Vice President, Global Risk Management, Latin America

Bilingual: English & Spanish

Purpose

Provides strategic direction, leadership and oversight for the branches and/or subsidiaries operating in Latin America and the Caribbean, ensuring business strategies initiatives are supported in compliance with governing regulations, internal policies and procedures.

Accountabilities

• Leads and drives a customer focused culture throughout their team to deepen client relationships and leverage broader Bank relationships, systems and knowledge.

Credit Adjudication and Control:

• Lead the adjudication team, ensuring credit adjudication, control activities, and related processes are conducted within a strong risk culture, with a focus on emerging risks and within risk appetite.
• Provide recommendations for over-limit/out-of-policy deals to the Senior Credit Committee.
• Authorize waivers, amendments, and non-standard documentation.
• Provide objective oversight and challenge, enable capital optimization, ensure ongoing monitoring, and partner with business lines to develop effective strategies.

Risk Assessment and Rating Assignment:

• Adjudicate credit requests up to assigned limits; make sound recommendations on larger and/or problem loans within the Bank's risk appetite and in adherence to policy and standards.
• Evaluate financial and non-financial risks for accurate client risk profiling, challenge banking strategies, and risk return over assets below defined thresholds, ensuring compliance with bank policies and regulatory requirements.
• Conduct risk assessment and rating assignment, timely monitor changes in client's creditworthiness, and recommend adequate courses of action.
• Understand the economic, political, and regulatory framework and its impact on the assigned portfolio, recommending potential actions.
• Participate in risk committees and deal forums, acting as an advisor partner for Banking.

Client Centric (Internal/External):

• Play an integral role in the client relationship experience, actively providing feedback on deals and assigned accounts, and when possible, participate in client meetings/calls/field visits.
• Ensure the adjudication process is achieved within established SLA parameters.
• Collaborate seamlessly with Banking to provide a cohesive and efficient client experience.

Documentation, Data, and Reporting:

• Review non-standard documentation.
• Validate critical data elements in credit systems which feed capital and provisions.
• Drive innovation and digitize risk processes, improving the accuracy and speed of credit decisions and operational efficiencies.

Portfolio Management:

• Proactively and continuously monitor Early Warning Signs and sectorial trends to ensure timely actions on the assigned portfolio.
• Work with Banking to ensure adherence to all compliance metrics and manage the loan portfolio effectively within defined KPIs (e.g., OAR, Covenants, Bring Forwards, EWS, and documentation as defined by internal processes).

Keeping the Bank Safe:

• Actively pursue effective and efficient operations of respective areas, ensuring the adequacy, adherence to, and effectiveness of day-to-day business controls to meet obligations with respect to operational risk, regulatory compliance risk, AML/ATF risk, and conduct risk.
• Fulfill responsibilities under the Operational Risk Management Framework, Regulatory Compliance Risk Management Framework, AML/ATF Global Handbook, and the Guidelines for Business Conduct.
• Team Management:
• Foster a culture of risk awareness and accountability, leading a client-centric culture.
• Provide coaching and an attractive value proposition for talent.

• Understand how the Bank's risk appetite and risk culture should be considered in day-to-day activities and decisions.

• Creates an environment in which their team pursues effective and efficient operations of their respective areas in accordance with Scotiabank's Values, its Code of Conduct and the Global Sales Principles, while ensuring the adequacy, adherence to and effectiveness of day-to-day business controls to meet obligations with respect to operational, compliance, AML/ATF/sanctions and conduct risk.

• Builds a high performance environment and implements a people strategy that attracts, retains, develops and motivates their team by fostering an inclusive work environment and using a coaching mindset and behaviours; communicating vison/values/business strategy; and, managing succession and development planning for the team.

Dimensions

• Lending authority to approve/decline credits within the framework of the Credit Policy Manual, Credit Administration Handbook, and Credit Risk Appetite.
• Contribute to the development of policy, process, and other issues related to the operation of the division.
• Authority to follow up on action taken by management in response to identified issues and related recommendations involving credit risk.

Education / Experience / Other Information

• MBA, Economics/Finance degree, CPA, CFA, or FRM designation.
• Thorough knowledge of the Bank's lending policies, procedures, and practices.
• Strong working knowledge of banking, commercial and/bankruptcy law and related regulations in Latin American and Caribbean countries is required.
• Experience in assessing complex corporate and capital structures, legal documents, and exposure to derivatives.
• Sound working knowledge of the accounting and regulatory environments for the various specialized industries in which the Bank's customers operate, including corporate tax law, securities and regulation, accounting and regulatory aspects of regulated industries and environmental protection legislation as these affect the safety of credits.
• Solid grasp of credit and the structures and protections required for complex credits such as leveraged credits, project credits, structured credit and capital markets etc.
• Current understanding of relevant information as it relates to the complexity of varied industries and the credit applicant, i.e., the economic, tax, technological or social issues impacting the borrowers, the industry and the marketplace.
• Ability to debate the merits and vulnerabilities of credit applications with Banking and Senior Credit Committee, approving/declining or providing recommendations as appropriate
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Proven ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced environment with multiple tasks.
• Fluency in Spanish is preferred.