Head of Credit Risk

About the role

The Head of Credit Risk will safeguard the bank’s capital and ensure sound credit risk management across both conventional and digital lending portfolios. The role leads micro‑finance credit risk, overseeing field underwriting, group lending, branch operations and cash‑flow‑based assessments while providing strategic oversight of digital lending.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and refine credit policies, underwriting guidelines, risk appetite, concentration limits and lending frameworks for micro‑finance, informal businesses, group and agricultural portfolios.
• Establish early‑warning systems to detect emerging portfolio risks, including regional, economic, climate and agricultural repayment shocks.
• Serve as Secretary to the Bank Credit Risk Committee, delivering portfolio analytics, vintage analysis, vulnerability assessments and risk recommendations to the Executive Board.
• Review and sanction high‑value credit applications that exceed branch and regional approval authorities.
• Own and continuously enhance the IFRS 9 Expected Credit Loss framework, including PD, LGD, EAD, asset staging, SICR parameters and forward‑looking macroeconomic scenarios.
• Lead audit and regulatory engagements related to credit impairment, risk models, portfolio quality and related disclosures.
• Provide strategic oversight of automated credit decisioning, digital scorecards, alternative data, lending limits and loan‑sizing parameters.
• Oversee field collections and recovery operations, ensuring ethical, compliant and effective practices across manual and digital channels.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Banking, Finance, Economics, Business Administration or a related quantitative field; Master’s degree or professional certifications (FRM, PRM, CFA) are a distinct advantage.
• 10–15+ years of progressive experience in consumer risk within commercial or micro‑finance banking, with at least 5 years in a senior executive or managerial position.
• Hands‑on experience in retail/consumer lending, portfolio risk management, credit policy, credit risk analytics and unsecured/secured consumer products.
• Strong knowledge of central‑bank regulations, consumer lending laws and IFRS 9/CECL.

Required skills

• IFRS 9 and CECL credit‑risk accounting frameworks.
• Digital credit scoring and alternative data analysis.
• Credit risk analytics and portfolio risk management.
• Understanding of macro‑economic scenario modelling for PD, LGD and EAD.