Vice President – Retail Credit Policy

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Pakistan.

📋 Description

• Oversee and develop lending and financing policies/frameworks for designated products in the UAE.

• Create and manage credit criteria and Risk Asset Acceptance Criteria for specific offerings.

• Ensure portfolio quality and devise portfolio management strategies by establishing retail credit policies and lending parameters.

• Lead the retail bank’s strategy regarding ‘Risk’ and ‘Growth’ areas through effective retail credit policy initiatives.

• Attain the targeted risk charge for retail products by ensuring high-quality acquisitions, collaborating with underwriting teams to enhance lending criteria periodically, making them more digital-friendly, and initiating portfolio measures to continuously improve and stabilize flow rates.

• Revise and uphold the Retail Credit Policy Manual, which serves as the framework for individual product programs.

• Ensure all retail credit policies align with the strategic orientation and target segments that the bank aims to develop.

• Ensure that product programs in the UAE for these offerings are aligned, standardized, and comply with the retail banking lending framework.

• Conduct a thorough ongoing review of the portfolios in the UAE.

• Provide insights on all strategic initiatives from a retail risk perspective, including portfolio management, acquisitions, retail credit portfolio management, central bank regulations, and provisioning norms for retail portfolios.

• Adhere to Central Bank Regulations related to retail risk through impact analysis and implementation.

• Collaborate actively with business, risk, and legal departments, among others, to develop portfolio strategies considering opportunities and threats, risks and rewards, and portfolio mix based on segmentation, performance, as well as economic, market, and competitive intelligence to enhance portfolio profitability, focusing on risk-adjusted returns and economic profitability while managing credit risk effectively.

• Maintain predictability of portfolio performance through ongoing risk charge monitoring.

• Promote automation of policies and processes by working closely with the underwriting team and other pertinent stakeholders.

• Review and provide recommendations to senior management regarding all new product launches and significant changes to existing policies.

• For secured products such as mortgages, secured overdrafts, and auto loans, ensure that only suitable asset classes are approved as collateral under the PPG and at appropriate Loan-to-Value ratios, along with ensuring security perfection and the correct legal structure approval (Ijarah vs conventional, etc.).

• Ensure satisfactory audit ratings and consumer examination ratings for the retail credit policy unit.

⛳️ Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics, Statistics, Data Science, Computer Science, Economics, or a related quantitative field from a recognized institution.

• A minimum of 10-12 years of experience in banking or financial services, with significant exposure to credit risk analytics, retail risk management, and policy formulation, preferably in unsecured lending portfolios.

• Robust background in statistical modeling, machine learning, and advanced analytics applied to credit underwriting, scorecards, and portfolio management.

• Familiarity with AI/ML frameworks.

• Ability to convert data-driven insights into credit policy actions to optimize risk-return trade-offs.

• Advanced proficiency in Python, R, SAS, or SQL for data analysis and model development.

• Strong expertise in data visualization tools such as Power BI and Tableau.

• Experience with large datasets, data pipelines, and cloud-based analytics environments is preferred.

• Exposure to unconventional datasets, including unstructured and alternative data for refining lending strategies.

• In-depth 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.

• Capability to integrate AI-driven insights into business strategy, balancing growth and risk while focusing on ethical AI use.

• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex analytical outputs to senior leadership.

• Strategic mindset focused 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 essential.

• Previous experience in Product Management would be a valuable asset.

🏝️ Benefits

• Health insurance

• 401(k) matching

• Flexible work hours

• Paid time off

• Remote work options