Credit and Product Operations Officer

Job Title: Credit and Product Operations Officer

Department: Finance

Reports To: Chief Finance Officer

Location: Blantyre

JOB PURPOSE

The Credit and Product Operations Officer will oversee two critical functions: ensuring the integrity and performance of SDF’s automated credit scoring and decisioning engine across all lending products, and managing the daily operations of live products, including configuration, integration with distribution partners, and ongoing performance monitoring. This role ensures SDF's lending operations are robust, well-governed, and compliant with SDF's credit policy and Reserve Bank of Malawi regulations, acting as a key liaison between Credit, Risk, IT/Product teams, and distribution partners.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Credit Oversight

• Monitor the performance and output of the automated loan origination and decisioning system for all SDF lending products. Track approval/decline rates, scoring accuracy, and portfolio risk indicators by product, understanding each product's unique eligibility rules, affordability caps, and access-tier logic.


• Review and process system-referred or flagged applications that fall outside automated approval limits, exercising judgment within delegated authority.


• Conduct regular testing and validation of each product’s credit scoring model and decisioning rules to confirm ongoing effectiveness, escalating any discrepancies to management and IT/Risk.


• Oversee and manage the loan status classification workflow across the portfolio (from early arrears to default and write-off). Ensure correct account classification, timely issuance of required internal and partner notifications, and accurate application of revenue-share or income-suspension treatments.


• Prepare recommendations for loan restructuring and write-offs for accounts meeting defined criteria, supported by thorough analysis, for review by the Credit Manager and other approving authorities.


• Periodically evaluate affordability thresholds and lending caps (e.g., debt service coverage limits based on income or commission) against actual portfolio performance and propose adjustments as necessary.


• Support collections and recovery efforts for past-due accounts in collaboration with the Collections team.


• Ensure the automated lending process strictly adheres to SDF’s credit policy, Reserve Bank of Malawi regulatory requirements, and the Group’s risk and compliance framework.


• Maintain precise records of system-driven credit decisions, exceptions, and overrides for audit and regulatory purposes.


• Contribute to the review and enhancement of credit policies, procedures, and automated scoring criteria.

Product Operations

• Manage the daily operations of SDF’s digital lending products, including product configuration, parameter adjustments, and system settings within established governance controls.


• Coordinate with distribution partner platforms and internal IT/Product teams on product functionality, integration challenges, and enhancement requests.


• Support product piloting and rollout phases, including User Acceptance Testing (UAT), pre- and post-implementation sign-offs, and stage-gate governance, ensuring reconciliation of formal test records with live implementation status before sign-off.


• Monitor the performance of automated, wallet-based repayment recovery mechanisms in partnership with distribution partners, track partner notification service-level performance, and escalate recurring failures through appropriate governance channels.


• Manage agent and merchant whitelisting processes, ensuring correct application of segmentation criteria, monitoring whitelist pool capacity, and proactively flagging potential capacity constraints.


• Represent SDF's operational interests in joint governance meetings with distribution partners, addressing matters such as affordability caps, service-level performance, and portfolio reporting.


• Track product performance against key targets (uptake, disbursement volumes, turnaround times, customer experience) and report findings to management.


• Maintain and periodically update product documentation, including Business Requirements Documents, terms and conditions, technical implementation guides, and process manuals, ensuring consistency across all documents and alignment with product operation.


• Support the preparation and maintenance of product approval submissions to the Reserve Bank of Malawi.


• Identify and escalate operational issues impacting product delivery, working collaboratively with relevant teams for prompt resolution.

Shared Responsibilities

• Prepare regular reports on loan and product performance, portfolio quality, and credit risk indicators for management review.


• Liaise with Risk & Compliance and IT/Product teams to support credit- and product-related regulatory reporting, audits, and system enhancements.


• Contribute to the ongoing improvement of credit policies, product features, operational procedures, and automated scoring criteria.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• A Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Banking, Economics, Business Administration, or a related field.


• A minimum of 3 years of experience in credit analysis, lending, or a similar role, preferably in microfinance, digital lending, or banking.


• Experience with product or process documentation, such as business requirements documents, technical specifications, or regulatory submission documents, is advantageous.


• Familiarity with Reserve Bank of Malawi regulations relevant to credit and lending operations is beneficial.


• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly advanced Excel skills (formula-based analysis and financial modeling), and experience with loan management systems.

KEY SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

• Strong analytical and credit risk assessment abilities, with proficiency in interpreting system-generated scoring and portfolio data.


• Comfort and competence in working with loan management/decisioning systems and extracting insights from data to identify performance anomalies.


• Ability to construct and maintain structured analytical models (e.g., segmentation, whitelisting, financial projections) using clear, auditable formulas.


• Capacity to read and synthesize information from multiple documents (policies, technical specifications, agreements) and identify inconsistencies with each other or with actual operating practices.


• Sound judgment and decision-making capabilities within delegated authority, especially for exceptions and referrals.


• High degree of integrity and meticulous attention to detail.


• Effective communication and interpersonal skills, suitable for collaborating with IT/Product teams and distribution partners on system-related matters.


• Ability to perform effectively under pressure and meet stringent turnaround targets.


• Knowledge of relevant regulatory and compliance requirements.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, a detailed CV, and copies of relevant certificates by Friday, 21st August 2026, to loans@swiftcapital.mw.