint.

• Credit Documentation Legal Review:
  Scrutinize, draft, and review lending documentation including Facility Agreements (particularly LMA/LSTA standard), Guarantees, Security Documents (debentures, legal charges), Intercreditor Agreements, and Conditions Precedent (CP) letters.
• Security & Collateral Enforceability:
  Ensure that the bank's security interests are legally robust, properly structured, and capable of being perfected (e.g., registrations at Companies House, Land Registry).
• Conduct rigorous assessment on the participation mechanics, verifying lender-on-record risks, transferability limitations, and the Bank’s voting rights within the syndicate.
• Conditions Precedent (CP) Management:
  Review and verify all legal CPs (such as Board Resolutions, Director Certificates, constitutional documents, and legal opinions) to ensure the borrower has the capacity and authority to enter into the transaction before funds are drawn.
• Legal Risk Identification:
  Identify documentation risks such as weak covenant definitions, loopholes in Events of Default, or cross-default thresholds, and ensure these are aligned with the bank's credit risk appetite.
• Stakeholder Liaison:
  Act as the primary point of contact for external legal counsel handling transaction documentation. Work closely with Front Office and external counsellor to elevate non-standard legal risks or highly complex structural issues.
• Perform independent legal viability reviews on deteriorating, underperforming, or defaulted loans to evaluate the Bank’s immediate options and contractual leverage
• Ensure that the Bank’s security interests remain intact, enforceable, and unencumbered during early-warning triggers.
• Advise Senior Management on the legal viability of triggers, debt acceleration, debt-to-equity swaps, or formal workout pathways.
• Partner with external legal counsel to provide clear blueprint of structural strengths and weaknesses before any formal enforcement or recovery action is launched.
• Conduct the credit files review, verification, and storage of credit documentation. Ensure timely and accurate archiving of credit documentation in accordance with established guidelines and retention policies.

• Strong experience in a loan documentation, credit administration, or banking/finance legal team
• Experience working in a Corporate or Commercial Bank
• Deep familiarity with LMA/LSTA standard documentation and relevant UK corporate laws
• Holding a law degree or legally qualified
• Strong motivation and drive and with clear communication skills
• The ability to work 5 days a week in the office