Head Of Credit And Portfolio Management

Sustain Recruit; Melbourne; Hybrid; AUD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Sustain Recruit is seeking an experienced Head of Credit & Portfolio Management in Melbourne. The role is hybrid, reporting to the CEO, and involves leading end-to-end credit and portfolio management for a national lending portfolio.

You will drive credit policy, governance and risk frameworks while managing talent and ensuring disciplined credit standards. A commercially minded, hands‑on leader is sought to scale capability and support sustainable growth.

Qualifications

• Significant commercial lending and credit risk experience.
• Strong financial analysis, cash flow, security structures knowledge.
• Experience managing lending portfolios and emerging credit risk.
• Exposure to arrears management, restructures, workouts and recoveries.
• Ability to balance commercial growth with risk management.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end credit and portfolio management.
• Oversee credit assessment, approval and risk management.
• Monitor portfolio performance and reporting to executives.
• Governance: credit policy, frameworks and delegated authorities.
• Coach and develop the credit team; drive process improvements.

Skills

Credit risk management

Leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Credit policy

Portfolio monitoring

Education

Bachelor's degree in finance or related

Job description

Head of Credit & Portfolio Management

Melbourne | Hybrid

A growing specialist lender is seeking an experienced credit leader to take ownership of both credit decisioning and portfolio performance across a national lending portfolio.

This is a highly visible leadership role with direct access to the executive team and genuine influence over how the business manages risk, supports growth and evolves its credit capability.

We’re looking for someone who can comfortably operate between strategy and execution. Someone who enjoys shaping policy, governance and frameworks, but is equally prepared to assess a complex deal, challenge assumptions, work through an emerging risk exposure or support a client through a restructure.

The environment is entrepreneurial, collaborative and hands‑on. You’ll be joining a lean team where influence matters more than hierarchy, and where the focus is on scaling capability through strong processes, technology and sound credit judgement.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the CEO, you will lead the end‑to‑end credit and portfolio management function, including:

• Credit assessment, approval and credit risk management
• Ongoing portfolio monitoring and performance oversight
• Arrears management, restructures and recoveries
• Credit policy, governance and delegated authority frameworks
• Portfolio reporting, risk insights and executive‑level recommendations
• Coaching and development of the credit team
• Continuous improvement of processes, systems and controls

You’ll work closely with senior stakeholders across the business to support sustainable growth while maintaining disciplined credit standards and strong portfolio outcomes.

What We’re Looking For

You are likely an experienced Senior Credit Manager, Head of Credit or Portfolio Risk leader looking for a role where you can make a genuine impact.

• Significant commercial lending and credit risk experience
• A strong understanding of financial analysis, cash flow, security structures and repayment capacity
• Experience managing lending portfolios and emerging credit risk
• Exposure to arrears management, restructures, workouts and recoveries
• The ability to balance commercial growth objectives with sound risk management
• Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing capability
• A hands‑on leadership style and willingness to remain close to the detail
• Experience improving credit frameworks, governance, and operational processes

Why This Role?

This opportunity offers a rare combination of:

• Executive‑level visibility and influence
• Ownership of both new business and portfolio quality
• The ability to shape credit strategy and frameworks
• A genuine balance of leadership and hands‑on involvement
• A growing business where your contribution will be highly visible

This role will suit a commercially minded credit professional who enjoys building capability, influencing outcomes and taking ownership of portfolio performance rather than simply reviewing transactions.