Credit Analyst

  • Nairobi
  • Permanent
  • Full-time
  • 9 days ago
Branch delivers world-class financial services to the mobile generation. With offices in the United States, Nigeria, Kenya, and India, Branch is a for-profit, socially conscious company that uses the power of data science to reduce the cost of delivering financial services in emerging markets. We believe that everyone, everywhere, deserves fair financial access. The rapid spread of smartphones presents an opportunity for the world’s emerging middle class to access banking options and achieve financial flexibility.Branch’s mission-driven team is led by the founder and former CEO of Kiva.org. The company presents a rich opportunity for our team members to drive meaningful growth in rapidly evolving and changing markets. In 2019, Branch announced its Series C and has garnered more than $100M in funding with investments from leading Silicon Valley firms, including Andreessen Horowitz, Trinity Capital, Foundation Capital, Visa, and the International Finance Corporation (IFC).We value diversity and are committed to providing an inclusive working environment where human beings of all backgrounds can thrive.Job OverviewBranch is expanding its secured lending offering as part of our broader mission to build world-class financial services for the mobile generation.We are seeking a commercially astute and risk-disciplined credit analyst to design, structure, and oversee credit underwriting for asset-backed lending (motor vehicles, logbook loans, SME equipment, trade-linked assets).This role will be responsible for building scalable credit frameworks that balance growth with portfolio quality.Key ResponsibilitiesCredit Policy and Framework Development:
  • Design and refine our secured and consumer policies (vehicle financing, SME asset finance, logbook loans, salary loans, etc.).
  • Develop risk segmentation frameworks (retail vs SME vs trade).
  • Design and refine the SME and consumer restructuring policy
  • Define LTV thresholds, pricing tiers, tenor structures, and approval authorities.
  • Ensure policies align with Branch’s broader risk appetite and capital strategy.
  • Ensure any policy breaches are properly authorized at the correct level
Underwriting and Portfolio Oversight:
  • Oversee credit assessment and decisioning for SME, trade, and consumer applications.
  • Establish standardized appraisal, valuation, and collateral verification processes.
  • Monitor early warning indicators (arrears, asset repossession trends).
  • Track portfolio performance: PAR, recovery rates, loss curves, repossession timelines.
  • Escalate unusual issues or issues raising concerns
  • Ensure that all risk management requirements within your remit are addressed and, where necessary, escalated through the available defined channels.
  • Timely communication with customers on credit decisions
Product Structuring and Innovation
  • Work cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, Business Development, and Marketing to:
  • Structure new SME, consumer, and trade products.
  • Design repayment models (salary-based, SME cashflow-based, trade-based).
  • Optimize digital onboarding for SME, trade, and consumer loans.
  • Support digitization of asset finance processes and automation of decision-making where feasible.
Risk Analytics and Reporting
  • Develop asset finance dashboards and risk reporting packs for daily tracking.
  • Conduct cohort analysis and stress testing.
  • Present weekly and bi-weekly portfolio insights to the leadership team and the Credit Committee.
  • Keep up-to-date records of all cases received, analyzed, and decisions by promptly updating the tracker.
Partnerships and Ecosystem Management
  • Support partnerships with all service providers
  • Ensure proper risk controls within partner-driven sourcing channels.
Collections and Recoveries Oversight
  • Design recovery playbooks for asset finance.
  • Improve repossession efficiency and resale value realization.
  • Partner with Collections to reduce NPL migration.
Qualifications
  • 3+ years of experience in:
  • Asset finance and/or hire purchase credit
  • Corporate and SME lending
  • Loan restructures
  • Structured lending
  • Strong understanding of:
  • Collateral valuation and registration process
  • Conventional security lending frameworks in Kenya
  • Regulatory and compliance requirements
  • Proven experience managing SME, consumer, and trade portfolios.
  • Strong analytical and financial modelling skills.
  • Experience in digital process optimization is highly desirable.
Competencies
  • Commercial judgment with disciplined risk thinking.
  • Strong stakeholder management skills.
  • Structured, data-driven decision maker.
  • Comfortable operating in ambiguity and building from scratch.
  • High integrity and governance orientation.
  • Strong analytical and financial modelling skills
  • Commercial acumen with disciplined risk judgment
  • Structured, data-driven decision-making approach
  • Ability to balance growth vs. risk in dynamic environments
  • High integrity and strong governance orientation
  • Ability to work in fast-paced, evolving environments
Benefits of Joining Branch?
  • Mission-driven, fast-paced, and entrepreneurial environment
  • Competitive salary and equity package
  • A collaborative and flat company culture
  • Where we work: Hybrid
  • Fully paid health insurance benefit.
  • Work-life balance is not a myth. Make use of our 28 days of paid vacation days, 30 days of sick leave, and bereavement leave
  • Fully paid parental leave - 6 months maternity leave and 3 months paternity leave
  • Company-matched pension benefit
  • Monthly WFH stipend.
  • Annual professional development budget.
  • Other benefits include: team meals, virtual social events, and in-person meet-ups.

Branch International