Head of Credit Risk (Banking / Risk Management) – Port Louis, Mauritius

Reference Number: CDTHOCRM

Job Description:

The Head of Credit Risk oversees the critical department that manages Credit Risk across all the Bank’s activities, ensuring that processes are in place to support all the business needs of the Bank. This includes all Credit Risk and related functional policies and systems as appropriate, to support the implementation of business strategies set by the Chief Risk Officer (CRO), in consultation with the Board. The HCR reports directly to the CRO. He/she must:

• Lead and ensure motivation of the Credit Risk team of circa 10 staff, delegating and overseeing their work, providing guidance, and coaching. The HCR is expected to enhance business solutions at project and operational level, encouraging innovation where appropriate.
• Maintain a sound and effective overall control environment, through appropriate limits and other measures with risk management processes focusing primarily on Credit Risk.
• Ensure that all recommendations to the different approving authorities including the Management Credit Committee and/or Board Credit Committee for approval, follow all Bank One credit policies and desired standards with a view to ensure high quality lending.

Responsibilities:

• Foster smooth cooperation with other units within the Bank, generating synergies and creating a conducive work environment with all internal and external stakeholders.
• Assist the Chief Risk Officer in preparing the annual strategic plan for the Credit Risk department and periodic updates.
• Assess Sovereign and Bank limits and conduct annual reviews of these facilities.
• Analyse business requirements, ensuring smooth cooperation with a proactive and business cooperative approach, while ensuring very prudent credit risk oversight.
• Ensure that relevant credit risk models are used for defining adequate levels of risk at portfolio, counterparty, and individual exposure level.
• Incorporate climate-related risk drivers into the credit risk framework ensuring compliance with best practice and all regulatory guidelines.
• Assist in the development and implementation of appropriate systems and controls to mitigate potential loss and risk for the Bank.
• Ensure proper cost management within the Credit Risk department.
• Ensure tasks are completed in an efficient manner and resources and equipment are used optimally.
• Advise the business on deal structuring of complex transaction and prepare credit proposals; work closely with senior stakeholders on the approval process and within agreed SLAs/KPIs by completing a comprehensive SWOT Analysis to highlight inter alia, the credit risks involved and provide possible mitigants for these.
• Drive and support credit related business initiatives, including policy/ procedure reviews to abide with all regulatory and economic changes.
• Be responsible for daily credit risk management and assessment and take prompt actions for material risk-related issues and reports to senior management if required.
• Ensure that all credit requests are in alignment with the Bank’s Credit Policy, guidelines and other legislation.
• Proactively research, analyse and manage data from reliable sources with the aim of pre-empting risks on the credit portfolio.
• Lead preparation, coordination, and consolidation of reports on credit portfolio and other ad-hoc requests to enable Management to make informed credit decisions.
• Continuously strive to improve the quality of service provided by the Credit Risk team through innovation and personal initiatives and challenging status quo, where appropriate.

Requirements: Qualification and Skill

Academic Background

• ACCA qualified or a Degree in Banking/Finance/Statistics/Accounting or an alternate qualification acceptable to the Bank.
• A post-graduate degree in a relevant field is a definite advantage.

Professional Background

• 10-15 years progressive experience in the Risk Management field with more than five years at management level in a commercial bank, preferably in Mauritius/developing markets.
• Awareness and working knowledge of BASEL compliance requirements and risk management practices for corporate, market risk, operational risk, and retail banking.
• Strong knowledge of BOM Central Bank’s guidelines and other relevant international and local legislation.
• Excellent knowledge and understanding of the processes for all Credit related activities in the Corporate, Retail, Institutional and Sovereign Credit Risk space.
• Excellent analytical skills, capacity to analyse and structure ideas, synthesise complex information and translate analytical findings into practical recommendations.
• Strong knowledge of Corporate Finance, Syndicated credit facilities, Structured Trade Finance and Treasury products, Project Finance, Cross Border deals, Retail Credit Risk (mortgages, credit cards and small unsecured loans) and Credit Risk Management implications in these products.
• Proven experience of credit risk management of the Mauritian and SSA (sub-Saharan African) markets.
• Problem solving and judgment skills, conceptual thinking at strategic level.
• Excellent capacity to develop and maintain an efficient professional network, internally and externally. Good working relationships with the premier Credit Rating agencies (Fitch, Moody’s, S&P etc) will be an advantage.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and presentation skills.
• Sound understanding of Risk Management in terms of relationship with IT systems (preferably Finacle) and knowledge of specific tools relevant to banks and financial institutions.
• Ability to lead, coach, empower and motivate team members to meet the department’s objectives and targets.

If you wish to apply for the position please send your CV to Chalden Du Toit at cdutoit@caglobalint.com

Please visit www.caglobalint.com for more exciting opportunities.

Chalden Du Toit

Consultant

CA Finance

CA Global will respond to short-listed candidates only. If you have not had any response in two weeks, please consider your application unsuccessful however your CV will be kept on our database for any other suitable positions.