Credit Risk Specialist (Digital Lending) at IT Horizons Limited

Role Overview

• We are launching a technology-driven digital lending platform and are seeking an experienced Credit Risk Specialist to establish, manage, and continuously enhance the credit risk management framework of the business.
• The successful candidate will play a critical role in designing credit policies, developing risk models, monitoring portfolio performance, and ensuring sustainable loan growth while maintaining acceptable risk levels in line with regulatory and internal governance requirements.

Key Responsibilities
Credit Risk Strategy & Governance:

• Design, implement, and maintain a comprehensive credit risk management framework aligned with the company’s risk appetite and business objectives.
• Develop and periodically review credit policies, underwriting standards, and risk acceptance criteria for digital loan products.
• Provide expert risk input into product design, pricing, and customer acquisition strategies.

Credit Assessment & Underwriting:

• Oversee credit decisioning processes, including scorecard-based and rule-based underwriting models.
• Evaluate borrower creditworthiness using traditional and alternative data sources (e.g., bureau data, transaction data, behavioral data).
• Approve or recommend approval limits in line with delegated credit authority.

Portfolio Monitoring & Analytics:

• Monitor loan portfolio performance, delinquency trends, roll rates, vintage analysis, and loss metrics.
• Identify emerging risk patterns and recommend proactive risk mitigation strategies.
• Produce periodic risk reports and dashboards for senior management and relevant committees.

Model Development & Optimization:

• Support the development, validation, and continuous improvement of credit scoring and risk models.
• Conduct stress testing, scenario analysis, and portfolio simulations to assess risk exposure.
• Collaborate with data, technology, and product teams to optimize automated decision engines.

Collections & Recovery Oversight:

• Provide risk oversight on collections strategies, segmentation, and recovery approaches.
• Analyze the effectiveness of collection tactics and recommend improvements to reduce non-performing loans (NPLs).

Regulatory & Compliance:

• Ensure compliance with applicable regulatory requirements and industry best practices relating to credit risk.
• Support regulatory examinations, internal audits, and risk committee engagements.
• Maintain proper documentation of credit policies, procedures, and model governance processes.

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Act as a key risk partner to business, product, operations, and technology teams.
• Present clear, data-driven risk insights to executive management and committees.
• Contribute to building a strong risk culture across the organization.

Required Qualifications & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree (BSc) in a numerate discipline such as Economics, Accounting, Finance, Statistics, Mathematics, Engineering, or related fields.
• Minimum of 5–7 years’ cognate experience in credit risk management within digital lending, FinTech, microfinance, or technology-enabled financial services.
• Proven hands-on experience with digital credit underwriting, automated decisioning, and portfolio analytics.
• Strong knowledge of consumer credit risk, loan lifecycle management, and portfolio monitoring techniques.
• Demonstrable experience working with credit bureaus, alternative data sources, and risk models.

Key Competencies & Skills:

• Strong analytical and quantitative skills with high attention to detail.
• Excellent understanding of digital lending risk dynamics and FinTech ecosystems.
• Proficiency in credit risk analytics tools, reporting systems, and data-driven decision making.
• Sound judgment, integrity, and strong risk awareness.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, startup or scale-up environment.

What We Offer

• Opportunity to play a foundational role in launching and scaling a digital lending platform.
• Competitive remuneration and performance-based incentives.
• Exposure to innovative financial products and advanced credit technologies.
• A collaborative, growth-oriented, and high-impact work environment.