Trade Finance Analyst

Job Title:
Senior Trade Finance Analyst (U.S. Banking Industry)

Location: Remote

Job Type: Contract

Job Summary:
The Senior Trade Finance Analyst plays a crucial role in a bank’s trade finance team, leveraging advanced analytics and deep industry expertise to optimize international trade operations. In this senior position, you will analyze trade finance products (such as letters of credit, guarantees, documentary collections, and supply chain finance arrangements) and provide data-driven insights to support strategic business decisions. A key part of the role is utilizing SAS Viya and other analytical tools for data modeling, forecasting, reporting, and visualization of trade finance portfolios, thereby identifying trends and opportunities for process improvement.

You will also serve as a bridge between front-office, operations, and compliance teams – ensuring that trade finance activities are efficient, profitable, and in strict compliance with all relevant regulations (e.g. UCP 600, OFAC sanctions,
** AML/BSA guidelines). As a senior analyst, you are expected to mentor junior staff and champion best practices in trade finance analytics and risk management.

Responsibilities

• Data Analysis & Reporting:
  Leverage SAS Viya and other analytics platforms to analyze large sets of trade finance data, building predictive models and dashboards that inform business strategy. Provide regular reporting on trade finance transaction volumes, client utilization, revenue, and risk metrics, presenting insights to senior management to guide decision-making and improve product offerings.
• Process Optimization:
  Review end-to-end trade finance operations to identify inefficiencies or risks in transaction processing. Work with technology partners and cross-functional teams to develop and implement process improvements and automation tools (e.g. optimizing SWIFT message workflows or internal trade finance platforms) that increase efficiency and accuracy. Participate in or lead projects to enhance systems (for example, implementing new SAS Viya analytics features or upgrading trade finance software) and champion a culture of continuous improvement.
• Trade Transaction Oversight:
  Oversee and analyze trade finance transactions and documentation – including issuance/advising of letters of credit (LCs), guarantees, standby LCs, bills for collection, etc. – for accuracy and compliance with international rules and standards. Ensure that each transaction adheres to ICC regulations (such as UCP 600 for documentary credits, ISP
  98 for standby LCs, URDG 758 for demand guarantees, and URC 522 for collections) and meets all terms agreed with customers. Identify and resolve discrepancies in trade documents, working with counter parties and banks to swiftly address any issues.
• Risk Management & Compliance:
  Conduct thorough risk assessments and compliance checks on trade finance transactions to guard against financial crime and regulatory violations. Monitor for any AML/CFT red flags or sanctions concerns in trade transactions, and escalate suspicious activities in line with Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and anti-money laundering (AML) policies. Ensure strict adherence to U.S. and international regulatory frameworks – including OFAC sanctions, Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) export controls (e.g. anti-boycott regulations), and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) guidelines – across all trade finance operations.
  
  You will maintain up-to-date knowledge of these regulations and perform ongoing compliance reviews so that the bank’s trade products remain fully compliant.
• Business Support & Advisory:
  Provide expert trade finance advisory support to front-office and client-facing teams. Liaise daily with relationship managers, trade sales, and product teams to evaluate client requests and structure trade solutions (e.g. advising on the appropriate use of LCs vs. guarantees or supply chain finance programs). Use analytical findings to guide business decisions – for instance, advising on pricing of trade products, optimizing credit limits, or targeting certain trade corridors – and help develop strategies to grow the trade finance portfolio…