Reports to: Chief Credit Officer

About the Company:

DFCU Bank is a fast growing commercial bank offering a variety of innovative products and services. DFCU Limited was started by the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) of the United Kingdom and the Government of Uganda through the Uganda Development Corporation (UDC) under the name of Development Finance Company of Uganda Limited. Later restructuring brought in DEG (of Germany) and International Finance Corporation (IFC) as equal partners with CDC and UDC, each having a 25% stake in the company. Its objective was to support long-term development projects whose financing needs and risk did not appeal to the then existing financial commercial lending institutions.

Job Summary:   Reporting to the Chief Credit Officer, the role holder will be responsible for reviewing and approving Corporate & Institutional Banking credit facilities and in collaboration with other stakeholders manage credit risk and maintain a high portfolio quality.

Act as the Principal Advisor on the overall credit management and sustainable growth of the Corporate & Institutional Banking loan portfolio.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Review and approve Corporate credit facilities within delegated authority and maintain a good balance between returns and risk exposure.
• Evaluate and provide guidance to business in order to structure Corporate credit facilities within approved limits and within the set turnaround time.
• To decision on quality deals priced to cover all embedded costs under the risk reward trade-off in order to achieve the Bank’s disbursement target and grow a quality portfolio.
• Visit clients to understand client’s business model and requirements and accordingly advise appropriate financing solutions.
• Monitor the performance of the Corporate & Institutional Banking Division’s portfolio of loan products, including monitoring borrower behaviour and creditworthiness; take action as necessary to optimize return on investment and mitigate potential losses.
• Provide advice to business units in structuring Corporate credit / loan transactions and ensure that credit proposals are complete and accurate and covers all significant factors for credit decision making.
• Responsible for maintaining the asset quality of the designated portfolio through interim reviews, annual reviews and an ongoing monitoring and control and escalation of issues as may be necessary through proactively manage the bank’s loans and advances’ portfolio to ensure optimal performance of facilities and minimize loss to the bank.
• Serve as a second line of defence and escalate any breaches of procedures, credit risk excesses and past dues and related matters to the business and other stakeholders.
• Comply with all internal credit policies and Central Bank guidelines and regulations, as per the Financial Institutions Act 2004. Adherence to Credit Reference Bureau, Anti Money Laundering and KYC and other reporting requirements as well as full implementation of IFRS standards, and all other relevant statutory requirements. Failure of which, the Bank can incur losses as a result of penalties.
• Monitor individual credits inclusive of Off-Balance sheet exposures as well as overall credit portfolio of the bank to ascertain:
• Whether loans are being serviced as per facility terms
• The adequacy of provisions
• The overall risk profile is within acceptable limits
• Take remedial measures as and when any deterioration occur.
• Monitor portfolio diversification in accordance with policy guidance, risk appetite and strategic plan.
• Provide key participation and leadership in Management governance forums where asset quality issues discussed, and remedial strategies formulated – examples including the High Care/Watchlist Committee and Credit Portfolio Committees.
• Review and update the Bank’s Corporate credit policies and procedures as applicable to meet regulatory and risk environment changes and bank’s risk appetite in liaison with other stakeholders.
• Enforce ESG compliance as part of the credit appraisal process.
• Support and drive initiatives tied to credit enhancement process.
• Develop systems to monitor the quality of the loan portfolio in line with the credit policy and standards.
• Prepare annual budget and budget forecast and monitor monthly performance of the business unit with respect to the forecast budget and take appropriate actions.
• Review the portfolio evaluations and studies on the industry and environment to gain understanding on the resilience of the loan portfolio and provide advice to minimize future losses.
• Provide strong leadership to the Corporate Credit function – manage and develop skills, professionalism and careers of the Corporate Credit team plus support to the Corporate credit analysis and corporate relationship management teams.
• Identify and highlight exceptions against the Bank’s lending policy / standard terms and conditions being offered to Corporate Credit applicants.
• Adherence to margining requirements for security (collateral) held to ensure values do not fall below set thresholds and call for security enhancement or top-up as necessary.
• Effectively dealing with customer queries over a range of credit matters.
• Preparation and updating checklists for Corporate credit process and documentation.
• Participation in the formulation, amendment, and implementation of Corporate credit policy procedures.

• A University Degree in the areas of Economics, Finance, Accounting, Commerce, Business Administration or a related field.
• Master’s degree preferred.
• Additional training/professional qualification in Business, Investment and project appraisal.
• Credit Certification.
• ACIB or similar professional qualification.
• At least 8 years of which 3 have been in a Senior Management role in Credit Approval/Analysis /Risk management functions in a financial institution.
• Previous experience in Corporate Banking/ Corporate Credit will be key.
• Strong understanding of lending and risk management in respect of Corporates and commercial business; financial risk analysis skills.
• Proven experience in the identification of risks and controls related to Credit Risk
• Well-versed in traditional banking and trade products, as well as treasury and more complex solutions, syndications.
• Strong understanding of corporate governance.
• Good understanding of Financial Institutions Act (FIA), AML Act, Income tax Act, IFRS standards and exposure to ESG best practices.
• Strong business acumen, ideally with previous experience of developing and managing a product portfolio.
• Keen understanding of the current trends in terms of digitizing and innovating in the Credit field.
• Financial risk analysis skills.
• Strategic awareness and strong analytical, problem solving and decision-making skills to understand issues and generate practical solutions.
• Ability to manage and motivate staff towards the strategic goals.
• Effective Leadership and Delegation skills.
• Ability to negotiate and influence.
• Ability to multi-task in pressure situations and establish priorities.
• Effect use of Microsoft office (Excel, Word & power Point).
• Unquestionable Integrity.

If you believe you meet the requirements as noted above, please forward your application with a detailed CV including present position and copies of relevant professional/academic certificates, to the email address indicated below:

Vacanciesbank@dfcugroup.com

Deadline: 2nd May 2025

NB: Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.