Who we are

True North Partners LLP is an independent consulting firm with presence in Amsterdam, Dubai, Frankfurt, Johannesburg, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Singapore and Vienna. We have extensive global experience and industry recognition in the financial services, risk management and finance communities.

True North Partners is uniquely distinct from the typical consultant firms due to the following:

Being a boutique consulting firm focused on risk, finance and strategy, we deliver innovative concepts and methodologies based on specialist experience and analytical backgrounds

Working across multifaceted competencies of risk, finance and strategy we overcome the traditional silo thinking and offer client-specific solutions as well as sustainable implementation development strategies

Being people driven we allow members of all levels to actively participate in the running and development of our young firm

What we offer

Our company is built for and around its people. It is part of our culture for each member of the firm to take part in the running and development of True North Partners such as business development, marketing and management tasks. A sense of ownership for the firm is a central tenet to our overall behaviour. In particular, we offer:

Challenging projects with leading financial institutions around the globe, where we are at the fore-front of innovation in products and methodologies

A motivating, inspiring and team-oriented work environment with co-workers from a variety of hemispheres and backgrounds

The opportunity to help shape a unique, professional environment with flat hierarchies and superior career opportunities

Requirements

What we expect

We are always open for an entrepreneurial and dynamic individuals to strengthen our Johannesburg-based team. In particular, we expect:

Proven hands-on experience (2-5 yrs preferable) in developing and implementing IRB (A-IRB) and IFRS 9 credit risk models, including PD, LGD, EAD, and expected credit loss calculations, across retail or wholesale portfolios, this experience will include:

the preparation, analysis and validation of model development data

the conceptual design of a modelling approach and model architecture, incl. model principles, quantitative methods and underlying assumptions

the development of model code, e.g. SAS, Python

producing full model development documentation and communication material

producing high-quality model review / audit / validation reports

participating in content discussions with stakeholders such as credit specialists, validators, auditors

presenting outputs of modelling work at technical forums or working groups

producing professional progress reports to project leaders

supporting models throughout the model lifecycle, including governance and approval processes

A strong understanding of retail or wholesale banking portfolios and operations such as the credit decisioning and portfolio management process

Strong analytical skills and a post graduate qualification in a quantitative discipline (e.g. statistics, actuarial science, financial mathematics, applied mathematics

Applied working experience with developing and using programming languages (esp. SAS or Python)

Strong presentation skills and an ability to effectively and credibly communicate with senior stakeholders and non-technical stakeholders

Experience with the delivery of high-priority projects and activities, under pressurized conditions

Experience with leading more junior team members with the execution of project tasks

A keen interest in supporting business development and contributing to the commercial success of our firm

Creative and lateral thinking as well as an intellectually curious mind

The ability to structure complex tasks in a goal-oriented way and to deliver innovative solutions under tight timelines