▷ Immediate Start: Relationship Manager

Overview

The Housing Finance Agency plc (HFA) provides loan finance to Local Authorities, Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) and Higher Education Institutions to facilitate the delivery of social and affordable housing. The HFA is a key stakeholder in Ireland’s national housing strategy, supporting the implementation of government policy.

The Role

The Housing Finance Agency (HFA) is seeking a highly skilled and motivated Relationship Manager to join its expanding lending team in a newly created role reporting to the Senior Relationship Manager. This position is central to strengthening the HFA’s customer engagement and credit assessment capabilities, particularly in response to the growing demand for social and affordable housing finance.

The successful candidate will play a key role in assessing lending proposals, managing relationships with Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) and Local Authorities, and contributing to strategic credit decisions. This role is vital to delivering deeper customer insights and ensuring robust credit governance, especially for larger and more complex exposures such as forward funding and cost rental schemes.

The Relationship Manager will work closely with both the portfolio management team and senior stakeholders to ensure the HFA maintains a high-performing, risk-aware lending portfolio.

Responsibilities

- Credit Assessment: Evaluate lending proposals from customers to determine suitability, financial soundness, and alignment with HFA’s lending criteria.
- Credit Paper Preparation: Prepare and present detailed credit papers for review at management and credit committee meetings, ensuring clarity, accuracy, and strategic insight.
- Customer Relationship Management: Engage proactively with customers to understand their business models, strategic plans, and funding requirements. Build strong, trust-based relationships that support long-term collaboration.
- Annual Review Contributions: Support the preparation of customer annual review papers, contributing financial analysis and relationship insights to inform portfolio decisions.
- Quarterly Customer Reviews: Collaborate with the portfolio management team to conduct quarterly reviews of larger customers. Use portfolio MI to identify early warning signs and ensure appropriate remediation plans are implemented.

Essential Criteria / Qualifications

Essential Qualifications & Experience

- A degree-level qualification in Finance, Business, Economics, or a related discipline.
- Minimum of 3 years’ experience in a financial services or lending environment, with a strong background in credit assessment and relationship management.
- Proven experience working in a property lending or relationship management role.
- Strong understanding of financial statements, credit risk, and lending structures.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex information clearly and persuasively.
- High level of proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and Word.
- Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment and manage multiple priorities effectively.

Desirable Experience

- Experience working with Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), Local Authorities, or other public sector entities.
- Familiarity with forward funding, cost rental schemes, or construction finance.
- Exposure to portfolio MI systems or data-driven credit monitoring tools.
- Strong interpersonal skills and a proactive approach to problem-solving.

Competencies

The ideal candidate shall demonstrate the ability to deliver on the following competencies:

- Team Leadership: Supports cross-functional collaboration and leads by example, helping teams deliver high-quality outputs while fostering a culture of adaptability, learning, and continuous improvement.
- Judgement, Analysis & Decision Making: Applies sound judgement and analytical skills to support strategic initiatives, internal reporting, and policy development, ensuring decisions are well-informed and aligned with organisational goals.
- Management & Delivery of Results: Manages multiple priorities and projects efficiently, ensuring timely delivery of internal reports, strategic support, and operational improvements that enhance agency performance.
- Interpersonal & Communication Skills: Builds strong working relationships across departments, communicates clearly and professionally, and ensures effective information flow between the Management Team and wider organisation.
- Specialist Knowledge, Expertise and Self Development: Demonstrates deep understanding of the requirements of their role and sector, while actively pursuing personal and professional growth.
- Drive & Commitment to Public Service Values: Shows dedication to the HFA’s mission, upholding integrity, accountability, and customer focus in all aspects of operational and strategic support.

Principal Conditions of Service

Tenure

The appointment is on a permanent contract subject to the satisfactory completion of a probationary period.

Hours of Work

Operating on a 35-hour week with core hours between 08:00 and 18:30. The HFA currently operates a flexible work model, with staff currently required to work a minimum of two days per week in the office in Dublin 2.

Salary Scale

The Higher Executive Officer Standard salary scale for the position (rates effective from 1 August 2025) is as follows:

HIGHER EXECUTIVE OFFICER (PPC)

€58,847 – €60,567 – €62,285 – €64,000 – €65,723 – €67,437 – €69,157 – €71,637 LSI1 – €74,112 LSI2

This rate applies to new entrants and will also apply where the appointee is an existing civil or public servant appointed on or after 6th April 1995 and is required to make a personal pension contribution.

Principal Non-Personal Pension Contribution Salary Scale

€56,047 – €57,664 – €59,279 – €60,907 – €62,537 – €64,180 – €65,811 – €68,158 LSI1 – €70,513 LSI2

This rate will apply where the appointee is a civil or public servant recruited before 6th April 1995 and who is not required to make a Personal Pension Contribution.

Long service increments may be payable after 3 (LSI 1) and 6 (LSI 2) years satisfactory service at the maximum of the scale.

Important Note

N.B. Entry will be at the minimum of the scale and the rate of remuneration will not be subject to negotiation and may be adjusted from time to time in line with Government pay policy. Subject to satisfactory performance increments may be payable in line with current Government policy. Different terms and conditions may apply if, immediately before appointment, you are a currently serving civil/public servant.

Annual Leave

In addition to the usual Irish public holidays annual leave for this position is 29 working days, based on a five-day week.

How to Apply

Applications should be submitted via HIREHIVE only

Each candidate should submit a short covering letter outlining why you believe your skills, experience and values meet the requirements of the position along with an up-to-date CV.

The closing date for receipt of applications is 3pm on 15 October 2025.

If applicable, please contact our HR Manager, Katherina Sage (no link) if you require a job description in an accessible format. In addition, candidates called for interviews and/or aptitude tests may request reasonable accommodations.

Please note: all job offers are subject to satisfactory references and a pre-employment medical.

The Housing Finance Agency PLC is an equal opportunities employer.

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