Trade Finance Operations Team Lead

Recruit AI is seeking a highly skilled Trade Finance Operations Team Lead to manage and optimize the trade finance transaction processes. This role involves in-depth expertise in international trade payments, Letters of Credit, Documentary Collections, Bank Guarantees, Murabaha financing, and SWIFT messaging operations. The successful candidate will be responsible for ensuring accurate, timely, and fully compliant processing of trade finance transactions while leading a team to meet operational targets and regulatory standards. Although prior team management experience is not required, the role demands leadership capabilities to oversee daily operations effectively and support team members in achieving excellence. The Trade Finance Operations Team Lead oversees the end-to-end handling of trade finance products and services, including processing and supervising various payment types such as advance, open account, loan, freight, and commission transactions. This position requires a comprehensive understanding of trade compliance regulations, risk assessment protocols including Trade-Based Money Laundering (TBML) detection, and adherence to international standards like UCP 600, URC 522, and URDG 758. The role coordinates extensively with internal departments and external stakeholders to resolve operational issues, maintain compliance, and promote risk mitigation throughout trade finance activities.
Responsibilities

Manage and process international trade payments including Advance, Open Account, Loan, Freight, and Commission transactions with accuracy and compliance.
Issue, amend, advise, and administer Letters of Credit (LCs) in line with UCP 600 rules, ensuring import/export documents are scrutinized meticulously.
Process and monitor SWIFT messages including MT700, MT707, MT799, MT499, MT412, MT103, and MT202 to support trade finance activities.
Administer Documentary Collections under URC 522 and Bank Guarantees under URDG 758, ensuring timely and accurate transaction completion.
Handle Murabaha transactions, including fund disbursement, settlements, electronic fund transfers, real-time credits, internal transfers, lodgments, and reversals.
Conduct thorough trade compliance verifications, including sanctions screening, third-party payment checks, dual-use goods controls, vessel verifications, and adherence to regulatory requirements.
Identify, investigate, and escalate risks related to Trade-Based Money Laundering and suspicious trade activities to maintain robust compliance.
Supervise the daily trade finance operations workflow, managing transaction queues, evaluating turnaround times, and monitoring team performance metrics.
Implement maker-checker controls by reviewing, authorizing, rejecting, or amending transactions within delegated authority to uphold operational integrity.
Provide technical guidance and training to team members on trade finance products, SWIFT messaging protocols, global rules such as UCP 600, URC 522, URDG 758, compliance requirements, and internal procedures.
Collaborate with various stakeholders including Operations, Compliance, Relationship Managers, branches, and correspondent banks to resolve transaction processing issues and improve workflow efficiency.
Ensure strict compliance with internal controls, audit standards, regulatory obligations, and risk management policies to safeguard organizational interests.
Prepare, analyze, and review management information systems reports, productivity statistics, operational risk assessments, and performance dashboards to drive continuous improvement.