Director, Food and Agribusiness

First Financial Bank • Chicago, IL

23d • $125,000 - $210,000

About The Position

The Food & Agribusiness Relationship Manager will handle multi-faceted relationships as you call on prospective and existing clients. You will create a comprehensive calling process, determine credit eligibility, ensure loans meet appropriate criteria, and effectively cross-sell a wide variety of products utilizing bank partners. Your responsibilities include creating a comprehensive calling process that includes marketing products and services, preparing for client calls, making sales calls, and call follow-up as well as monitoring and enhancing profitability on all assigned relationships. The Relationship Manager participates in the achievement of corporate sales and service goals to build customer (external/internal) relationships and enhance shareholder value. You are responsible for successfully developing an in-depth understanding of clients and prospects, creating innovative, client-centric solutions to capture Food & Agribusiness banking business which includes the establishment of strategic alliances with key partners both internally and externally.less than br>Target market includes larger clients in commercial agriculture, agribusiness, and food processing industries with complex business strategies and capital structure needs requiring specialized expertise across industry sectors, corporate finance advisory capabilities, and access to credit and capital markets solutions including private equity, currency advisory, hedge analytics and trade execution services.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree.
• 10 years’ experience in agribusiness or similar experience in agricultural credit, preferably with experience at a dedicated agricultural lending institution.
• Skilled in comprehensive selling, negotiating and influencing; understanding complex financial structures, and how to sell those structures to customers and the marketplace.
• In-depth understanding of food, beverage and agribusiness industries, including management, finance, and cyclicality of the agricultural industry.
• Knowledge of technical standards, regional & national regulatory requirements, and acceptable structures in target industry.
• Excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication and presentation skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to handle and prioritize multiple tasks.
• Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Generating new business through a consultative sales approach.
• Ability to work effectively with cross functioning teams to deliver recommendations and solutions.
• Credit training, credit quality and underwriting fundamentals experience; including financial analysis.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture, Agricultural Economics, Accounting or Finance.
• Demonstrated ability of developing new business across a large territory.
• Proven experience negotiating acceptable structures on large, complex credits, including leveraged lending (senior secured leveraged loans, subordinated debt, mezzanine debt, unitranche debt and other forms of junior capital)
• Industry expertise in the grain, ag supply, dairy & protein sectors with understanding of industry trends from the beginning to the middle of the food supply chain.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to work collaboratively and build and maintain effective working relationships with all levels of associates, management, and internal customers across the bank, as well as external stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Manages significant account relationships with existing and prospective customers in assigned market and/or industry segment.
• Executes a comprehensive calling plan designed to increase market share for assigned industry, prioritizing revenue generating sales opportunities.
• Develops cultivating referral sources, institutionalizing relationships and calling.
• Specific calling goals are developed depending upon client portfolio responsibilities.
• Aggressively grows and maintains a profitable book of business (loans and deposits) in conjunction with bank/group profitability targets.
• Partners with others across the bank to originate, structure, and execute most complex transactions with little to no supervision, including but not limited to commercial lending, syndications, treasury management, derivative hedging, investment banking, and foreign exchange.
• Serves as primary negotiator on complex credits.
• Negotiates multi-lender credit facilities and inter-creditor agreements.
• Negotiates document terms and conditions.
• Understands competition's terms and pricing and recommends changes to adjust to market.
• Maintains a high level of presence and contact with prospective customers, influencers, and decision-makers by attending industry-specific events, conferences, meetings peer-groups, and other venues where the RM will be recognized and building relationships.
• Makes recommendations on loans at the highest lending limits to loan committee for approval.
• Recommends actions in keeping with own analysis of credit worthiness.
• Monitors the performance of the borrower over the life of the loan.
• Prudently services loans to protect the bank's interest and minimize losses.
• Be able to recognize developing problems and bringing them to the attention of management.
• For troubled credits, assist in developing a strategy to return the credit to a pass rating or exit strategy.

Benefits

• We have relevant, thoughtful benefits and programs that support every aspect of our associates' holistic wellbeing.
• Please review our Benefits Guide.
• All roles are incentive eligible with the exception of Co-Op, Intern, or Student positions.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees