Title:  Specialist: Credit Risk Appetite & Portfolio

REQUISITION DETAILS

REQ 146630 Thembi Mtshali

Location: Johannesburg

Closing date: 8 July 2026

Job Family

Career Stream

Leadership Pipeline

FAIS Affected

Job Purpose

This role sits within Group Risk and is responsible for shaping, challenging and monitoring the bank’s credit risk appetite and portfolio performance to ensure alignment with strategy, capital constraints, and regulatory expectations.

The successful candidate will provide credit risk quality assurance to senior management, driving insight-led decision-making through rigorous analytics, forward-looking risk assessment (including early warning indicators and scenario analysis) and clear communication of portfolio risks and opportunities.

Job Responsibilities

1. Portfolio Analytics & Performance Oversight

• Analyse and interpret credit portfolio performance, identifying emerging risks, concentrations, and structural shifts.
• Provide forward-looking insights through: Early warning indicators, Leading indicators of credit deterioration and Scenario analysis.
• Assess the sustainability and quality of earnings through deep credit risk analysis (e.g., impairments, CLR, Stage 3 trends)

2. Insight Generation & Decision Support
• Produce high-impact reporting for Exco, Board, and risk committees, translating complex risk dynamics into simple, actionable insights.
• Provide independent challenge and assurance on: Credit strategy, Portfolio growth plans and Impairment/RWA adequacy
• Benchmark portfolio performance and strategy against peer banks and industry best practice.
3. Concentration Risk & Portfolio Optimisation
• Monitor and manage portfolio concentrations and risk exposures across sectors, geographies, and products.
• Identify optimisation opportunities to improve risk-return outcomes and portfolio resilience.

Support strategic decisions on growth, risk-taking, and capital allocation.

4. Risk Appetite Framework Development & Governance
• Lead the development, enhancement and maintenance of credit risk appetite frameworks, metrics, and thresholds.
• Translate Group-level appetite into actionable business-level limits and guardrails.
• Review and challenge business unit proposals on appetite calibration, ensuring alignment with Group strategy and capital constraints.
• Ensure alignment between risk appetite, business planning and portfolio strategy.
5. Regulatory & Strategic Alignment
• Interpret regulatory developments (e.g., IFRS 9, SARB guidance) and assess impact on: Risk appetite metrics, Credit risk measurement and Portfolio strategy
• Ensure the framework is aligned with the Enterprise Risk Management Framework and Risk Appetite Framework governance standards
6. Capability Building & Innovation
• Drive continuous improvement in: Analytics capability (automation, modelling, dashboards) and Risk measurement techniques.
• Introduce advanced analytics approaches (e.g., decomposition, Early warning indicator frameworks etc).
• Contribute to building a high-performance, intellectually rigorous team culture.
7. Stakeholder Engagement & Influence
• Engage with senior stakeholders across: Business units, Finance, Risk functions and Group Economic Unit.
• Influence decision-making through data-led insights and constructive challenge.
• Present confidently in senior forums, including credit committees and technical forums

Preferred Qualification
•    Bachelor’s degree in a quantitative field (Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics, Finance)
•    Postgraduate degree preferred

Preferred Certifications
• FRM/ PRM/ CFA advantageous

Technical / Professional Knowledge
• Strong analytical capability (Excel, SAS/SQL, Python preferable)
• Experience with Credit risk metrics (CLR, Stage 3, Coverage, RWA Density etc)
• Understanding and experience in Risk appetite Frameworks
• Ability to translate data into clear business insights
• Strategic Business Planning
• Reporting

Behavioural Competencies
• Self-starter
• Strong critical thinker with ability to challenge constructively
• High levels of ownership and accountability
• Excellent communication (written and verbal) – able to simplify complex concepts
• Curiosity and continuous learning mindset
• Ability to operate at both deep technical level and strategic level

Minimum Experience Level

• 5+ years in:
  • Credit risk analytics
  • Portfolio management
  • Risk appetite/ capital / impairment analytics
• Proven experience working with senior stakeholders and governance forums.