Credit Manager

Closing date: Monday 23 November 2026

Reports to: Managing Director

Location: Head office, Kampala, with oversight of all branches

Direct reports: Senior Credit Supervisors, and through them the Credit Relationship Officers

Summary

The Credit Manager leads MARU Credit's credit function. You are accountable to the Managing Director for the size, quality and profitability of the loan book across all branches.

You set the direction: credit policy and risk appetite, portfolio strategy, branch targets, approvals above supervisory limits and the management of non-performing loans. You grow disbursements against approved targets while keeping PAR, write-offs and credit losses within approved limits, and you build a credit team that is disciplined, well coached and accountable for results.

Responsibilities

Credit strategy and planning

• Develop and implement the annual credit strategy for all branches, in line with the company's business plan.
• Propose annual disbursement, portfolio growth, collections and portfolio-quality targets, and allocate them between branches.
• Analyse market, competitor and economic trends, and recommend changes to target segments, products and pricing.
• Prepare the credit department budget and monitor performance against it.
• Advise the Managing Director on credit opportunities, risks and strategic decisions.

Portfolio growth and performance

• Grow the loan portfolio across all branches against approved monthly, quarterly and annual targets.
• Set branch and individual disbursement targets with the Senior Credit Supervisors and track progress weekly.
• Monitor disbursements, repayments, arrears, PAR, write-offs, recoveries and yield, and act early on negative trends.
• Introduce early-warning indicators and make sure they trigger timely action.
• Balance growth against portfolio quality in every branch.

Credit policy and risk management

• Develop, review and update the credit policy, procedures manual and credit risk appetite for Board or Management approval.
• Set appraisal standards, lending criteria, security and collateral requirements, and documentation standards.
• Identify and manage concentration risk by sector, product, branch and borrower.
• Make sure Credit Reference Bureau checks and other due-diligence tools are used effectively.
• Approve or recommend policy exceptions within delegated authority, and keep a record of every exception.
• Escalate suspected fraud, misrepresentation or irregularities immediately.

Credit appraisal and approval

• Oversee the end-to-end credit process, from customer acquisition and appraisal to approval, documentation and disbursement.
• Make sure appraisals properly assess repayment capacity, character, collateral and business risk.
• Approve applications within your delegated authority, and present larger ones to the Managing Director or Credit Committee with a clear recommendation.
• Chair or serve as secretary to the Credit Committee, and make sure decisions are documented and followed up.
• Make sure every loan file is complete and accurate before disbursement.
• Approve restructuring and rescheduling within policy.

Collections, recoveries and non-performing loans

• Own the collections and recovery strategy and targets for all branches.
• Monitor delinquency daily and make sure overdue accounts are followed up on time.
• Oversee non-performing loans, including demand notices, restructuring, collateral realisation and legal recovery.
• Engage and manage external debt collectors, auctioneers and lawyers in line with company procedures.
• Recommend loan provisions and write-offs to Management in line with policy.

Products and business growth

• Lead the review of existing loan products and the design of new ones in response to customer needs.
• Support partnerships and referral channels that bring in quality borrowers.
• Use customer feedback to improve products, processes and the customer experience.

Leadership and people development

• Lead, coach and appraise the Senior Credit Supervisors, and through them the Credit Relationship Officers.
• Set clear performance expectations, review performance regularly and address underperformance early.
• Identify training needs in appraisal, sales, customer service and collections, and contribute to the annual training plan.
• Support recruitment, onboarding and succession planning for credit roles, and handle performance matters with HR.
• Promote integrity, accountability and a results-driven culture.

Compliance, controls and audit

• Make sure all lending complies with the credit policy, approval limits and Ugandan law and regulation, including the Uganda Microfinance Regulatory Authority (UMRA), KYC, anti-money-laundering and consumer-protection requirements.
• Coordinate responses to internal and external audit findings on credit and track them to closure.
• Promote ethical lending and fair treatment of customers.

Reporting and management information

• Prepare accurate weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual reports on portfolio growth, quality, collections and team performance for the Managing Director and Board.
• Present portfolio performance, risks and recommendations at Management meetings.
• Make sure customer and portfolio data in LoanDisk, or any other system Management designates, is complete, accurate and up to date.

What success looks like

• Disbursement and portfolio growth targets met, company-wide and by branch.
• PAR 30 below 5%, PAR 60 below 3%, PAR 90 below 2% and non-performing loans (NPLs) below 4% of the portfolio.
• Collection and recovery targets met, with write-offs and provisions within approved limits.
• Interest and fee income on budget.
• Credit decisions within approved turnaround times, made within policy, with every exception documented.
• Credit policy reviewed at least once a year; no material regulatory breaches; audit findings closed on time.
• Staff appraised on time, the training plan delivered, and accurate reports submitted on time.