Head Credit Jhb

A digital bank with a strong entrepreneurial identity and a high-performance culture is looking for a Consumer Head of Credit, who will be accountable for all aspects of credit risk for the Consumer Lending portfolio of the company.

The position includes managing and defining the risk appetite, ensuring that credit processes and solutions are effective, that adequate controls are in place and that portfolios are controlled within the defined risk appetite. They will ensure that leading-edge predictive risk, modelling, and techniques are established and deployed in the business to ensure long term profitability and a sustained competitive advantage. Key performance areas would be Portfolio growth, Portfolio Credit performance, Portfolio profitability, People interaction and management.

Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

**DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES**
- Play the primary role in determining and setting the credit risk appetite level for the Consumer Lending portfolio having considered the risk /reward trade-off in the medium term (through an economic cycle)
- Drive the credit process in the bank for the Consumer Credit Portfolio and agree the risk appetite and mandates and scales
- Ensure optimal credit cut-off strategies are in place to optimise the profitability of the credit portfolios over the medium to long term
- Ensure the Credit Risk framework and related credit policies are appropriate and effective, aligned to the overall objectives and strategic direction of the bank and that portfolio and concentration risks are proactively managed
- Responsible for the derivation and implementation of credit risk strategy across the credit lifecycle
- Represent the credit risk function at the Board and Regulators (when required) and at various other Committees to influence business strategies and actions to ensure that
- growth is obtained in the optimal segments
- Develop credit awareness and knowledge, through education and consultation with relevant stakeholders, credit approvers, bank leadership and operational/collections staff
- Through an independent risk function ensure that business lending plans for the company are appropriate and on track to deliver against expectations. This is done by reviewing and providing input to budgets, business cases, new credit products, pricing, target market criteria, credit marketing and advertising material, process changes, etc
- Have a thorough understanding of models that calculate the PD, EAD and LGD for both impairments and capital in the portfolio to ensure that appropriate capital and impairments are held on the portfolio
- Implement and monitor credit limit increase and decrease strategies on the existing portfolio to optimise profits
- Ensure effective, fit for purpose monitoring and accurate reporting for all products within the Consumer Credit portfolios
- Provide input to optimise customer payment strategies to prevent delinquency
- Ensure appropriate and accurate forecasting and predictive tools are in place to monitor credit portfolios and enable pro-active risk decisioning
- Manage and control all compliance, mandatory and regulatory accountabilities in the portfolio including the National Credit Act (NCA), RDARR and the Credit Risk Management Control Framework
- Ensure the effective control and execution of manual credit decisioning and collections activities. (Manual overrides should be kept to a minimum and systems/tools should be leveraged where possible)
- Effectively monitor and review the credit portfolios and make recommendations to the business owners to ensure optimal portfolio performance through the economic cycle
- Ensure that the credit structure and processes are optimal and that costs are effectively managed
- Build an effective and optimal credit team to ensure credit risk is managed
- Review and approve mandate changes
- Represent the company on the relevant industry bodies like BASA
- Assist, as necessary, in other areas of the bank or on certain committees where skills

may be appropriate i.e. ALCO**REQUIREMENTS**
- Bachelor’s degree with, preferably, a suitable post-graduate qualification
- A South African who, ideally, has a strong contextual grasp of digital banking
- Relevant experience in credit risk management in senior leadership roles
- Should have broad knowledge and experience in digital consumer offerings
- At least 5 years’ experience in portfolio credit risk management (unsecured Consumer and SME Credit portfolios)
- Knowledgeable about the Banks Act, Basel, NCA and other applicable regulatory
- requirements
- Operational and business management skills
- Good interpersonal people skills
- Good communication skills
- Ability to manage relationships
- Analytical and critical abilities
- Disciplined and results orientated
- Ability to work independently and drive initiatives with enthusiasm
- Adapt well to change and embrace the dynamism of establishing a new business
- Strives for continual learning and development of