Associate Director

We like promoting our own, so we encourage internal growth, but not just upwards. We want you to have the chance to move into broader roles and into different areas if you’d like to expand your experience. Fancy a new opportunity? You’ve come to the right place.

We’re at our best when we have something to drive us forward, a belief that underlines who we are and what we do. Our Purpose. We want to make people happier about money – and that idea starts with every single one of us here. Feeling insatiably curious about your next adventure? You might have just found it.

Exciting opportunities exist within our Sector Agricultural Team in England & Scotland right now. Our Sector Agri team supports large and complex farming businesses across the UK and is looking to continue to grow its lending in the coming years. If you're passionate and ambitious about playing a key role in helping shape and grow our business, then please read on.

At Nationwide we offer hybrid working wherever possible. More rewarding relationships are supported through our hybrid approach, bringing colleagues together across our UK wide estate, whilst also supporting generous access to home working. We value our time in the office to solve problems, to learn, and to feel connected.

For this role, you will be part of our growing Business Banking team, meeting with and supporting customers across your assigned region. As such, you can be based anywhere in England or Scotland, provided you are able to travel regularly to meet clients within your region. Additionally, there will be a need to regularly connect with colleagues through collaboration events at one of our office locations. These are currently expected to take place quarterly in London, Glasgow or Gosforth, although locations may vary. If your application is successful, your hiring manager will share further details on how this will work in practice. You can also find out more about our approach to hybrid working here.

Virgin Money is now part of Nationwide

Nationwide acquired Virgin Money in October 2024. Virgin Money continues to serve customers on the high street, and there will be a phased and considered integration over the coming years.

You’ll be employed by Nationwide from day one, delivering real impact and benefitting from a highly competitive range of benefits. We’re a workplace where you’re rewarded, recognised and celebrated.

If we receive a high volume of relevant applications, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so please apply as soon as you can.

What you’ll be doing

As a key member of the Sector Agricultural Team in England or Scotland, you’ll be primarily responsible for assisting our Agri Relationship Directors and Senior Directors to support our customers and drive business growth. You’ll support with relationship management, sourcing of high-quality customers and strengthening brand visibility in the local and regional marketplace whilst developing and expanding your own network of internal and external contacts. 

You’ll be working with the Agri Relationship Directors and Senior Directors to evaluate and generate opportunities with new and existing customers. You’ll assist in the conversion thereof from initial meetings through to completion of new transactions, including the analysis of new business proposals and undertaking independent research on companies and sub-sectors. You’ll also prepare credit applications regarding existing customers and new proposals, which will include the preparation and analysis of financial models and instruct, complete and process internal and external documentation to ensure loan and security documentation is prepared, in order, and the due diligence is correctly scoped.

Additionally, you’ll provide new customers with a seamless on-boarding experience, working collaboratively with colleagues across the business to support Agri Relationship Directors and Senior Directors to manage and monitor the portfolio, ensuring compliance on all credit, operations, loan administration and other risk and administrative matters as necessary. You’ll monitor ongoing compliance with the facility agreement and covenants and ensure that all pre-and post-deal housekeeping and internal compliance requirements are met.

Furthermore, you will liaise effectively with our customers, various external agencies and credit teams in respect of existing customer reviews and consent requests. 
 

About you

We need you to have:

• A passion for, or experience of, working in the UK agricultural market
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to engage and build lasting relationships with our agriculture customers and external professional networks
• The ability to cope with complex situations, work to tight deadlines, problem solve and approach challenges with flexibility 
• Excellent qualitative and quantitative analytical skills with an ability to understand and interpret financial statements and due diligence reports
• Good interpersonal skills, with the ability to assimilate, understand and efficiently present information to various stakeholders to produce effective lending outcomes
• A Graduate degree, or vocational qualification in, agriculture or demonstrable experience working within farm management consultancy

Our customer first behaviours put customers and members at the heart of how we work together. They are the set of behaviours that every colleague needs to display, in every role:

• Feel what customers feel - We step into our customers’ shoes, using their feedback and insights to empathise with them and to understand their needs, so that every decision we make starts and finishes with our customers in mind

• Say it straight - We are brave in speaking out and saying what we think – we’re honest and direct with good intent, openly sharing diverse perspectives to reach the best conclusions and using language everyone can understand

• Push for better - We don’t settle for mediocrity, we challenge the status quo, taking responsibility for continuous improvement and personal development

• Get it done - We prioritise what will have the greatest impact, we are decisive, and we take accountability for delivering brilliant customer outcomes

You can strengthen your application by showing how our customer first behaviours resonate with you, and where you may have already demonstrated these.

The extras you’ll get

There are all sorts of employee benefits available at Nationwide, including:

• 25 days holiday, pro rata

• Access to private medical insurance

• A highly competitive pension to help you build a strong foundation for retirement

• Access to an annual performance-related bonus

• Training and development to help you progress your career

• A great selection of additional benefits through our salary sacrifice scheme

• Life assurance to provide peace of mind for you and your loved ones in the event of your death

• Wellhub – access to a range of free and paid options for health and wellness

• Up to 2 days of paid volunteering a year

Banking – but fairer, more rewarding, and for the good of society

We forge our own path at Nationwide.

As a mutual, we’re owned by our members - those customers who bank, save or have a mortgage with us. We challenge the financial sector status quo. We don’t see customers as the engine of our own profit. We share our profits with them and put their needs first. Always there when they need us. Supporting them and their lives.

If you’re inspired by fairer finances, passionate about making a meaningful impact, and truly care about our customers, you’re one of us.

At Nationwide, you are challenged to grow and rewarded for doing so. Valued. Recognised. Inspired to be your best. As a community, we want our working lives to count. As a team, we celebrate what we achieve. As a standard-setter, we work for the good of customers, communities, and broader society.

We are purpose-driven. Uncompromisingly customer. Unstoppably Nationwide.

What to do next

If this role is for you, please click the ‘Apply Now’ button. You’ll need to attach your up-to-date CV and answer a few quick questions for us. 

We respond to everyone, so we will be in contact shortly after the closing date to let you know the outcome of your application.