Senior Officer - Early Arrears Management

The role of the Senior Officer - Early Arrears Management is crucial for the effective collection and recovery of loans classified under early arrears (1-90 Days Past Due, DPDs). The job holder is expected to enforce repayment, negotiate with customers, and ensure compliance with credit policies and legal requirements.

Key Responsibilities

1. Identify and continually review processes and procedures within the Region.
2. Perform the collection function of early arrears (1-90 DPDs), which includes:
   • Demand and enforce repayment of delinquent loans from Relationship offices and branches.
   • Negotiate for repayment with defaulting customers during the recovery enforcement process.
   • Monitor arrangements for payments from bad debtors.
   • Visit the clients/businesses with struggling loan facilities.
   • Review daily system/credit monitoring loan reports and identify non-performing accounts with irregularities, proactively following up to ensure corrective action is taken in line with credit policy.
   • Facilitate the issuance of demand letters, instructions to repossess, and statutory notices that are due.
3. Liaise with auctioneers in the realization of securities and monitor the auctioning process to a satisfactory conclusion.
4. Liaise with the Legal Department regarding recovery litigations and where legal interpretations are required.
5. Manage effective relationships with internal and external customers.
6. Ensure effective communication with internal and external customers in writing (correspondence), on phone, or in person.
7. Prepare and submit detailed and accurate reports from recovery assignments, making actionable business-oriented recommendations to management.
8. To supervise, coach, and train staff in Early Arrears management (if any).
9. Training staff on collection as well as continuous development of the team through proper leadership, mentoring, and coaching.
10. Monitor and evaluate the performance of individuals and the regional team to ensure maximum effort is directed towards achieving regional objectives.
11. Be accountable for the branch team’s compliance with regulations and the Bank’s policies and procedures.
12. Achieve credit control assessment targets/audit requirements.
13. Evaluate cost/benefits, identify appropriate alternatives, and make innovative initiatives to improve work efficiency.
14. Perform any other official duties as allocated by management from time to time.

Qualifications

• Hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Accounts, Finance or related field.
• Professional Credit or Debt recovery qualifications are a plus.
• Have a minimum of four (4) years practical experience with a proven result-oriented track record in recoveries.
• Experience in banking & legal background is a plus.
• Sound knowledge of the Bank’s policies and procedures.
• Computer skills: adept in use of Ms Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Internet and email.