Senior Manager, Asset Finance, Retail & Business Banking Credit Approvals

Purpose:

The purpose of the role is to implement a robust credit management framework within the asset finance Credit Approvals unit. The holder will be responsible for making decisions on asset finance lending proposals as per delegated authority, and in line with the Credit Risk Management policy and the asset finance Product Guideline.

The primary accountabilities will include maintaining a quality asset finance loan portfolio and minimizing potential losses through provisions. The job function will also be expected to establish a conducive work environment that contributes to staff satisfaction with attention to team development and productivity.

Responsibilities/Duties/Tasks

Review and approvals of Retail Credit facilities

• Credit risk assessment and sanctioning of asset finance facilities.
• Decision on those within the Management Delegated Limits and submit the ones above delegated authority to the appropriate approval level with support/necessary comments.
• Manage and ensure that credit proposals and applications submitted comply with the Credit Policy and CBK Prudential Guidelines, ensuring that breaches are identified, mitigated and approvals obtained at appropriate levels.
• Manage and evaluate to understand risks associated with individual transactions, products, securities, and borrowers including the industries they operate within.
• Manage and ensure to provide a high level of service to the internal customer based on accuracy, responsiveness and turnaround time (TAT).
• Regular review of performance indicators (including First Instalment Defaults and Early Indicators) on the asset finance portfolio to identify any causes of concern arising from credit decisions.
• Exercise diligence, independence, and good judgement in credit decision to ensure quality Retail Credit portfolio.

Stakeholder and TAT Management

• Adherence to Departmental Service Level Agreements (SLAs)4
• Enhance Customer Experience by achieving set benchmarks in Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) and Net Promoter Score (NPS)
• Ensuring coordination & collaboration engagements with branch relationship teams, credit documentation, legal and credit administration teams on matters related to lending for Retail Asset Finance segment
• Resolving any complaints within the unit and escalating where required

People Management and Training

• Provide leadership and build a high-performance employee culture
• Competency development through coaching and on-the-job training from identified training needs and capacity gaps.
• Training Credit staff, Management Trainees and Frontline staff on credit appraisal and the general parameters for the asset finance product.
• Performance Management
• Succession Management
• Leave Management
• Employee Retention
• Achieve set employee satisfaction benchmarks in the Employee Engagement Index

Governance and process improvements

• Ensuring proper controls in the origination process to ensure all risks are minimized for the asset finance segment.
• Review of processes within the unit to ensure they support the business aspirations
• Providing feedback loop for any policy rules and areas that may need improvement based on risk identified during credit initiation process.
• Retail Lending systems testing.
• Coordinate the process of movement of applications and advising credit decisions between branches and approving authorities.

Review and Sign off of Credit Facility Contracts and Other Bank documents

• Bank’s Authorized Signatory for various documents prepared for execution as per Delegated Authority.
• Ensuring Credit Facility Contracts & covenant trackers conform to set approved terms and conditions with the same captured consistently in the Loan Origination System (LOS).

Other duties

• Undertake tasks/ projects assigned from time to time including handling other products based on volumes
• Conducting of site/client visits for new clients or existing to check on overall state of operations in a view to mitigate identified risks.

Decision making and accountabilities

DECISIONS/RECOMMEDATIONS MADE UNDER THIS ROLE.

• Approving credit facilities within delegated authority and recommending those above delegated authority has a direct impact on company finances
• Ownership of credit decisions within the team
• Preparing and recommending Credit proposals that need Credit Committee approvals
• Recommending improvements to policy rules and processes
• Execution of facility financial contracts on behalf of the bank ensures customer compliance to approved terms and facilitates covenant tracking to set terms upon acceptance of the approved terms.
• Advises on facility structure, collateral structure and mitigating factors to mitigating credit risk.
• Strategic planning and formulation of an aligned Credit Risk Management Strategy within asset finance.
• Reviewing of underwriting processes for efficiency and recommending changes where required
• Quality credit proposal analysis ensures, faster decisioning on requests presented which in turn ensures customer feedback is provided in the shortest time possible. By adhering to service level agreements, we ensure that customer requests are processed in good time end to end and this translates to efficient service delivery.
• Approval of credit proposals results in preparation of facility contract letters upon whose acceptance by customers results in revenue and conformance to covenants.
• Stakeholder engagement and training facilitates alignment of credit review process across the bank resulting in meeting service level agreements in place.
• Gives suggestions on required process enhancements.
• Engagement with the monitoring and collections teams on covenants, restructures etc.

Person Specifications

• A bachelor’s degree in business management with a bias in Commerce, Accounting, Economics or Finance
• 7 to 9 years of experience performing verification/quality review/work guidance/work allocation
• At least 7 years relevant experience Credit unit of the Bank.
• Excellent knowledge of all Retail and Business Banking products – specialization on Asset Finance
• Ability to write comprehensive reports
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Strong people-management skills
• Advanced financial risk analysis skills
• Advanced credit risk management skills.
• Excellent problem solving and decision-making skills.
• High level of people management skills