Recovery Team Lead (sme Lending/nbfi)

• The successful candidate will be responsible for personally managing the recovery of seriously delinquent and written-off loans while leading and supervising the recovery team to achieve monthly recovery targets.
• This role requires a strong recovery professional with proven experience in SME or trader lending, excellent negotiation skills, and the ability to manage difficult recovery cases while maintaining accurate portfolio records and reports.

Key Responsibilities:

Delinquent Portfolio Management:

• Take ownership of assigned delinquent accounts from day 61, particularly accounts within the 60 - 180+ days delinquency range.
• Develop and implement resolution plans for every assigned account.
• Personally manage seriously delinquent and written-off loan accounts to maximise recovery.

Team Leadership and Performance Management:

• Lead and supervise recovery officers, allocating accounts and setting individual recovery targets.
• Conduct daily and weekly recovery reviews.
• Monitor team performance and ensure monthly recovery targets are achieved.
• Provide guidance, coaching, and support to recovery officers.

Loan Account Resolution and Negotiation:

• Implement a tiered recovery approach involving structured payment plans, field visits, and negotiated settlements.
• Exercise sound judgement in determining when to maintain recovery pressure, restructure loans, negotiate settlements, or escalate cases.
• Engage borrowers and guarantors to secure repayment commitments.

Legal Escalation and Litigation Management:

• Prepare complete case files for external recovery solicitors.
• Brief legal counsel appropriately and track litigation and enforcement matters through to resolution.
• Liaise with the police only in cases involving fraud, dishonoured cheques, and other criminal matters.

Asset Protection and Collateral Enforcement:

• Monitor GPS-tracked vehicle assets attached to secured loan accounts.
• Coordinate repossession when recovery through engagement and negotiation fails.
• Work with tracking companies, recovery agents, and enforcement partners to protect the client's interests.

Skip Tracing and Borrower Location:

• Locate borrowers who have become unreachable or stopped responding to recovery efforts.
• Utilise guarantor networks, known addresses, vehicle GPS data, and employer verification to trace borrowers.

Recovery Reporting and Portfolio Monitoring:

• Submit weekly reports covering 30-day recovery figures and forward-looking 30-day recovery projections to the Head of Credit, Risk & Recovery.
• Ensure the accuracy and reliability of all recovery figures and portfolio reports.
• Monitor recovery performance and identify accounts requiring further intervention.

Provisioning and Write-off Support:

• Identify and flag accounts approaching the write-off threshold.
• Provide the credit team with accurate account status updates and recommended recovery actions.
• Support provisioning and write-off decisions through timely and reliable portfolio information.

Key Requirements: Experience and Qualifications

• B.Sc. or HND in a relevant discipline.
• 4 - 6 years of experience in loan recovery within SME or trader lending, preferably in a Microfinance Bank (MFB), NBFI, or finance company in Lagos.
• At least 2 years of experience supervising or leading a recovery team.
• Proven track record of reducing non-performing loans and recovering delinquent and written-off loans.
• Experience working with lawyers, recovery agents, or the courts is an added advantage.
• Ability to demonstrate recovery rates, NPL reduction achievements, and the size of loan portfolios previously managed.
• Sound knowledge of loan documentation, guarantor management, collateral enforcement, and fair debt-recovery regulations.
• Relevant credit, recovery, or risk management certification (e.g., CIBN) is an added advantage.

The Client Is Looking for Someone Who:

• Is highly persistent, target-driven, and results-oriented.
• Has strong negotiation, conflict-resolution, and borrower engagement skills.
• Can lead, motivate, and coach a team of recovery officers.
• Demonstrates integrity, professionalism, and composure under pressure.
• Is analytical and comfortable using data to monitor loan portfolios and recovery performance.
• Has excellent communication and reporting skills.
• Can take ownership of difficult recovery cases and deliver measurable results.

Technical Skills Required

• Proficiency in Loandisk and Zoho CRM.
• Strong Microsoft Excel skills, particularly for loan ageing analysis, portfolio tracking, and recovery reporting.
• Ability to prepare accurate recovery reports and forward-looking projections.
• Knowledge of loan recovery processes, collateral enforcement, and legal escalation procedures.
• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
• Performance will be assessed based on:
• Monthly loan recovery targets achieved.
• Reduction in non-performing loans (NPLs).
• Recovery rate on delinquent and written-off accounts.
• Resolution rate of assigned delinquent accounts.
• Team recovery performance against individual and collective targets.
• Accuracy and timeliness of recovery reports.
• Effectiveness of legal escalation, collateral enforcement, and account resolution.