Lending Lead at AjoCard Limited

Role Overview

• The Lending Lead is responsible for driving the overall lending strategy, ensuring profitable portfolio growth, robust credit quality, and compliance with regulatory standards. The role requires a balance of strategic leadership, operational excellence, and cross-functional collaboration to deliver innovative lending solutions that align with business goals.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Define and execute the lending strategy across retail, MSME, and digital loan products.
• Lead the lending, credit, and recovery teams to achieve performance targets.
• Build a high-performance culture through recruitment, training, coaching, and mentoring.
• Effectively acquire and penetrate new market and market environment.
• Champion a customer-centric lending culture while balancing risk and returns.

Credit & Risk Management

• Oversee end-to-end lending operations: credit assessment, approval, disbursement, monitoring, restructuring, and recovery.
• Implement data-driven credit scoring models and portfolio monitoring and reporting tools.
• Ensure compliance with CBN, NDIC, and MFB lending regulations.
• Develop early warning systems for delinquency management.

Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement

• Work closely with the Product & Engineering teams to digitize and improve lending processes and launch new loan products.
• Partner with Finance for funding strategies, loan pricing, and cost of risk management.
• Collaborate with Marketing & Sales to drive loan uptake and customer engagement.
• Engage with regulators, industry bodies, and external partners to strengthen credibility and market presence.

Innovation & Growth

• Drive and sustain automation of lending lifecycle (onboarding → approval → disbursement → collections).
• Manage partnerships, agent networks, and alternative distribution channels to scale reach.
• Initiate and oversee continuous improvement of products, processes, and customer experience.

Core Competencies

• Strong leadership with ability to inspire, coach, and scale teams.
• Advanced knowledge of credit risk management, MFB operations, and fintech lending models.
• Proven experience in cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management.
• High adaptability in a fast-paced, tech-driven environment.
• Excellent problem-solving, analytical, and decision-making skills.
• Strong regulatory and compliance acumen (CBN/MFB guidelines).

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Portfolio Growth: Achieve monthly/quarterly loan disbursement targets.
• Portfolio Quality: Maintain PAR > 30 days below 2%.
• Recovery Efficiency: Attain ≥ 95% recovery of overdue loans.
• Product Innovation: At least 2 new/improved lending products launched annually.
• Team Leadership: ≥ 90% target achievement across lending/credit team.
• Collaboration Impact: Demonstrated success of cross-functional initiatives (e.g., product launches, campaigns).
• Regulatory Compliance: Zero penalties from regulators.