Zedcrest Capital is a full service capital management firm, with core interests in fixed income securities trading, asset management and proprietary investments.
We are recruiting to fill the position below:
Job Title: Manager, Retail Credit Underwriting
Location: Lagos
Job type: Full-time (Hybrid)
Workplace Type: Onsite
Reports To: Head Risk Management
Job Summary
- The Manager, Retail Credit Underwriting will be responsible for leading the end-to-end underwriting of retail credit exposures, ensuring high-quality credit decisions that support loan growth while maintaining strong portfolio quality.
- The role will oversee credit risk assessment, approval governance, and underwriting standards for retail lending, ensuring alignment with the organization’s risk appetite, credit policies, and regulatory requirements.
- The role also provides insight into portfolio performance through underwriting trends and decision analytics, supporting continuous improvement in credit quality.
Responsibilities
Credit Underwriting & Risk Assessment:
- Lead the review and assessment of retail loan applications (salary loans, personal loans, etc.)
- Conduct detailed credit analysis including income validation, affordability (DTIR), and repayment capacity
- Evaluate credit bureau reports, repayment history, and customer behavior
- Approve or recommend credit decisions within assigned authority limits
- Ensure all decisions align with credit policy, risk appetite, and regulatory standards
Approval Governance & Decision Quality:
- Maintain strong oversight on quality of credit decisions and underwriting discipline
- Ensure consistency in risk acceptance criteria and decision-making frameworks
- Review escalated or complex applications and provide structured recommendations
- Track and analyze approval trends, decline reasons, and exceptions
- Minimize approval of high-risk customers that could lead to early delinquency
Portfolio Feedback & Diagnostics (Underwriting Lens):
- Analyze post-disbursement performance of booked loans to assess underwriting effectiveness
- Identify patterns in: early-stage delinquency (0–30 DPD), paypoint/deduction failures, customer segments with elevated risk
- Provide feedback into credit policy, product design, and risk frameworks
- Support continuous improvement in underwriting models and scorecards
Turnaround Time (TAT) & Process Efficiency:
- Ensure timely processing of applications in line with defined service level agreements (SLAs)
- Optimize underwriting workflows to improve speed without compromising quality
- Coordinate effectively with Business teams to ensure smooth application flow and resolution of queries
Policy Compliance & Control:
- Ensure full compliance with credit policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements
- Enforce proper documentation and data integrity in all underwriting decisions
- Maintain audit-ready records and support internal and regulatory audits
- Escalate policy breaches and exceptions appropriately
Stakeholder Engagement:
- Work closely with: Business / Sales teams o Credit Administration, Risk Management, Product & Technology
- Provide risk advisory support on deal structuring and customer selection
- Balance business growth objectives with risk discipline
Team Leadership & Capacity Building:
- Lead and manage a team of retail underwriters
- Set performance targets (quality, TAT, productivity)
- Provide coaching and continuous development to improve analytical and decision-making capability
- Drive a culture of accountability, quality, and consistency
Requirements
- Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or related field with 7–10 years’ experience in retail credit underwriting or credit risk
- At least 3–5 years in a leadership role
- Strong experience in retail lending products and underwriting frameworks
Key Competencies:
- Strong credit analysis and risk assessment capability
- Deep understanding of retail lending and customer behavior
- Strong knowledge of credit bureau interpretation and affordability assessment
- High attention to detail and sound judgment
- Strong analytical and decision-making skills
- Strong leadership and stakeholder management capability
Must have skills:
- Credit Risk Assessment & Decisioning
- Financial Analysis & Interpretation
- Credit Policy Development & Implementation
- Data Analytics & Risk Modeling
- Fraud Detection & Prevention
- Leadership & Team Management
- Turnaround Time (TAT) & Process Efficiency
- Regulatory & Compliance Knowledge
- Stakeholder Management
- Technology & Systems Proficiency
- Decision Quality & Accountability
Application Closing Date
Not Specified.
https://www.hotnigerianjobs.com/hotjobs/930254/manager-retail-credit-underwriting-hybrid-at-zedcr.html