Credit Portfolio Manager

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Job Summary

The Credit Portfolio Manager, part of the Retail Credit Risk management complement, will be responsible for overall management of assigned credit portfolios. In addition, being a managerial role, the role holder will be responsible for training and management of other colleagues in the team and the wider risk teams. The role holder will work closely with business stakeholders in sales, products, credit operations and IT to deliver portfolio objectives.
• Responsibility for the quality of the Retail & Business Banking Credit assigned portfolios and management of the Credit Life Cycle in aggregate, which comprises of the following
 Product Planning
 Credit Initiation
 Account Maintenance
 Retail Credit Fraud Management
 Analytics and Modeling
 Collections & Recoveries
• Develop strategies throughout the credit cycle including prospect targeting and acquisition, exposure management, customer marketing, collections and recoveries
• Credit risk accountability into product reviews / new products in the assigned portfolios
• Contribute to setting of Retail & Business Banking risk appetite
• Accountability for Retail & Business Banking impaired debt portfolio and management in the assigned portfolios
• Initiate, design, develop and implement new technologies and methodologies to improve the process efficiency and quality of the lending portfolio.
• Scorecard reviews
• Sampling responsibility to ensure credit quality is maintained
• Perform Portfolio Quality Reviews

Job Description

Key accountabilities/Deliverables/Outcomes

Accountability: Credit Risk Management - 40%

• In collaboration with the business counterparts, develop, implement and maintain credit risk strategies
• Ensure the highest standards of credit quality through the sanctioning, sampling and application of best practice to credit proposals, and maintenance of these standards throughout the Credit Teams.
• Review and Implementation of credit policy and processes.  Feed into business and credit policy development.
• Ensure adherence to Lending discretions with appropriate delegation to the Retail Credit and Credit Operations Team.
• Exercise personal judgment and discretion in the evaluation and approval/decline of credit proposals.
• Responsibility for personal & team adherence to governance, compliance and lending portfolio controls. Ensuring audit outcomes are satisfactory backed by conformance to policy and procedures including proactive management of agreed responsibilities for Data Integrity.
• Maintain interactive relationship with relevant ARO/Group Risk/Business/Operations/Conformance Teams.
• Challenge pricing and profitability models in order to maximize value. Ultimate sign off at customer level remains with Business.
• Design, implement and maintain generic strategies for appropriate remedial action on poorly performing accounts in the portfolio

 

Accountability: Business Risk Partnership & Stakeholder Management – 40%   

• Work in partnership with the Head of Retail and Business Banking Credit to ensure that the credit team proactively anticipates & responds to (and seek to exceed) the expectations of customers. Always looking to add value.
• Develop a strong Risk/CODO/Retail Business partnerships
• Represent Retail Credit Risk in forums where Credit Risk is directly or indirectly impacted.

 

Accountability: Leadership - 20%

• Be part of a highly motivated team maintaining excellent relationships within own team and wider business to ensure achievement of business goals.
• Consider the training and development needs of the team and support the development and implementation of solutions.
• Act as a role model and drive proactive application of Absa behaviours throughout the team including establishment of common goals and objectives.
• Ensure effective performance development and succession planning for the team.

Role/person specification

Qualification

• Business Degree in mathematical finance, actuarial science, economics, statistics
• Comprehensive technical credit skills
• General commercial/industry awareness
• Working knowledge of risk management policies, procedures & pricing

Experience

• Working knowledge of Group policies and strategies relative to the credit function
• Product knowledge
• Detailed understanding / fit of the vision for Risk
• Working knowledge of local country structure and strategy
• Leadership and performance development of a team
• Managing risk and reward

Knowledge and Skills

• Leadership
• People management and coaching
• Communications (written and oral) and presentations
• Effective negotiation and influencing
• Delegation
• Influencing

Absa Bank Kenya is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. Preference will be given to suitable candidates from designated groups whose appointments will contribute towards achievement of equitable demographic representation of our workforce profile and add to the diversity of the Bank.

***Application Deadline – 16th October 2026***

Education

Bachelor's Degree: Business, Commerce and Management Studies (Required)