Manager - Financial Services Risk Management (Credit Risk & Governance)

Manager – Financial Services Risk Management (Credit Risk & Governance)

Location: TBC
Languages: English (Mandatory), Arabic (Mandatory)
Experience: 8–12 years
Industry Focus: Banking and Financial Institutions

Job Summary

We are seeking a Manager to join EY’s Financial Services Risk Management (FSRM) practice in Riyadh, focusing on credit-risk management, governance, and portfolio oversight.

This role is designed for professionals with deep practical understanding of credit processes, loan file reviews, recovery procedures, policies, and governance frameworks. You will work with clients to assess the soundness of their credit portfolios, strengthen credit-decisioning frameworks, and design end-to-end operating models for risk governance, monitoring, and collections.

The position blends hands-on credit expertise with policy and procedural design, making it ideal for someone with banking experience who wants to evolve into a trusted advisor on credit-risk transformation.

Key Responsibilities

1. Credit Portfolio Review & Quality Assessment

• Lead or participate in credit-file reviews to assess underwriting quality, policy adherence, and risk grading accuracy.
• Identify deficiencies in loan origination, due diligence, documentation, and collateral management processes.
• Evaluate alignment of internal ratings and staging with regulatory and accounting standards (Basel, IFRS 9).
• Prepare review reports highlighting findings, root causes, and recommendations for improvement.

2. Credit Governance, Policy, and Operating Model

• Design and update credit-risk governance frameworks — including committee structures, delegated authorities, and escalation mechanisms.
• Develop or review credit policies and procedures, ensuring alignment with regulatory expectations and risk appetite statements.
• Map end-to-end credit processes (origination, approval, disbursement, monitoring, early warning, recovery, and closure) and identify optimization opportunities.
• Define clear roles and responsibilities (RACI) across Business, Risk, Credit Administration, and Recovery functions.
• Support the establishment of a three-lines-of-defense model for credit governance.

3. Recovery, Restructuring & Collections Frameworks

• Design and enhance loan recovery and workout processes, including restructuring procedures and write-off governance.
• Assess collection effectiveness, collateral enforcement, and provisioning triggers.
• Benchmark recovery procedures against best practice and regulatory requirements.
• Assist in creating Early Warning Systems (EWS) for deteriorating exposures.

4. Credit Monitoring & Reporting

• Develop or enhance frameworks for portfolio monitoring, concentration analysis, and watch-list management.
• Recommend improvements to MIS and reporting dashboards for Board and Credit Committees.
• Support implementation of risk appetite metrics and limit structures (e.g., LTV, DSCR, sector exposure limits).

5. Client Engagement & Delivery

• Manage project workstreams and teams conducting credit reviews, policy design, or target operating model assessments.
• Liaise with senior client stakeholders — Chief Risk Officers, Heads of Credit, and Chief Credit Officers — to ensure engagement success.
• Prepare and present findings, recommendations, and operating model blueprints to client leadership.

Skills and Attributes for Success

• Strong understanding of credit origination, approval, administration, and recovery processes within banks.
• Experience in credit policy design, procedural documentation, and governance frameworks.
• Ability to evaluate portfolio quality, identify process gaps, and recommend practical, risk-sensitive solutions.
• Familiarity with Basel credit-risk principles, IFRS 9 staging, and collections/recovery best practices.
• Excellent analytical, writing, and presentation skills.
• Ability to manage multiple engagements and coordinate across functions.

To Qualify for the Role, You Must Have

• 8–12 years of experience in credit-risk management, credit review, or portfolio oversight, ideally within a bank or consulting environment.
• Proven experience in reviewing corporate and SME credit files and assessing policy compliance.
• Exposure to designing or implementing credit policies and procedures.
• Degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or Risk Management.

Ideally, You’ll Also Have

• Experience with collections and recovery operations, including legal enforcement and restructuring.
• Knowledge of regulatory frameworks (SAMA, CBUAE, Basel).
• Exposure to developing credit-risk operating models or governance structures.
• Professional certifications such as FRM, CFA, or Credit Risk Certification.

What We Look For

A pragmatic, detail-oriented credit professional who understands how credit really works in banks — someone who can bridge credit policy with operational execution, identify weaknesses in credit governance, and design frameworks that are both compliant and practical.