Credit Risk Manager

Job Purpose:

To provide independent oversight, challenge and monitoring of the Bank’s credit risk profile, ensuring that credit risks are appropriately identified, assessed, measured, managed and reported within the Bank’s risk appetite, policies, regulatory requirements and approved limits.

Key duties and responsibilities:

Credit Risk Governance and Framework

• Implement and continuously enhance the Credit Risk Management Framework, policies, methodologies and guidelines.
• Ensure credit risk practices remain aligned with the Risk Appetite Framework, regulatory requirements and applicable standards.
• Provide independent risk challenge to Business and Credit functions and monitor compliance with approved policies, limits, delegated authorities and risk appetite.
• Provide credit risk input on new products, sectors and business initiatives, ensuring risks are appropriately identified and mitigated

Credit Risk Modelling, Analytics and IFRS 9

• Lead the preparation and oversight of the Bank’s IFRS 9 ECL assessment, including staging, PD, LGD, EAD, forward-looking scenarios and management overlays.
• Review and challenge the accuracy, appropriateness and performance of credit risk models, assumptions, data and ECL outputs.
• Monitor credit risk trends, model performance and portfolio deterioration, assessing implications for ECL, provisioning, Cost of Risk, profitability and capital.
• Coordinate with Finance, Credit and relevant functions on ECL assessments, model validation and enhancement.
• Provide actionable credit risk analytics and insights to support management decision-making.

Credit Portfolio Monitoring and Early Warning

• Monitor the overall credit portfolio, including asset quality, portfolio performance, concentrations, NPLs, PAR, Cost of Risk, provisioning, migration and delinquency trends.
• Maintain and enhance the early warning framework, monitoring watchlist, vulnerable and migrating exposures and ensuring timely escalation of emerging risks.
• Conduct portfolio reviews and deep dives into high-risk sectors, products, customer segments and material exposures, recommending appropriate risk mitigation.
• Analyse impairment, recoveries, restructurings and write-offs, and assess the adequacy of provisions for deteriorating exposures.
• Collaborate with Credit Monitoring, Portfolio Quality, Recoveries and Business to drive timely remedial action.

Credit Risk Assessment

• Provide independent review and challenge of material credit proposals, renewals, restructurings and exceptions, including assessment of customer financial capacity, repayment ability and key risk assumptions.
• Assess the adequacy of risk mitigants, collateral, guarantees and other credit enhancements.
• Provide an independent credit risk view on material transactions and escalate exposures that fall outside approved risk appetite, limits or policy parameters.

Stress Testing and Scenario Analysis

• Lead credit risk stress testing and scenario analysis, including development of relevant economic, sector and borrower-specific scenarios.
• Assess the impact of adverse scenarios on asset quality, ECL/provisions, capital adequacy, profitability and risk appetite.
• Provide credit risk inputs to ICAAP and enterprise-wide stress testing, and recommend appropriate management actions arising from stress-test results.

Credit Risk Reporting, Regulatory and Audit Engagement

• Prepare credit risk reports and dashboards for Management Credit Risk Committees, ALCO, BRMC and the Board, highlighting portfolio trends, emerging risks, breaches and required actions.
• Ensure regulatory and internal credit risk reporting meets CBK requirements and support regulatory inspections and supervisory reviews.
• Coordinate responses to audit and regulatory findings, monitor agreed remediation actions and ensure timely closure.

Risk Culture and Advisory

• Promote a strong credit risk culture and provide technical guidance and advisory support to Business, Credit, Finance, Treasury and other functions.
• Provide credit risk awareness and training to strengthen risk understanding and sound credit risk practices across the Bank.

Minimum requirements; Academic and professional qualifications, skills and experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Accounting, Actuarial Science, Statistics, Business Administration or a related discipline.
• Professional qualification such as CFA, CPA, ACCA, FRM, or equivalent is an added advantage
• Minimum 5 – 7 years’ relevant experience in banking, with significant experience in credit risk management.
• Experience in IFRS 9 / Expected Credit Loss, stress testing and credit risk analytics is desirable.
• Demonstrable experience in credit portfolio management, credit analysis, risk assessment and credit monitoring.
• Experience in a second-line risk management environment is highly desirable.
• Experience preparing reports for senior management, risk committees and/or Board committees.
• Good understanding of the Kenyan banking regulatory and prudential environment.