Credit Risk Specialist at SycamoreNG

Job Responsibility
Credit Underwriting:

• Review and analyse loan applications to determine borrowers' creditworthiness and repayment capacity.

Due Diligence & Verification:

• Conduct thorough KYC and customer verification before recommending credit facilities.
• Review credit bureau reports and investigate adverse findings or inconsistencies.
• Verify employment, business operations, income sources, bank statements, addresses, and other relevant information.
• Identify discrepancies, suspicious documentation, misrepresentation, and potential fraud indicators.
• Escalate significant red flags to the appropriate Risk, Compliance, or Management team.

Credit Policy & Risk Management:

• Ensure all underwriting decisions comply with SycamoreNG's credit policy and approval framework.
• Identify policy exceptions and ensure they receive the appropriate approval.
• Assess concentration, indebtedness, repayment capacity, and other relevant credit risks.
• Ensure conditions precedent are satisfied before recommending disbursement.
• Contribute to the review and improvement of underwriting policies, processes, and credit assessment models.

Portfolio Monitoring;

• Monitor the performance of assigned loan portfolios and identify early warning signs of deterioration.
• Review existing facilities for renewals, restructures, modifications, and additional exposures.
• Provide insights on emerging credit risks and recurring causes of delinquency.
• Work with the Risk and Recovery teams to improve portfolio quality.

Documentation & Reporting:

• Ensure credit files are complete, accurate, and properly documented.
• Review loan documentation and facility terms before disbursement.
• Prepare regular reports on underwriting volumes, approval rates, declines, exceptions, turnaround time, and portfolio performance.
• Support internal audits, compliance reviews, and regulatory examinations.

Stakeholder Management:

• Work closely with Sales, Relationship Managers, Credit Operations, Recovery, Compliance, Legal, and Finance teams.
• Challenge incomplete or weak credit proposals professionally and objectively.
• Communicate credit decisions and recommendations clearly to relevant stakeholders.
• Maintain independence and sound judgment when making lending decisions.
• Assess applicants' income, cash flow, financial statements, bank statements, credit history, existing obligations, and overall financial position.
• Review consumer, SME, and other assigned loan applications based on applicable credit policies.
• Prepare clear and well-supported credit appraisal reports and recommendations.
• Approve, decline, or escalate applications within assigned approval limits.
• Identify risks and recommend appropriate mitigants, loan structures, conditions, and security requirements.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Banking, Business Administration, or a related discipline.
• Experience in commercial banking, digital lending, or fintech environments is strongly preferred.
• 3–5 years of relevant experience in credit underwriting, credit analysis, risk management, banking, microfinance, or fintech lending.
• Proven experience underwriting consumer and/or SME loans.
• Strong understanding of credit assessment and lending principles.
• Good knowledge of KYC, credit bureau checks, fraud detection, and credit documentation.
• Ability to analyse financial statements and bank statements.
• Strong understanding of lending policies and risk management principles.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and relevant credit/lending systems.
• Strong analytical and numerical skills.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• High level of integrity and sound independent judgment.