Senior Credit Risk Manager - Consumer Banking

About the role

A well-established regional bank with an expanding presence in the UAE is looking for a Senior Credit Risk Manager to lead independent credit assessment, portfolio oversight and risk governance across its consumer banking portfolio. The role suits an experienced credit professional who can influence senior stakeholders and Board-level committees.

Key responsibilities

• Lead independent credit risk assessments for new-to-bank, renewal, increase and amendment requests, and present recommendations to approvers and credit committees
• Assign and review internal risk ratings so credit decisions rest on robust financial and qualitative analysis
• Oversee portfolio quality by tracking excesses, past dues, collateral shortfalls and covenant breaches, and drive timely remediation
• Identify early warning signals, manage the watchlist and stressed accounts, and recommend actions to prevent slippage
• Own IFRS 9 staging and ECL provisioning, and monitor concentration limits and risk appetite parameters
• Deliver portfolio and risk reporting to the Board Risk Committee, senior management, external auditors and regulators, and support audit and regulatory submissions
• Develop and maintain credit policies, procedures, committee charters and risk frameworks in line with the bank's risk appetite and CBUAE and DFSA requirements
• Lead and contribute to credit risk automation and system enhancement projects

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting or a related discipline; CA or CFA qualification strongly preferred
• 10-12+ years of credit underwriting experience in banking, including at least 7 years in the GCC or wider MENAT region
• Strong consumer banking credit background with a solid understanding of retail lending products and portfolio dynamics
• Experience in Board and regulatory reporting, policy development and risk governance

Required skills

• Thorough knowledge of credit risk frameworks, including IFRS 9 / ECL, risk appetite and portfolio monitoring
• Strong financial analysis skills and a sound understanding of the UAE regulatory environment (CBUAE and DFSA)
• Proficiency in MS Office and banking systems