Country Credit Head, Wealth & Retail Bank Risk, Kenya

Standard Chartered Bank Kenya Limited is a well-established financial institution, founded in 1911, offering a comprehensive range of banking and financial services. It operates as part of the global Standard Chartered Group, focusing on retail and corporate banking within Kenya.

The Country Credit Head will lead the end-to-end Wealth & Retail Bank (WRB) risk management for Kenya, encompassing portfolio oversight, controls, stakeholder engagement, and regulatory conduct, while exercising credit risk approval authority for the Retail Clients business. Key responsibilities include informing business planning through cost and impairment forecasts, assessing the external environment, and providing advice to support disciplined growth within the defined risk appetite. The role also involves designing, maintaining, and communicating credit risk control parameters, such as policies, control standards, and exposure limits, to ensure the Retail Banking risk profile aligns with Group appetite. Furthermore, the incumbent will ensure that all material risk exposures and emerging issues are escalated to the appropriate governance forums and committees in a timely manner.

1. Uphold the integrity of the Group’s risk/return decisions for Wealth & Retail Bank (WRB) Kenya, ensuring credit risks are properly assessed, decided, and controlled in line with Group standards.
2. Ensure the Risk Management Framework, credit policies, governance routines, and related reporting processes are effectively communicated, implemented, and embedded across the Kenya Credit function.
3. Exercise credit risk approval authority for the Retail Clients business and lead end-to-end WRB risk management for Kenya.
4. Inform business planning through cost and impairment forecasts, balanced assessment of the external environment, and advice that supports disciplined growth within risk appetite.
5. Design, maintain, and communicate credit risk control parameters, including policies, control standards, and exposure limits.
6. Ensure material risk exposures, emerging issues, and management responses are escalated to appropriate governance forums and committees.
7. Supervise relevant first-line-owned processes within the Credit function and ensure operational risks are effectively managed in compliance with internal policies, laws, and regulations.
8. Assess the credit risk profile of the Retail Banking business, initiate stress testing and scenario analysis, and ensure management response plans are in place for extreme but plausible events.
9. Exercise assigned credit authorities with sound judgment, considering concentration risk across sectors, geographies, and markets, and assign risk authorities to suitably skilled individuals.
10. Maintain effective relationships with regulators and key external stakeholders, ensuring credit risk management expectations are understood and reflected in internal processes.
11. Set direction and drive high performance by translating strategy into clear direction, aligning individual goals to team outcomes, and providing regular, constructive feedback.
12. Develop talent and capability through coaching and career conversations that build critical skills, stretch potential, and prepare individuals for future opportunities.
13. Lead by example by role-modelling the Bank’s valued behaviours, upholding strong risk and conduct standards, exercising sound judgment, and creating an inclusive team culture.
14. Partner with country, regional, and Group stakeholders including the Country CEO, Country WRB Head, Retail Banking leadership, Credit Initiation, Risk Operations, Fraud Risk, Group Internal Audit, and policy teams.
15. Display exemplary conduct, live the Group’s Values and Code of Conduct, and lead the Kenya Credit unit to deliver the Bank’s Conduct Principles.
16. Identify, escalate, mitigate, and resolve risk, conduct, and compliance matters collaboratively and in a timely manner.

1. Sound knowledge of Retail and Private Banking Credit Risk, Retail Operational Risk, and Retail Reputational Risk.
2. Proven leadership skills across cultures and strong people management capabilities.
3. Excellent stakeholder engagement abilities.
4. Knowledge of Collection Strategy.
5. Strong communication and influencing skills.
6. Comprehensive WRB Product Knowledge.
7. Senior credit risk leadership experience within Retail Banking, including portfolio risk oversight, credit decisioning, risk appetite management, and governance.
8. Experience leading people and building credit risk capability across teams, including direct management of managers/specialists and development of future leaders.
9. Strong stakeholder management experience with country, regional, and Group leadership, regulators, credit bureaus, auditors, and governance committees.
10. Demonstrated experience embedding risk management frameworks, operational risk controls, policy compliance, and conduct standards.
11. Certifications such as CCRC, Risk Leaders Bootcamp, and ACRM are beneficial.
12. Trainer experience for Collections and Credit Risk Management.
13. Fluency in English; local language capability relevant to the Kenya market is beneficial.
14. Bachelor's Degree.
15. Minimum of 3 years of relevant experience.