Senior SME Credit Underwriter at Carbon Nigeria

Carbon is a pan-African digital bank with a mission to provide friction-free finance to its customers. Carbon promises to play a fundamental role in its customers’ lives wherever they are, with flexible solutions. We pride ourselves on our efficiency and with just $10mm of equity raised in 2015, we have disbursed over $100m in loans and earned more than $30mm in revenue over the last 2 years. Carbon has operations in Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria, supported by a talented team spread between Lagos, Nairobi, London, Argentina, and Palo Alto so we operate with a remote-first mindset. 

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Senior SME Credit Underwriter

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

Role Overview

• We are seeking a Senior SME Underwriter to lead the credit evaluation of small-to-medium enterprises within our digital banking ecosystem.
• This role requires a sophisticated blend of fundamental cash flow analysis and forward-thinking innovation.
• You will deep-dive into business operations and industry-specific risks to make rigorous, data-driven credit decisions that balance aggressive growth with portfolio health.
• As a technical leader, you will challenge assumptions and leverage AI and alternative data to automate and refine our underwriting engine.
• Beyond individual files, you will integrate Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) principles to ensure activities align with our broader corporate risk appetite and regulatory frameworks.
• Working closely with the Head of Credit Risk, you will contribute to high-impact projects that demand elite analytical skills and a mastery of credit risk factors.

What You Will Do

• SME Credit Assessment: Analyze financial statements, cash flow stability, key KYC and creditworthiness metrics and other industry-specific risks to evaluate repayment capacity to assess the creditworthiness in complex SME loan applications based on established risk criteria.
• Innovation & Automation: Proactively identify automation opportunities and leverage new data sources to enhance underwriting efficiency and accuracy.
• ERM Framework Alignment: Assist in developing and maintaining the Enterprise Risk Management framework to identify, assess, and manage risks across the lending lifecycle.
• AI Integration: Leverage AI tools to enhance predictive modeling, automate routine data extraction, processing and analysis, and improve the speed and accuracy of credit underwriting.
• Portfolio Health Monitoring: Track and monitor the performance of existing credit portfolios to identify trends and early warning signs of credit deterioration.
• Process Optimization: Continuously refine lending processes to maximize disbursements while ensuring the portfolio remains within defined risk appetite limits.
• Compliance & Governance: Ensure all underwriting and risk management activities comply with relevant regulations, internal policies, and documentation standards.

What You Need

• Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Statistics, Mathematics, or a related quantitative field.
• Candidates with professional certifications or specialized Risk Management designations are highly preferred.
• 3+ years of proven experience in SME underwriting, with a focus on evaluating business operations and cash flow stability.
• Strong analytical skills with a meticulous attention to detail when assessing creditworthiness.
• Familiarity with AI-driven analytics, data wrangling, and visualization concepts.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple complex underwriting tasks simultaneously.
• Logical thinker evidenced by strong numerical/ data skills.
• Familiarity with data analytics tools or relevant software is considered a plus.
• A background or strong interest in Enterprise Risk Management functions and aligning credit activities with broader corporate risk appetite.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online