Credit Risk Assessment Officer - Direct Lending at the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN)

The Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) was conceived by the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) in collaboration with global development partners to address the major financing challenges facing Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria. Our objective is to alleviate financing constraints faced by MSMEs and small Corporates in Nigeria through the provision of financing and partial credit guarantees to eligible financial intermediaries on a market-conforming and fully financially sustainable basis.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Credit Risk Assessment Officer - Direct Lending

Location: Abuja
Department: Risk Management

Job Objective and Summary

• Support the direct lending activities of the Bank by ensuring strict adherence to the Bank's credit policy and risk appetite, and that risk management principles are effectively integrated into the lending process.
• Coordinate and ensure prompt and adequate identification, assessment, treatment, monitoring and reporting of credit risk, particularly, the non-regulated financial institutions in emerging channels such as FinTechs, MFIs, Financial NGOs, Digital Lending and other retail lending partners and platforms. 
• Review the credit appraisal of the Potential Obligors presented by Credit Operations department and ensure that the Risk Acceptance Criteria are met, and that the obligors are rated in line with the credit policy manual, including implementing the Environmental and Social Risk Management (E & SRM) Policy of the Bank and monitoring compliance by the Obligors to the Bank`s E & SRM Policy. 
• Conduct onboarding and Annual Due Diligence, and ensuring that disbursement processes comply with both direct lending and environmental & social risk management (E&S) frameworks.

Core Responsibilities and Key Result Areas
Risk Management Functions:

• Monitor compliance with all applicable policies and procedures, particularly, the Direct Lending Framework, the Credit Policy Guide and the ESRM Policy.
• Support the HRAR in developing risk models, credit rating frameworks, and limits for the Bank’s direct lending operations.
• Support the creation and implementation of risk measures, adapting to emerging risks in direct lending and MSME sectors.
• Proactively identify emerging and systemic risk issues within the non-regulated financial institutions which might adversely affect the going concern status of the Bank.
• Identify potential risks related to non-regulated financial partners and propose risk mitigation strategies.
• Regularly review the performance of financial partners and ensure compliance with the Bank’s risk policies, including environmental and social risk factors.
• Engage with regulators, rating agencies, auditors, and other external stakeholders (including development partners) to ensure compliance and transparency.
• Support the development of the annual Credit Portfolio Plan and monitor its implementation, including regular review of the plan when necessary.

Effective Credit Risk Management:

• Conduct thorough eligibility and due diligence assessments of new direct lending partners, and validate the outcome of the due diligence with available metrics and information.
• Support the conducting of impact assessments of the Bank’s Direct Lending framework being implemented in collaboration with other stakeholders and recommend review where necessary
• Monitor the credit performance of the non-regulated financial institutions and flag any deterioration in credit quality, including identifying early warning signs of credit deterioration.
• Implement proactive risk mitigation strategies, including restructuring or recovery actions when necessary.
• Develop credit risk reporting tools, dashboards, and regular risk analytics for decision making.
• Conduct periodic portfolio stress testing and scenario analysis.
• Assist in the development of a policy repository for risk management, serving as a central resource for both internal and external stakeholders.
• Support the periodic Due Diligence Review of all existing borrowers that have drawn on their lines and independently report on their continued eligibility as obligors.
• Monitor compliance with collateral management policy.
• Review drawdown request of approved lines as presented by Operations and ensure that all conditions precedent to drawdown are met.
• Prepare regular reports to MCC & BCRC.

Effective Implementation of E & S Risk Management:

• Ensure compliance with the Environmental and Social Risk Management (ESRM) policies.
• Support the implementation of the ESMS Policy and recommend review where necessary
• Screen all end-borrowers in line with the E & S Rating model and recommend remediation action for end-borrowers with high E & S risk
• Support the preparation of regular updates to Development partners on level of implementation of ESRM policy.

Key Performance Indicators

• Effectiveness of communication of risk management strategies across the Bank
• Credit Approval Turnaround Time: Efficiency in evaluating and approving loan applications.
• Number of unresolved audit (internal & external) queries
• Portfolio Quality: Non-Performing Loan (NPL) ratio within acceptable limits
• Percentage of risk issues exceeding defined risk tolerance without action plans
• CBN rating of Risk Management of the Bank
• Early Warning Detection: Percentage of loans flagged for early risk mitigation
• Risk Reporting Accuracy: Timeliness and quality of credit risk reports.
• Number of observed exceptions by the Development Partners on implementation of ESRM Policy
• Turnaround time in meeting reporting deadlines for Reports (MCC, BCRC)
• Outcome of customer satisfaction survey
• Level of compliance with the Bank’s Risk Appetite.
• Adherence to the Bank’s risk appetite in direct lending channels.

Qualifications
Educational Qualifications:

• A Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Banking & Finance, Economics, Business Administration or any Social Sciences related discipline.

Professional Qualifications:

• Membership of any recognized professional certification such as RIMAN, PRMIA, RMP, ACCA, or any related certification is an added advantage.

Experience Qualifications:

• A minimum of 5 years working experience in Commercial and Corporate Banking Credit Risk Management is required within a financial services institution.

Competencies
Knowledge:

• Understanding of banking laws and policies
• Knowledge of risk management procedures and policies.
• Working knowledge of credit rating models.
• Familiarity with regulatory requirements and operational risk in financial services
• In-depth understanding of credit risk management in Retail, Commercial and Corporate Banking Portfolios.
• Knowledge of regulatory frameworks governing MSME lending and credit risk management.

Technical Competencies:

• Meeting Facilitation skills
• Working knowledge of P/C productivity tools such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc.
• Excellent written and oral communications Skills
• Excellent organizational and coordination skills
• Excellent analytical skills
• Demonstrates expertise in risk management systems, risk analysis and control.
• Proficiency in risk analytics, credit scoring models, and data-driven risk assessment tools.

Behavioural Competencies:

• Problem solving
• Resilience and Tenacity
• Integrity
• Strong communication skills
• Team work
• Conflict management
• Responsiveness
• Industry Knowledge
• Sound managerial and leadership ability
• Administrative ability
• Ability to work independently and in a team-oriented environment.

Application Closing Date
4th April, 2025.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Resume to: careers@devbankng.com using the job title as the subject of the mail.