Product Development SpecialistCountry: Spain
Trade and Working Capital Solutions is one of the growth engines of Santander Corporate & Investment Banking (SCIB), delivering tailored solutions that address risk mitigation, liquidity, and off-balance sheet financing. Within this area, Documentary Trade focuses on structuring Bank Guarantees and Letters of Credit to support clients’ strategic and operational goals.
These products help bridge trust gaps between counterparties, provide instant liquidity, extend payment terms, ensure requirements of regulatory and commercial obligations, or improve competitiveness by unlocking supplier finance opportunities. Our role is not just about product delivery – it’s about executing complex transactions across jurisdictions, legal systems, currencies, and counterparties with speed, security, and strategic insight.
SCIB serves top-tier corporate clients across multiple geographies and sectors, relying on us to solve critical challenges in their natural course of business.
We are seeking a Product Development Specialist to lead the evolution of digital trade finance solutions, with a particular focus on documentary trade (e.g., Letters of Credit, Collections, Guarantees). The successful candidate will be responsible for tracking market trends, proposing and delivering IT solutions aligned with client needs and industry standards, managing product development lifecycles, and enhancing integration with third-party platforms.
Santander Corporate & Investment Banking (SCIB) is Santander's global division that supports some of the world's most complex and sophisticated corporate and institutional clients, offering customized services and value-added wholesale products to best meet their needs.
Our mission is to contribute to help more people and businesses prosper. We embrace a strong risk culture and all our professionals at all levels are expected to take a proactive and responsible approach toward risk management.
Santander is proud of being an organization where there are equal opportunities regardless of age, gender, disability, civil status, race, religion or sexual orientation.
Key Responsibilities
. Digital Product Development
1. Design and drive the development of digital solutions in the documentary trade space (LCs, Collections, Guarantees, etc.).
2. Translate business and customer requirements into technology features and development roadmaps.
3. Collaborate with internal stakeholders (MO, Operations, IT, Legal, Compliance) to ensure end-to-end delivery of new products and enhancements.
. Market & Industry Monitoring
4. Continuously monitor global and regional trends in trade digitization, regulatory changes, and emerging technologies (e.g., blockchain, eBLs, digital compliance tools).
5. Assess competitor offerings and benchmark product capabilities to maintain market relevance.
. Technology Engagement & Management
6. Define and lead IT development priorities for trade products in alignment with business goals.
7. Maintain and update the product development backlog, working with agile and waterfall methodologies as appropriate.
8. Identify gaps in existing operational platforms and commercial offerings and define clear roadmaps to bridge them.
. Third-Party Integration
9. Engage with external trade technology providers (e.g., trade platforms, blockchain consortia, digital document providers) to evaluate integration opportunities.
10. Define technical and commercial engagement models with partners, including onboarding requirements and SLA definitions.
. Investment Planning & Roadmapping
11. Develop and present business cases for IT investments needed to support new trade products or platform enhancements.
12. Define short-, medium-, and long-term roadmaps for digital trade product development and platform evolution.
. Client-Centric Approach
13. Liaise with relationship managers, front-line teams, and clients to gather feedback and anticipate digital needs in trade finance.
14. Act as a subject matter expert for digital documentary trade solutions in internal and external forums.
Experience
15. – years of experience in Trade Finance, with a strong focus on documentary trade products such as: Letters of Credit (LCs), Documentary Collections, Bank Guarantees and Standby LCs.
16. + years of experience in product development, product management, or business analysis roles within the financial services sector.
17. Trade Finance Operations & Product Knowledge: In-depth understanding of the full lifecycle of documentary trade transactions, including customer onboarding, compliance checks, processing, and settlement.
18. Familiarity with ICC rules (UCP, URDG, ISP, URC, etc.).
19. Experience working with technology teams to define and deliver digital products or enhancements.
20. Experience with or knowledge of third-party trade platforms such as: Contour, Bolero, essDOCS, Komgo, TradeLens, Traydstream, Surecomp
21. Understanding of eBL (electronic Bills of Lading), API-based integrations, and interoperability standards in digital trade ecosystems.
22. Exposure to client engagement in trade product discussions, digital solution rollouts, or platform demos.
23. Collaboration with Sales, Relationship Management, Operations, IT, Legal, and Compliance teams.
24. Involvement in platform integration assessments or partnerships with fintechs or trade consortia.
25. Experience building or enhancing product roadmaps and securing IT investment approvals.
Education
26. Required: Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business Administration, Economics, International Trade, Information Systems or Computer Science (with relevant trade/finance experience).
27. Preferred: Masters Degree (or higher) in Business Administration (MBA), International Trade or Trade Finance, Fintech or Digital Transformation, Technology Management or Product Development.
28. Bonus: Additional certifications related to CDCS (Certified Documentary Credit Specialist), CSDG (Certificate for Specialists in Demand Guarantees), PMP or Prince, Certified Scrum Product Owner or similar Agile Credentials, Fintech or Blockchain certifications related to Trade Platforms.
Skills
29. + years of experience in trade finance, particularly in documentary products (LCs and Bank Guarantees).
30. Strong understanding of trade product lifecycle and operational workflows.
31. Experience managing or supporting IT projects.
32. Familiarity with trade digitalization trends and relevant technologies (e.g., SWIFT for Corporates, DLT-based trade platforms, eBL frameworks).
33. Experience with third-party trade platforms (e.g., Contour, TradeLens, Bolero, essDOCS, Komgo).
34. Background in product management or business analysis within financial services.
35. Knowledge of regulatory frameworks related to international trade (UCP, URC, ISP, etc.).
36. Strong analytical and strategic thinking.
37. Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
38. Ability to work cross-functionally in a dynamic and evolving environment.
Other information
39. The role requires occasional international travel.
Why Join Us
40. Opportunity to lead digital transformation in a critical area of trade finance of a global leader in this space.
41. Work in a high-impact role bridging business, technology, and client needs.
42. Exposure to cutting-edge developments in global trade and fintech partnerships.
SCIB