Head of Credit - Operations at Hamilton Lloyd and Associates

Reports to: Chief Credit Officer

Job Summary

• The Head of Credit, Operations leads the underwriting, collections & recoveries departments of the company and is responsible for the execution of credit strategies and overall performance management and development of the departments.
• As a member of the Risk Management team you will also be responsible for influencing the company’s credit risk policy
• This position currently supervises 2 Managers and must take ultimate responsibility for the performance of each of those teams. It is expected that this department will grow significantly over the next 2 years.

Job Responsibilities

• Leadership and people management - Lead and direct credit strategies and performance targets in support of the company’s strategic objectives
• Coach, supervise and direct the activities of direct reports and provide appropriate guidance in the execution of the unit’s agreed work plans and programmes
• Conduct periodic performance appraisal sessions with direct reports in line with stipulated career and performance management policies and procedures
• Develop, implement and maintain operational processes, systems and practices
• Ensure all necessary policies and procedures are in place, and that appropriate monitoring is in effect to guarantee that execution is in line with policy.
• Manage operational risk, including its identification, assessment, mitigation and control, loss identification and reporting.
• Plan, develop and implement strategy for operational management and development so as to meet agreed organisational performance plans within agreed budgets and timescales.
• Participate in the preparation of the annual budget and its updates, financial statements plus the annual audited financial statements.
• Generate innovative solutions, which continuously improve the performance of existing resources, processes or services
• Any other duty as assigned by management

Person's Specification

• Must be self-motivated and demonstrate a sense of ownership
• Must have a metrics-driven and reconciling mind-set
• Must have excellent execution skills
• Must be innovative and in tune with industry/market developments, ever searching for better ways, effectiveness and efficiency
• Must be process driven and constantly looking ways to optimize
• Must be capable of excelling and leading others in a dynamic, fast-paced, growing environment with significant regulatory demands and oversight
• Possess excellent interpersonal and organizational skills
• Must demonstrate exceptional analytical and quantitative skills
• Must be able to manage time, prioritize tasks and work under pressure.
• Must possess relationship building, negotiation, problem solving and troubleshooting skills
• Must demonstrate excellent leadership with the ability to provide clear, direct and authoritative direction to others.
• Must have excellent communication skills (both verbal and written).

Desired Skills & Experience Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance or another field with a strong quantitative focus. Post-graduate degree in related field or professional qualification preferred.
• A minimum of 6 years in progressive leadership roles within banking, financial services and/or fintech. This experience must include a proven track record of managing highly successful teams within a results driven environment.

Key Skills and Competencies:

• Strong knowledge of accounting and internal control principles, operational risk evaluation and governance frameworks in financial institutions
• Detailed knowledge of principles of credit risk
• Detailed understanding of call centre management and optimisation principles
• Thorough knowledge of relevant legislation and regulatory requirements as well as the ability to translate these into appropriate policies and procedures
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills and the ability to use these skills practically in developing workflow, capacity planning, business process design implementation and optimization (LEAN/ Six Sigma black belt experience a plus)
• Ability to recognise problems and apply proper management techniques to address them
• Ability to plan & prepare the strategy and annual budget requirements for the credit risk environment.