Associate, Coverage Team — Chicago (Automotive Focus)

About the role

Crédit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank is seeking an Associate to join its Chicago Coverage team, with an automotive focus. This is an opportunity to develop a career in corporate and investment banking while working directly with senior relationship managers on client engagements and transactions. The successful candidate will play a key role in supporting the execution of a diverse range of banking services and will gain exposure to multiple product areas and industries. This is a permanent position offering the opportunity for professional growth and advancement within a global financial institution.

Responsibilities

• Work directly with relationship managers to develop and execute client relationship strategies.
• Organize presentations, memorandums, and other materials for clients and senior management.
• Conduct comprehensive financial analysis of current and prospective clients related to capital structure, creditworthiness, and financial performance to identify future business opportunities.
• Construct and maintain internal models to measure client profitability, risk-weighted assets, and the competitiveness of CA-CIB across all product areas.
• Analyze the strategic benefit of entering transactions, maintaining, or exiting global client relationships, and communicate findings to senior management.
• Conduct ongoing research projects related to the different industries covered.
• Coordinate the internal approval of transactions related to syndicated debt, bonds, securitization, trade finance, interest rate derivatives, and other products within the CA-CIB global platform.
• Prepare comprehensive write-ups, quarterly and annual reviews, and other reports.
• Support the team with "Know Your Customer" (KYC) approval processes and other compliance-related tasks.

Requirements

• Academic background: Bachelor's / Master's degree with specialization in Finance or related field; Business School or University graduate.
• Experience required: 3 to 5 years’ experience in the Finance industry preferred; demonstrated interest in corporate and investment banking.
• Hard skills: Strong understanding of financial statements and risk/return analysis concepts; highly skilled in MS PowerPoint and Excel; financial modeling skills and experience; ability to analyze and interpret complex financial data; proficiency in financial valuation methodologies.
• Soft skills: Reliability and attention to detail; autonomous, able to work independently and manage processes effectively; ability to multi-task and manage multiple priorities over extended periods without losing track of deliverables; proactive in tracking follow-ups and engaging relevant stakeholders as necessary; strong ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with colleagues across teams.
• Language: Full Professional Proficiency in English, particularly in writing.
• Computer skills: Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) – Intermediate to Advanced level; familiarity with S&P Capital IQ and Bloomberg preferred.