Assistant Vice President- Credit Policy

Job Purpose
•    Responsible for lending/financing Policies / Framework for specific products in UAE.
•    Author and manage the credit criteria and Risk Asset Acceptance Criteria for specific products.
•    Responsible for portfolio quality and portfolio management strategy by defining retail credit policy / lending / financing parameters.
•    Responsible for the retail bank’s strategy on ‘Risk’ & ‘Growth’ areas through appropriate retail credit policy actions.
•    Achieve the planned risk charge for retail products by ensuring quality acquisitions, by working with underwriting units to improve lending criteria from time to time, making them digital friendly, and by initiating portfolio measures to improve / stabilize flow rates on a continual basis

Key Result Areas
•    Update and maintain Retail Credit Policy Manual which is the framework for the individual Product programs.
•    Ensure all retail credit policies are aligned with the strategies’ orientation and target segment that the bank wants to grow.
•    Ensure product programs in UAE for the products are aligned and standardized and are within the retail banking lending framework.
•    Comprehensive review of the portfolios in UAE on an ongoing basis.
•    Provide inputs on all strategic initiatives from retail risk perspective – portfolio, acquisitions, retail credit portfolio management, central bank regulation, provisioning norms for retail portfolios.
•    Compliance with Central bank Regulations pertaining to retail risk – impact analysis and implementation.
•    Actively work with business, risk, legal departments amongst others in developing portfolio strategy with respect opportunities and threats, risks and rewards and portfolio mix based on portfolio segmentation and performance as well as economic, market and competitive intelligence to grow the portfolio profitability, to focus on risk adjusted returns and economic profitability while keeping credit risk under control.
•    Maintain predictability of portfolio performance through regular risk charge monitoring.  Also, ensure the achievement of risk charge numbers on an ongoing basis by ensuring that they are within plan.
•    Drive automation of policies and processes by working together with underwriting team and other relevant stakeholders
•    Review and recommend to senior managers all new product launches and any significant changes to existing policies.
•    Additionally for secured products viz., mortgages / secured overdrafts / auto loans
          Ensure only appropriate asset classes are approved as collateral under the PPG and at appropriate LTV’s
          Ensure security perfection and appropriate legal structure approval (Ijarah vs conventional etc.)
•    Ensure satisfactory audit rating and consumer examination ratings for the retail credit policy unit.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

•    Master’s degree (M.Sc.) or Ph.D. (or equivalent) in Mathematics, Statistics, Data Science, Computer Science, Economics, or related quantitative discipline from a reputed institution.
•    Minimum 8–10 years of experience in banking / financial services with strong exposure to credit risk analytics, retail risk management, and policy formulation, preferably in unsecured lending portfolios.
•    Strong foundation in statistical modeling, machine learning, and advanced analytics applied to credit underwriting, scorecards, and portfolio management. Familiarity with AI/ML frameworks
•    Ability to translate data-driven insights into credit policy actions to optimize risk-return trade-offs.
•    Advanced proficiency in Python / R / SAS / SQL for data analysis and model development.
•    Strong expertise in data visualization tools such as Power BI and Tableau.
•    Experience working with large datasets, data pipelines, and cloud-based analytics environments is preferred.
•    Exposure on dealing with unconventional datasets, like unstructured data and alternate data for refining the lending strategies.
•    Deep understanding of retail credit risk frameworks, portfolio dynamics, and regulatory requirements (including Central Bank guidelines).
•    Awareness of industry best practices in AI-driven credit decisioning, digital underwriting, and risk-based pricing.
•    Ability to integrate AI-driven insights into business strategy, balancing growth and risk, with focus on ethical AI use.
•    Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to explain complex analytical outputs to senior leadership.
•    Strategic mindset with focus on portfolio optimization, early warning indicators, and proactive risk mitigation.
•    Exposure to digital lending platforms, fintech ecosystems, or AI-enabled underwriting systems.
•    Prior experience in product strategy or portfolio management will be an added advantage.
•    Effective communication, presentation and data analytical skills are mandatory.
•    Prior experience in Product Management would be an added strength.