Manager, Corporate Credit Approval

The Manager, Corporate Credit Approval at Sidian Bank is tasked with overseeing corporate credit approvals and managing the associated portfolio. This includes providing administrative support to Branch and Relationship Managers, ensuring all activities comply with the bank's credit policy. A key aspect of the role is to manage the portfolio of accounts to maintain acceptable credit risk levels, including recovery efforts, and to maximize the bank's profitability from each client.

1. Conduct quality checks and risk-based analysis on deals for the Management Credit Committee (MCC) and Board, reviewing credit proposals from business units to meet bank standards for decision-making.
2. Analyze and approve credit facilities within delegated limits, ensuring compliance with the bank’s credit policy and the Central Bank of Kenya's prudential guidelines.
3. Safeguard the institution against potential losses by ensuring the accuracy, completeness, and creditworthiness of Corporate, SME, Micro, Consumer, and Group proposals, recommending appropriate risk mitigation mechanisms such as proper securities, relevant sanction conditions, and post-disbursement follow-ups.
4. Ensure that bank lending practices comply with relevant Environmental, Climate-related, and Social risk laws, prudential guidelines, and best practices.
5. Oversee the approval of credit proposals originating from all branches and Head Office Business teams, ensuring that all approval decisions meet the agreed Service Level Agreements (SLAs) between the credit department and business units.
6. Ensure adherence to internal credit policies and procedures, facilitating prudent management of credit risks while complying with CBK prudential guidelines.
7. Maintain provisions at the prescribed level by minimizing the risk of loan loss or bad debts through prudent lending practices.
8. Advise and support branches on actions to take in recovering and monitoring portfolios at risk, ensuring that branches forward monthly watch lists and follow up to implement recommendations on accounts.
9. Review sector exposures to ensure compliance with set bank limits and optimize the bank's profitability.
10. Ensure that concentration risks remain within approved thresholds.
11. Identify emerging risks, deteriorating accounts, and industry trends.
12. Prepare statutory reports in line with CBK prudential guidelines and submit them as per the set SLAs.
13. Prepare credit management reports for presentation to ALCO, MANCOM, Board, and other external parties such as regulators and financial partners.

1. Hold a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Finance and Accounting.
2. Possess at least eight years of experience in Corporate banking, with a minimum of five years specifically in Credit Analysis/Approval.
3. Demonstrate a strong understanding of Credit Risk policy.
4. Exhibit strong financial analysis skills, including the ability to analyze, interpret, and draw conclusions and recommendations based on financial statements and non-financial attributes of borrowers.
5. Possess excellent conceptual and analytical skills, including the ability to conduct independent analysis, identify key risks, carry out negotiations, and formulate and make recommendations.
6. Demonstrate proficiency in planning and organizing, with the ability to establish priorities, plan, coordinate, and monitor personal work, and conceptualize risks to analyze proposals in detail.
7. Possess solid lending skills, including knowledge of appraisal requirements for the bank’s lending products and the ability to accurately identify credit needs and assist business units in structuring appropriate products while balancing risk versus return objectives.
8. Understand local and global dynamics of the business environment facing customers and the risks they create for borrowers and, in turn, for the bank.
9. Be familiar with legislation relating to the constitution of firms/companies, perfection of securities, debt collection, and requirements by regulating bodies for banks and borrowers.
10. Be computer literate with proficiency in MS Office suite, Core Banking Systems, and other Credit management and workflow systems currently in use or to be introduced, utilizing these for risk management decision support.
11. Hold a Diploma in Banking (AKIB) or Credit Management.
12. Have professional training in accounting, financial analysis, and/or environmental, climate-related, and social risk management.