Wholesale Bank International Graduate Programme

Wholesale Banking plays a crucial role in helping corporate and institutional clients facilitate finance and commerce across some of the world's fastest growing markets. Our focus on emerging markets has led to double-digit profit growth every year since 2002.

In 2010, Wholesale Bank accounted for 62% of the Bank's income and 78% of operating profit.

About the programme

This 12-month focused programme is designed to develop the broad technical foundation, relevant specialist depth, organisational awareness and leadership skills required for a rewarding career in Wholesale Banking.

Your first year with us consists of four rotations, supported by close and regular interaction with senior leaders, to provide:

• Relevant real world experience that will help you to perform and excel early in your career
• A deep understanding of our international business through day-to-day interactions with cross-border teams
• Exposure to different cultures and new ways of thinking through working with global teams
• An accelerated career trajectory through the rapid development of specialist skills, knowledge and expertise
• International job opportunities

Programme streams

Graduates can select from one of four streams - Coverage & Corporate Finance, Financial Markets, Principal Finance or Transaction Banking.

The programme structure is tailored to the stream you select. Regardless of the stream you choose, all graduates will:

• Attend the International Induction Programme (IIP) held in Kuala Lumpur
• Be deployed to a real role at the end of year one, immediately putting what you've learned into practice
• Receive foundation leadership development to help you navigate and progress within our organisation
• Be given the time and financial support to complete the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) qualification.
  

You'll also be supported with:

• A dedicated Graduate Development Manager to guide you through the programme
• Regular one-on-one reviews designed to track your progress and performance
• A mentor to help coach and guide your personal and professional development.

It's important to choose the stream which best reflects your skills, interests and ambitions.

Choose from:

Coverage & Corporate Financesshow/hide

This stream incorporates Origination & Client Coverage (OCC), Strategic Client Coverage Group (SCCG) and Corporate Finance (CF). Together, these teams build and own client relationships; harnessing their collective knowledge and skills to give clients the best strategic advice.

Rotations:

Rotation 1 – Risk
You’ll learn about governance, approval and portfolio management processes and become familiar with our risk management framework. You’ll be exposed to account planning, pipeline management, credit risk initiation and more.

Rotation 2 – Operations
You’ll experience the processes underpinning the activities of the Coverage stream and be exposed to key processing activities which enable the client facing teams in their interactions with clients.

Rotation 3 – Origination & Client Coverage (OCC)
Here you’ll learn the skills needed to build strong relationships with clients, understanding what makes a successful coverage banker. You will be exposed to the processes and systems used by the relationship management team.

Rotation 4 – Strategic Client Coverage Group (SCCG) / Corporate Finance
You’ll identify clients’ strategic requirements and develop solutions to meet their needs. You’ll gain insights into relevant industry sectors and products, understand how to assess client needs, learn how solutions are structured and how key risks are managed.

Career opportunities

Depending on your strengths and interests you can pursue a specialist career in OCC or SCCG, with responsibility for a client portfolio in a key geography, or industry sector. Or you could take up an opportunity in Corporate Finance, responsible for transaction execution and support in one of our strategic product businesses.

Financial Marketsshow/hide

Financial Markets is perhaps the most well-known area of most investment banks, offering risk management, financing and investment services.

This team is where you'll find our fast-paced trading floor. Between them the team originates, distributes and trades a range of products across Bonds, Foreign Currency, Commodities, Equities and Capital Markets.

Rotations:

Rotation 1 - Risk
You will learn general risk and control functions of the Wholesale Bank, helping you to understand the credit management process. We'll place particular emphasis on approval processes and authorities, as well as the Bank's infrastructure for the measurement and management of market risk.

Rotation 2 - Operations
Here you'll learn the procedures related to the processing, settlement, accounting, reconciliation and reporting of various Financial Markets products.

Rotations 3 and 4 - Front office
Your two final rotations will be in: Sales, Trading, Structuring, Research, or Capital Markets. Each role will be focused on a specific asset class: Rates & Foreign Exchange, Credit, Commodities or Equities.

Throughout these rotations you will gain a deep understanding of our products and capabilities, learn how markets work, whilst building a network spanning Financial Markets and other strategic stakeholders throughout the Bank.

Career opportunities

Financial Markets is a rapid response environment. From day one you'll have the opportunity to work across the full spectrum of our business.

On completion of the programme you'll be hired to a specific desk where you'll specialise and develop your knowledge, eventually working your way up to senior local, regional or global opportunities within the team.

Principal Financeshow/hide

As a highly successful private equity operation, our Principal Finance business provides direct investment for growing companies. Offering equity and mezzanine financing solutions, the team invests in four asset classes Corporate Private Equity, Real Estate, Infrastructure and Alternative Investments.

Rotations:

Rotation 1 - Risk
You'll work with risk approvers and committees gaining an understanding of different risk types and concepts and developing an understanding of the credit risk approval, portfolio management and governance processes.

Rotation 2 - Operations
This rotation is about building strong foundation knowledge and networks. Working with various Operations teams, you'll learn the fundamentals of the underlying products and services we provide to our corporate clients.

Rotation 3 - Chief Operating Officer's (COO) office
Here you'll work in the Chief Operating Officer's (COO) office executing new deals, managing assets of portfolio companies and preparing quarterly reports. You'll also take part in short projects with Legal, Compliance and Tax. During this rotation you'll develop a macro view of investments and the Principal Finance business strategy.

Rotation 4 - Front Office
Graduates will be a part of a small deal team working on all aspects of a transaction including research, analysis of investment opportunities and reporting. You'll directly assist the Investment Director on sector study and due diligence.

Career opportunities

Deployment roles are available in Asia, Africa and Middle East as Associates in the Principal Finance business. You'll be a part of the regional deal teams focussed on opportunity selection, investment execution, asset management and divestments.

Transaction Bankingshow/hide

Every day billions of transactions are made around the world, and it's the role of Transaction Banking to facilitate flows and manage the risks associated with this global trade. Our Transaction Banking team is one of the largest trade finance and US dollar clearing houses globally.

Rotations:

Rotation 1 - Risk
Transaction Banking requires an understanding of credit risk, operational risk, foreign exchange, interest rates and commodity risk. You'll work directly in one of these teams, learning how to assess and manage these risks.

Rotation 2 - Operations
You'll learn the fundamentals of the underlying products and services we provide our corporate clients. This is an important foundation if you want to move into Sales and Product Management.

Rotation 3 - Sales / Product Management
You'll have the opportunity to work in either the Sales or Product Management businesses.

In Sales you will work with a customer-facing segment sales team supporting segment opportunities and client proposals. You can expect to be involved in complex client deals, working with senior Sales and Product people on working capital cash and trade product solutions.

Alternatively you could be working in a Product Management team delivering products to client segments across trade and cash management receivables, payables, liquidity and documentary trade. Work will span the product life cycle, from development of strategic concepts, detailed analysis and customer research, to the presentation of business cases to secure support and funding. If you get the go ahead, you'll get involved in the go-to-market strategy and following the market launch, you'll take part in a post-implementation review.

Rotation 4 - Front office
You will work on strategic and operational projects ranging from analysis of global and regional opportunities, or work in one of the business units that enable delivery of working capital solutions to our customers.

Career opportunities

A career in Transaction Banking is about the experience of working capital management and corporate banking. You'll have the opportunity to work across functions and regions with long-term, leadership career opportunities in areas such as Sales, Product or as a member of the Chief Operating Officer's team.

This programme is available in:

• China
• Hong Kong
• India
• Kenya
• Korea
• Nigeria
• Singapore
• South Africa
• United Arab Emirates
• United Kingdom

Application and requirements

The breadth of our work means there is a role to suit everyone. Find out what we're looking for and learn more about the application process.

Qualities for successshow/hide

Success in Wholesale Banking requires many qualities. You must be driven and have a great attitude, making yourself a valued member of a high performance team. You'll need to be great at building relationships and have the confidence to work with high-profile global clients. You should be able to think strategically, easily connecting the dots between the challenge and the solution.

Energy and stamina are vital, as is a cool head in a fast-paced environment. And to cap it all off you must by highly numerate and analytical.

Entry requirementsshow/hide

• An undergraduate degree, any discipline
• The legal right to work in the country for which you are applying
• Fluency in English; a second language is considered beneficial.

Application processshow/hide

1. Online application
The first step is to complete an online application, where you'll need to tell us your:

• personal details
• academic background
• work experience.

2. Online assessment
You'll then be asked to complete a series of online assessments. You need to pass each one to progress to the next stage.

Numerical Reasoning Test
This test measures numerical reasoning skills in a business context, such as tables and charts typically found in reports and the financial press.

Logical Reasoning Test
This test measures your logical reasoning abilities, which is important when solving problems and analysing information.

Talent Assessment
This assessment is designed to assess your behavioural preferences and help us understand your potential to thrive within Standard Chartered.

We employ a policy of re-testing and may require you to repeat any or all of our online assessments at a later stage in the application process. This re-testing will take place at one of our testing centres.

3. First interview
Following success in the online tests you may be invited to a telephone or face-to-face interview. This 60-minute interview is your opportunity to tell us about your achievements and strengths, and to ask us questions.

4. Final interview and assessments
The format of the day's activities varies from country to country and you will be told beforehand what you will be doing. It typically includes:

Face-to-face interview
During this 60-minute interview, you'll need to display your communication skills as you answer more challenging questions about yourself, your understanding of the Bank and your reasons for choosing Wholesale Banking.

Group exercise
You'll need to demonstrate how you can communicate a specific point of view under pressure whilst working in a group.

Presentation
You may be asked to give a presentation. If so, you'll receive a topic and all the preparation material you'll need on the day.

5. Final decision
After the process is complete, we'll let you know of our decision within 72 hours.

FAQs

Please contact us if you have any questions that are not answered below.

How do I submit my application?show/hide

All applications should be submitted online. We do not process applications received in any other format.

Do I need any work experience?show/hide

We do not expect graduates to have any prior work experience. It is only one of many factors that will be considered during the application process. We assess you based on your ability to demonstrate talents and skills gained through other life experiences, such as travel, study, research, or involvement in community affairs.

Do I need a background in Finance?show/hide

We welcome applications from candidates with a variety of degree disciplines. Entry requirements for the different graduate programmes differ, so please refer to the individual programme pages for more information.

If I’m not based in the country I apply to, can I still apply?show/hide

You may apply for the programme from anywhere in the world, as long as you have the legal right to work in the country for which you are applying.

Will Standard Chartered apply for a work permit for me?show/hide

We cannot arrange work permits on your behalf. As a minimum requirement for all graduate programmes, you must have the legal right to work full-time in the country to which you're applying. You'll be asked to verify this as part of the application process.

Do you sponsor graduates for further education?show/hide

Graduates who take part in the Wholesale Bank International Graduate Programme will be sponsored to undertake the CFA Level 1 qualification.

What's the deadline for applying?show/hide

For the majority of programmes you can apply online from September. Each programme has a different closing date, please check the relevant programme page for more information. We review each application on receipt and make offers throughout the year. We don't leave it to the last minute and nor should you.

When do the graduate programmes start?show/hide

Start dates vary by programme. The majority of graduate programmes start between June and August each year. All graduates must have commenced by 1 September 2012, the official start date for graduate programmes.