Head of Risk Management at Opticom Finance Limited

Job Description

• We are a non-bank financial institution licensed and permitted by the Central Bank of Nigeria to offer a wide range of financial products and services.
• Our company is located in Lagos, Port Harcourt, and Abuja, and we are seeking a proven and strategic leader to serve as our Head of Risk Management.
• This senior role reports to the Chief Operating Officer (COO), and is critical to protecting the company's capital base, ensuring regulatory compliance, and supporting sustainable growth across our lending and investment products.
• The successful candidate must possess deep expertise in managing risk within the specialized Nigerian financial services landscape.

Responsibilities
The Head of Risk Management will be responsible for designing, implementing, and overseeing the firm's entire Risk Management Framework (RMF), with a focus on:

• Strategic Oversight: Establishing the institution's risk appetite, policies, and limits across all business units in line with Board directives and regulatory requirements (CBN).
• Credit Risk Management: Leading the assessment, monitoring, and mitigation of credit exposure within the loan portfolio, including setting underwriting standards, developing stress testing models, and managing loan loss provisioning.
• Liquidity and Market Risk: Monitoring funding sources, managing liquidity gaps, and evaluating exposure to interest rate and currency fluctuations inherent in the NBFI operating model.
• Operational and Technology Risk: Identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks arising from internal processes, human error, system failures, and cybersecurity threats, crucial for our operations.
• Regulatory Compliance: Serving as the central point of contact for risk-related regulatory matters, ensuring timely reporting and strict adherence to all CBN and statutory guidelines.
• Reporting & Governance: Preparing and presenting comprehensive risk reports to the Board Risk Committee and Executive Management, detailing key risk exposures and mitigation actions.

Mandatory Requirements

• Experience: Minimum of 10 - 14 years of professional experience in risk management, compliance, or credit analysis within the Financial Services sector.
• Sector Expertise (Essential): At least 3 years must have been spent in a senior or leadership capacity within a Non-Bank Financial Institution (NBFI), Microfinance Bank, Finance House, or Fintech lending platform in Nigeria.
• Qualifications: A Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, Economics, Quantitative Analysis, or a related field. An MBA or Master’s degree is advantageous.
• Professional Certification: Possession of relevant certification such as FRM (Financial Risk Manager), PRM, CFA, or a recognized local professional risk qualification is highly desirable.
• Leadership & Communication: Proven ability to lead, influence executive decisions, and communicate complex risk concepts clearly.

Compensation

• The compensation package for this role is highly competitive and will be commensurate with the candidate’s proven experience and strategic expertise in the NBFI sector.