Credit Operations Lead at Kuda Bank

Kuda is a full service, app-based digital bank. Our mission is to be the go-to bank not just for those living on the African continent, but also for the African diaspora wherever they might live, anywhere in the world. Kuda is free of ridiculous banking charges and great at helping customers budget, spend smartly and save more. We raised the largest seed round ever seen in Africa, and completed a Series A funding round in February 2021, led by some of the world's smartest venture capital investors. With offices in London (our HQ), Lagos and Cape Town, and further offices opening across Africa during 2021, Kuda is fast becoming recognised as the leading 'Neobank' for Africans.

To help us grow into the company that can bring meaningful change to the way people across Africa get access to great financial products and services in order to take control of their personal finances, we are actively looking for bright, talented, driven people who are excited by our mission. If this sounds like a great way to spend your valuable time, then please get in touch with us.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Credit Operations Lead

Location: Lagos
Employment Type: Full-time
Department: Credit

Role Overview

• As the Collections and Underwriting Manager, you will be responsible for overseeing and optimizing the performance of the underwriting and collections teams.
• Your primary focus will be on developing and implementing effective underwriting standards, procedures, and policies to evaluate borrower creditworthiness and manage portfolio risk across retail lending products.

Responsibilities

• Manage a team of underwriters, collection agents, and analysts, including recruitment, training, development, and performance management
• Develop and implement underwriting standards, procedures, and policies for all retail lending products to effectively evaluate borrower creditworthiness and manage portfolio risk
• Oversee the underwriting process from application through decisioning to ensure consistency, accuracy and compliance with policies and regulations
• Monitor portfolio performance metrics including delinquencies, losses, and recoveries; analyze trends and recommend strategies to optimize results
• Establish collection policies and procedures, including account segmentation, treatment strategies, contact strategies, promise-to-pay options, settlement authority.
• Develop and manage collections performance metrics such as promise-to-pay ratios, contact rates, promise ratios, roll rates, and recovery rates. Identify trends and continuously refine strategies.
• Manage timelines for accounts moving through collections cycle, ensuring appropriate treatment strategies are utilized based on delinquency status.
• Oversee late stage collections including pre-charge off activities, lien perfection, repossessions, foreclosures, bankruptcies, probate/estates.
• Determine appropriate use of internal collections staff versus placement with external collection agencies. Establish agreements and manage relationships with third party agencies.
• Monitor performance of external agencies, ensuring compliance with regulations and company policies.
• Implement collections technology solutions to increase productivity and enhance strategies. Stay current on collections best practices.
• Develop tailored workout programs to maximize recoveries including loan modifications, payment plans, settlements.
• Ensure collections practices adhere to all applicable regulations and consumer protection laws.
• Partner with other business leaders to balance portfolio growth with risk management and deliver on broader organizational objectives
• Participate in new product development, providing input on credit risk factors, underwriting criteria, and portfolio implications
• Contribute to long-term credit strategy by analyzing competitive intelligence, emerging trends, and regulatory changes to identify growth opportunities
• Stay current on industry best practices, lending technologies, and data analytics to identify opportunities for increased efficiency and reduced costs.

Requirements

• BSc in Accounting, Economics, Banking, Finance and Commerce (or relevant fields)
• 6 - 7 years of experience in financial services/ fintech, with a focus on loan recovery and managing loan portfolios
• Proven track record in loan recovery
• Demonstrated experience in managing loan portfolios
• Extensive background in financial services or Fintech, underscoring a deep understanding of the industry's nuances and dynamics
• Solid understanding of Credit regulation within the Nigeria banking industry

Benefits
At Kuda, our people are the heart of our business, so we prioritize your welfare. We offer a wide range of competitive benefits in areas including but not limited to:

• Pension
• Competitive annual leave plus bank holidays
• Group life insurance
• Health insurance
• L&D training
• We are advocates of work-life balance and offer a 3-day-per-week remote working option.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.