Credit and Operations Manager

SUMMARY:
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POSITION INFO:

Responsibilities:

Leadership

• Manage the team members to deliver all planned and agreed department performance targets to ensure that the various sections are efficient and value-adding to the Group.
• Manage the underwriting and acquisitions process for loan origination. This includes the development and implementation of acquisition strategies and related models, eg pricing and profitability models and customer profiling.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including operations, legal, marketing and finance to ensure seamless execution of credit processes and procedures.

Operations Management

• Responsible for designing, implementing, operating and continuously improving the back-office systems and processes that underpin the member lending offer, namely underwriting, loan administration and collections.
• Managing the entire back-office processes implies managing a wide range of operational activities alongside managing customer relationships. These include but are not limited to performing credit analysis, establishing direct communication channels with applicants and borrowers, issuing loan agreements, applying payments to individual accounts, identifying delinquent accounts, taking direct collections action, issuing monthly statements, addressing customer claims.
• Set up new business processes including its enabling IT systems.
• Manage day-to-day underwriting and collections and taking corrective actions.
• Manage the loan origination process, from application to disbursement, ensuring compliance with all legal and internal policies.
• Analyse bottlenecks and implementing solutions that bring process performance to the next level. Examples of critical success metrics would be improving time to loan approval, reducing the % of portfolio in late repayment.
• Manage the operational cost aligned to budget and make recommendations. Keeping the balance between providing an outstanding customer experience and controlling the cost of managing the operations.
• Prepare regular presentations on the overall status of lending operations and deliver results and improvement plans to the Senior Manager.
• Ensure that the credit team delivers its services efficiently and effectively in line with the TCF regulations.

Credit Control

• Identify, draft, develop, and implement credit operational processes, policies, and guidelines for approval consideration by Senior Manager.
• Regularly review and update the credit management operational policies.
• Monitor the loan performance metrics and generating reports for senior management.
• Keep track of loan performance, identifying early signs of default, and taking proactive measures to mitigate losses. Consistent monitoring and reporting on the performance of the loan portfolio help in maintaining the financial health of the lending business.
• Analyse the performance of existing members’ loans and prepare appropriate recommendations.
• Monitor loan performance and prepare appropriate reports.
• In liaison with the credit control manager, review members’ loan applications to reject or accept.
• Recommend loan recovery strategies for bad debts to the credit committee.
• Ensure that the credit portfolio is well-diversified to mitigate the risk of high exposure to any single borrower, industry, or geographical area.
• To ensure protection of the business from sector-specific downturns and defaults.
• Leverage technological advancements and data analytics to improve credit assessments and operational efficiencies.
• Build robust frameworks for assessing creditworthiness and refining lending practices can help in managing credit risk better and offering better terms to borrowers.
• Manage the credit modelling and portfolio monitoring function across the entire credit life cycle, in line with relevant governance frameworks/processes and regulations.

Risk Management

• Devise risk management strategies in conjunction with the risk management department.
• Develop and implement credit risk management policies and ensure alignment with regulatory requirements and business objectives.
• Foster a culture of risk awareness and compliance, promoting sound credit practices and ethical lending standards throughout the organisation.
• Manage vendor and other credit risk-relevant, third-party relationships, ie. service providers and contractors, Credit Bureaus, and auditors.

Compliance, Corporate Governance, and Control

• Apply corporate governance in the department.
• Ensure compliance with the credit policies and guidelines of the Company.
• Provide internal and external audit with information required and respond timeously to reports. Implement agreed actions.

People Management

• Set goals/objectives for the head of sections in the department.
• Appraise the head of sections and make appropriate recommendation.
• Lead its team by example, this requires keeping track of performance metrics and corrective actions where necessary.
• Recommend cases of discipline to the HR Department for review and onward transmission to the disciplinary committee for appropriate action
• Coach and mentor departmental staff.
• In liaison with the HR Department, identifies staff training needs and recommends for relevant training to enhance their capacity.
• Develop and mentor a high-performing credit team, providing guidance, coaching, and professional development opportunities.

Reports

• Prepare and oversee the preparation of regular reports and presentations on credit risk performance, trends, and key metrics for senior management and stakeholders, as well as regulatory required reporting to regulatory bodies as required through Senior Manager.

Experience and Qualifications:

• Minimum of 5 to 8 years’ experience in consumer or commercial lending either as a business / systems / process analyst or credit / risk / collections manager of which a minimum of 3 years includes management experience.
• Strong understanding of credit risk principles with a substantive focus on originations, collections, and business integration/strategy.
• Keeps abreast of best practice methods and trends.
• Ability to motivate and inspire a diverse team.
• Ability to collaborate cross-functionally and influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Ability to focus on driving performance, innovation, and continuous improvement in credit risk management practices