Head, Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) & Internal Control at a Licensed Fintech-driven Microfinance Bank - Veridion Advisory Partners

Veridion Advisory Partners - Our client is a licensed fintech-driven microfinance bank positioned to redefine digital financial inclusion through technology-enabled lending, payments, and savings solutions. As a startup institution entering a critical growth phase, the organization is building a scalable digital banking model designed to serve individuals, SMEs, and underserved markets through secure, data-driven financial services aligned with CBN regulatory standards.

To establish a world-class financial foundation and institutional governance structure from inception, the Bank seeks an exceptional executive for the position below:

Job Title: Head, Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) & Internal Control

Location: Lagos
Employment Type: Full-time

Job Description

• The Head, Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) & Internal Control will hold primary responsibility for designing, implementing, and institutionalizing the Bank’s enterprise-wide risk governance and internal control framework from inception.
• Reporting functionally to the Board Risk Committee and administratively to Executive Management, this role serves as the Bank’s central authority for risk identification, control assurance, regulatory compliance oversight, and organizational risk culture development.
• The successful candidate will build risk structures, policies, monitoring systems, and governance mechanisms required for a scalable fintech microfinance institution operating within CBN regulatory standards.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement the Bank’s Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) framework aligned with COSO and ISO 31000 principles.
• Establish institution-wide risk governance policies, procedures, and control standards from inception.
• Develop enterprise risk registers covering credit, operational, liquidity, technology, fraud, compliance, and strategic risks.
• Lead enterprise-wide risk assessments and emerging risk identification processes.
• Establish internal control architecture across all banking operations and digital channels.
• Implement continuous control monitoring and exception reporting mechanisms.
• Develop risk dashboards and board-level reporting frameworks.
• Ensure compliance with CBN regulations, microfinance guidelines, and fintech risk standards.
• Lead fraud risk prevention, revenue assurance, and operational loss mitigation initiatives.
• Develop Business Continuity Management (BCM) and Operational Resilience frameworks.
• Provide independent risk advisory support to executive leadership and product teams.
• Build and lead the Bank’s Risk & Internal Control function as the institution scales.

Requirements
Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics, Banking, or related discipline.
• Master’s Degree or MBA preferred.
• Professional certifications such as ACA, ACCA, CIA, CISA, CRISC, or FRM strongly preferred.
• Certification in Microfinance Banking (CIBN) or willingness to obtain same.

Experience:

• Minimum of 12 years progressive experience in Risk Management, Internal Control, Internal Audit, or Compliance within banking or fintech institutions.
• At least 7 years in leadership capacity.
• Demonstrated experience establishing or significantly strengthening risk or control frameworks.
• Prior experience within Microfinance Bank, Digital Bank, Fintech, or Commercial Bank environment.
• Proven exposure to regulatory examinations and audit engagements.
• Experience supporting institutional licensing, regulatory readiness, or governance setup is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively within startup or transformation environments.

Other Requirements:

• Demonstrated capability to establish measurable risk governance structures within the first 90 days.
• Strong independence, professional skepticism, and ethical judgment.
• Ability to function as an institutional safeguard and trusted executive advisor.
• Willingness to undergo regulatory, background, and professional verification.

Skills:

• Deep expertise in enterprise risk management within financial institutions.
• Strong understanding of fintech and digital banking risk exposure.
• Advanced internal control design and assurance capability.
• Strong regulatory interpretation and governance expertise.
• Ability to translate risk insights into executive decision support.
• High analytical, investigative, and problem-solving capability.
• Strong stakeholder influence at executive and board level.
• Experience implementing risk systems within growth environments.

Remuneration

• Competitive executive compensation aligned with fintech microfinance banking benchmarks.
• Performance incentives linked to regulatory readiness, control maturity, and institutional risk stability.
• Opportunity to play a founding leadership role within a high-growth digital bank.

Application Closing Date
11th March, 2026.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their CV to: info.veridionadvisorypartners@gmail.com using “Head, ERM & Internal Control” as the subject of the mail.