Associate Director, Banks, Australia

**Company Overview**

Fitch Group is a global leader in financial information services with operations in more than 30 countries. Fitch Group is comprised of: Fitch Ratings, a global leader in credit ratings and research; Fitch Solutions, a leading provider of credit market data, analytical tools and risk services; and Fitch Learning, a preeminent training and professional development firm. With dual headquarters in London and New York, Fitch Group is owned by Hearst.

Fitch Ratings is a leading provider of credit ratings, commentary and research. Dedicated to providing value beyond the rating through independent and prospective credit opinions, Fitch Ratings offers global perspectives shaped by strong local market experience and credit market expertise. The additional context, perspective and insights we provide help investors to make important credit judgments with confidence.

As a global credit rating agency, Fitch Ratings gauges the ability of entities and instruments to meet their credit obligations. Investors and financial market participants rely on multiple sources, and the credit rating - indicating how an issue or transaction is likely to perform over time - is one of their key inputs. In this way, we help investors map potential credit risks.

Fitch Solutions, a subsidiary of Fitch Ratings, provides a range of industry-leading products and professional development services to the global financial community. In addition to offering proprietary market-based content, it distributes the ratings, research and financial data of Fitch Ratings through a variety of flexible platforms. With innovation and experience behind every solution it brings to market, our offerings are designed to meet the diverse needs of the fixed-income markets.

**Department Overview**

The Fitch Ratings Financial Institutions Group has actively built the agency into the global leader in bank credit rating coverage. The Group is also experiencing growing coverage of non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs), including asset managers, securities firms, leasing/factoring companies and captives. Our experienced analysts provide comprehensive, timely and transparent coverage of every major institution around the world, as well as unparalleled coverage of smaller companies. Our analysts offer a diversity of talent and backgrounds, with experience in regulatory oversight, investment banking, buy-side investing, accounting and more.

The FI group's rating process utilises a set of rating scales that are unique to Fitch Ratings. The Viability Rating, which expresses Fitch Ratings' view of a bank's stand-alone financial profile, is combined with the Government or Shareholder Support Rating to arrive at the Issuer Default Rating, an anchor for its debt issue ratings. Fitch Ratings' Government or Shareholder Support Ratings provide important insight relative to the likelihood and nature of external support should the financial institution experience financial difficulties. Ratings guidelines are applied to long and short-term foreign currency ratings; long and short-term local currency ratings; and National ratings for emerging markets (non-comparable across borders).

Quantitative aspects of a financial institution's strengths and weaknesses are reviewed, such as balance sheet integrity, profitability, cash flow generating ability and risk management. The analysts also evaluate qualitative factors of the institution, such as strategy and quality of management, the environment in which it operates, and the most likely future development of its business. Final rating determinations are made by committees comprised of lead analysts and seasoned independent committee members, including Fitch Ratings senior management.

Reporting to the Bank Ratings Regional Team Head based in Sydney, this role will be responsible for a portfolio of Australian and New Zealand bank ratings.

**Responsibilities**:
The Associate Director (AD) will support the development of Fitch’s franchise in the region by increasing the breadth and depth of bank credit research with a primary focus on Australia and New Zealand. They will develop in-depth knowledge of the Fitch-rated companies and general credit trends, producing high-quality research and ratings reports. Duties include:

- Act as lead analyst on Australian and New Zealand banks and support/guide other analysts in a secondary capacity on rating exercises.
- Support team head and mentor junior analytical staff
- Maintain analytical relationships with rated entities, including through regular meetings and communication of rating outcomes to senior management
- Present credit views and rating recommendations to committees composed of colleagues from other Fitch offices
- Actively participate in rating committees for entities in other markets and contribute to broader internal analytical discussions within Fitch, and challenge the opinions of others (including more senior colleagues)
- Produce timely market commen