Head Of Wholesale Credit

Time left to apply End Date: September 1, 2025 (6 days left to apply)job requisition id R-15977954 Empowering Africa's tomorrow, together…one story at a time.
With over 100 years of rich history and strongly positioned as a local bank with regional and international expertise, a career with our family offers the opportunity to be part of this exciting growth journey, to reset our future and shape our destiny as a proudly African group.
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Job Summary As a key member of the Wholesale Credit Team, this role is responsible for providing expert credit support to Wholesale Relationship Managers managing a portfolio of high-value, complex customer connections.
The role involves challenging and understanding the performance of the Wholesale Credit Risk function through effective performance management information and detailed portfolio analysis—covering both performing and distressed customers.
It also includes coordinating impairment projections to support planning, budgeting, and forecasting, ensuring charges align with policy.
The role supports strategic development for wholesale credit risk and contributes to shaping business strategies that reduce the bank's exposure, often acting as a catalyst for change in customer operations.
In some cases, the role may involve direct customer engagement to implement risk mitigation strategies.
Additionally, the position holds responsibility for post-sanction monitoring and control activities, including covenant maintenance, excess management, and timely reporting through MIS to stakeholders.
This ensures early identification of problematic corporate customers, enabling proactive remedial action.
The Head of Wholesale Credit directly influences credit quality, economic capital consumption, and return, while also being accountable for operational risk within the team.
The role collaborates closely with the CRO and Country Credit Risk Heads to lead portfolio oversight and distressed customer management.
It also includes responsibility for the training and development of staff in Models, Impairments, and Analytics, ensuring a high standard of capability and performance across the function.
Job Description Credit Risk Management Ensure the highest standards of credit quality through the sanctioning, sampling, and application of best practices to credit proposals across the wholesale portfolio including FIs, and maintenance of these standards throughout the Corporate and Credit Teams.
Implementation and ongoing delivery of credit policy and processes.
Feed into business and credit policy development.
Sole lending discretion; DG linked up to a maximum of USK750 K (depending on personal experience and accreditation).
Exercise personal judgment and discretion in the evaluation and approval/decline of credit proposals.
Challenge pricing in order to maximize value.
Ultimate sign-off at customer level remains with the business.
Responsibility for personal & team adherence to governance, compliance, and lending portfolio controls.
Ensuring conformance to policy and procedures including proactive management of data integrity.
Encourage best practice and make recommendations for process change as appropriate.
Ensure robust and appropriate control over portfolio information and that reports are produced, reviewed (challenged) by all key stakeholders in the country as well as at the Centre team.
Business and Team Management Develop a strong network of internal contacts, external and panel professionals to maximize benefits and promote the team.
Driving business performance, including setting appropriate targets and challenges and providing highly effective performance management information.
Coach, support, and encourage other members of the team such as assisting their technical development.
Be responsible for the sharing of knowledge including technical solutions, tips, ideas, and good practices within own and across other teams.
Proactively adopt agreed change initiatives, e.g., in support of process and quality improvements.
Risk and Control Ensure that all activities and duties are carried out in full compliance with regulatory requirements, the Enterprise-Wide Risk Management Framework, and internal Absa Policies and Policy Standards.
Understand and manage risks and risk events (incidents) relevant to the role.
Preferred Education B-degree (preferably with Accounting III as a Major), Business Studies, Risk Management or postgraduate qualifications in related accounting fields.
Preferred Experience Minimum 5 years banking experience.5 years of Commercial and/or corporate credit or Finance experience.
Preferably, proven success in a customer-facing and/or similar Business Support role dealing with financially distressed clients.
Knowledge and Skills Strong Credit and Risk management skills.
Strong negotiation and influencing skills.
Strong use of analysis and judgment.
Good interpersonal skills.
Good written and verbal communication.
Good personal organization and time management.
Excellent knowledge of the social, economic, political, and regulatory environment within relevant countries.
First-class knowledge of risk management policy, procedures & pricing.
Detailed knowledge of Group policies, pricing, and strategies relative to the credit function.
Excellent product knowledge.
Education Bachelor`s Degrees and Advanced Diplomas: Business, Commerce, and Management Studies (Required)About Us Absa Group Limited ("Absa Group") is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and is one of Africa's largest diversified financial services groups.
Absa Group offers an integrated set of products and services across personal and business banking, corporate and investment banking, wealth and investment management, and insurance.
Absa Group owns majority stakes in banks in Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania (Absa Bank Tanzania and National Bank of Commerce), Uganda, and Zambia and has insurance operations in Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zambia.
Absa also has representative offices in China, Namibia, Nigeria, and the United States, as well as securities entities in the United Kingdom and the United States, along with technology support colleagues in the Czech Republic.
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