Field Verification Officer at DAG Industries Nigeria Limited

Purpose of the Role

• The Field Verification Officer (‘FVO’) is responsible for conducting in-person verifications of potential new clients and their guarantors.
• This role ensures that client and guarantor information collected during the credit process is 100% accurate, complete, and reliable.
• The FVO gathers detailed personal, character, social, financial, and environmental information required for tele-verification to be conducted and for a final credit assessment to be completed.
• The FVO plays a crucial role in strengthening the integrity of the lending process and in minimizing credit risk.

Key Responsibilities
Residential Address Verification:

• Travel to the potential client’s place of residence to verify and confirm the exact residential address.
• Capture and record accurate GPS coordinates of the client’s residence including high quality photos.
• Take note of the environmental factors, neighborhood conditions, accessibility, level of safety, and other context that may influence credit risk.
• Ensure accuracy and completeness of all locations and address-related data before submission and data upload to the system.

In-Depth Financial and Personal Interviews:
Conduct structured interviews with:

• The client and spouse (if applicable)
• Two nominated guarantors

Information to be gathered includes:

• Client’s daily / weekly / monthly income sources. All sources must be captured.
• Spouse’s daily / weekly / monthly income sources (if applicable). All sources must be captured.
• Breakdown of all household expenses (e.g., food, water, electricity, gas, transportation, medical bills, children’s school fees, rent, clothing, other loan repayments, other debt, other financial commitments, etc.). All expenses must be captured.
• Overall cost structure and financial obligations.
• Client and Spouse’s daily / weekly / monthly savings (captured separately) and where the savings are kept (e.g., in a savings account or investment/s, kept privately and secured, etc.).
• Client and Spouse’s available savings and net disposable incomes (captured separately) and where the savings are kept (e.g., in a savings account or investment/s, kept privately and secured, etc.).
• Client’s hobbies / sports (if applicable), interests, activities during free time, general likes and dislikes, lifestyle, personality and character type, consumption of alcohol / cigarettes / drugs (if any).
• Loan repayment capacity and risk level.
• Complete personal profile and household situation.
• Guarantors’ financial stability, income sources, expenses, liabilities, ability to guarantee the loan and full understanding of the undertaking and responsibility as a guarantor.
• Guarantors’ other commitments (financial or otherwise), amounts, timings, etc. (if any)

Environmental G Social Assessment:

• Gain a deeper understanding of the client's life, background, day-to-day activities, environment, and family and social situation.
• Assess lifestyle, living conditions, and any challenges that may impact the client’s ability to repay the loan.
• Identify opportunities—such as business potential or household stability—that may strengthen the client’s repayment ability.
• Document all observations objectively, without bias, and ensure findings align with company assessment standards.

Life Plan & Personal Ambition Evaluation:

• Discuss and document the client's medium- and long-term life goals (e.g., starting or expanding a family, business, upgrading housing, growing income, etc.).
• Evaluate how the client’s ambitions and planning align with their ability to responsibly manage loan obligations.
• Capture similar information from guarantors to ensure consistency and reliability.
• Compile all insights into a structured report for use in the credit assessment.

Documentation & System Upload:

• Complete all required field verification templates and checklists.
• Upload all reports, photos, GPS coordinates, interview notes, and supporting documents into the company’s system on the same day of the visit, or within the required timeline.
• Ensure information is clear, accurate, error-free and ready for:
  • the Tele-Verification Officer, who will re-check and confirm details via phone / video call with the client, spouse (if required) and the guarantors.
  • the Credit Manager, who will analyse all the financial and personal information to either approve or reject the loan application.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Complete an average of 20 client applications weekly – average of 4 clients daily, completion of key responsibilities described above, travel time to / from the client’s place of residence.
• Accuracy and completeness of field verification information.
• Timely submission and system upload of all verification data.
• Quality and clarity of interviews and field reports.
• Consistency of field findings with tele-verification results.
• Low rate of discrepancies discovered during credit assessment.
• Professionalism and compliance with verification procedures.

Required Qualifications

• High School completion Certificate required; Diploma in Finance, Business, Social Sciences, or related fields is advantageous.
• 1 - 3 years of experience in field operations, community outreach, microfinance, lending, or customer verification roles.
• Strong interviewing, observation, and data-collection skills.
• Experience working in diverse communities and remote field environments.
• Knowledge of basic financial assessment and income–expense analysis.

Skills & Competencies:

• Excellent communication skills, listening skills, and interpersonal skills.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Good analytical and note-taking abilities.
• Ability to travel frequently and work independently.
• Strong organisational and time-management skills.
• Good understanding of household economics and small-business income structures.
• Basic technology proficiency (MS Office, GPS tools, mobile apps, CRM systems).

Personal Attributes:

• Smart, presentable, energetic and healthy.
• Professional and trustworthy.
• Empathetic and objective.
• Patient, respectful, and culturally sensitive.
• Likeable personality, extrovert, and ability to create a sense of trust with people you meet.
• Highly observant and inquisitive in a non-intrusive way.
• Ethical and honest, ability to handle sensitive information with confidentiality.
• Self-motivated with strong integrity and accountability.