Context for the Role

Spartan is looking for Credit Analysts, with either a Commerce degree or Engineering degree or a PPE degree, who wish to explore the finance world and apply their skills in becoming a Credit Analyst by investigating established SMEs’ credit worthiness for funding.

This role is:

• Not merely a desktop based analytical role – but rather one that also engages regularly with CEOs, founders and entrepreneurs
• Not a data science role but you will heuristically connect the dots
• Not a purely mathematical endeavour - and will also rely on your EQ and communication skills.

This Role will:

• Allow you to consistently engage with entrepreneurs to gain an intimate knowledge of their businesses
• Allow you to explore and profile owners’ personalities
• Allow you investigate trends in industry and sectors and apply those determinations
• Expand your general business & industry knowledge exponentially
• Get you to directly make a difference to entrepreneurial businesses and build our country
• Engage with the Credit Committee

If you have a couple of years' post-graduate experience and are seeking something different, then you should apply to Spartan SME Finance.

We’re more effective as a team that works closely together and engages with its customers and stakeholders, face-to-face – consequently we are entirely office based [i.e. no work-from-home mode].

Spartan Background

Explore Spartan’s culture and the impact you’d make in funding SMEs - view our Careers page.

Spartan focuses exclusively on financing entrepreneurs - we are changing South Africa one SME at a time and we are the ideal place for people who want to build our country, increase jobs and improve lives - through helping SMEs grow.

Established in 1981, we provide businesses with debt financing for specialized needs. More recently since 2010 we have focused our mission, exclusively to help SMEs grow. Spartan does this by providing finance that backs entrepreneurs.

The entrepreneurs require many forms of funding for their business to scale from Growth Finance to Specialised Asset Finance and Working Capital Finance.

Despite being established 41 years ago - Spartan’s culture is entrepreneurial. This helps resonate, empathize and align with our target audience - of established Entrepreneurs/SMEs. As a company, Spartan values a person with truthful candid talk, creativity, curiosity, conscientiousness and an obsession towards holistic learning & growth.

Job Description

As a Credit Analyst, you will analyse financial statements of multiple SMEs in South Africa across various industry sectors with the aim of providing balanced feedback to the Credit Committee.

The candidate will be expected to:

• Engage and interview the entrepreneurs
• Prepare credit papers for review
• Use inhouse and external rating agency credit rating tools and other economic indicators to supplement analysis
• Prepare detailed evaluation reports, assess cashflow forecasts and prepare a balanced view credit paper to the Credit Committee
• Oversee and evaluate these lending/investment decisions
• Conduct on-site evaluation missions
• Perform ongoing risk management activities on successfully funded SME's
• Promote and reinforce the role of Spartan as the financier to SMEs, constantly improving relationships with entrepreneurs and potential partners

We’re more effective as a team that works closely together and engages with its customers and stakeholders, face-to-face – consequently we are entirely office based [i.e. no work-from-home mode].

Required Qualifications

• Preferable the candidate should have an undergraduate Commerce or Engineering degree or a Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) degree.

Required Disposition

• A keen interest in SMEs, impact investing and socio-economic growth
• Someone who wants to make a contribution to South Africa
• Someone who is self-aware
• Big picture thinker, but with an eye for detail
• Curiosity with constant holistic learning

Desired Skills and Experience

• Worked in a family business
• Ability to take initiative, learn quickly and strive for results
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written)
• Strong team player and motivator
• Analytical mind, organized, attention to details
• Project management skills
• Techno savvy

Remuneration

• Commensurate with market and years’ experience

Application Requirements

• CV
• Motivation Letter