Credit Lead

Unifi Group; Stellenbosch; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Unifi Group in Stellenbosch is seeking a senior data and credit policy professional to shape, develop and improve credit policy across Unifi. You will use data, deep technical expertise and sound judgement to balance portfolio risk, profitability and sustainable growth.

In this role you will own credit policy, optimize credit offerings, run experiments and translate models into decision rules. Travel across Africa may be required to support implementation and alignment.

Qualifications

• 5–8+ years in consumer credit risk with hands-on policy shaping.

Responsibilities

• Shape and maintain Unifi’s credit policies.
• Improve credit access and reduce friction with data insights.
• Recommend changes to credit limits, scoring cut-offs, and provisioning.
• Design and run controlled credit experiments and measure impact.
• Develop risk-based pricing strategies with Finance and Data Science.
• Monitor portfolio risk and report trends across markets.
• Translate scoring models into actionable credit rules.
• Own the credit policy approval process and implementation.

Skills

Consumer credit risk

Credit policy shaping

SQL

Python

BigQuery

Credit scoring

IFRS 9 provisioning

Stakeholder influence

Data analysis

Travel willingness

Education

Statistics / Actuarial / Mathematics / Economics / Finance (quant)

Tools

SQL

Python

BigQuery

Job description

Boldly different. Fiercely human. Proudly African.

Unifi is redefining credit across Africa with simple, fast personal loans. We have a strong conviction in Africa, its opportunities and its people. Our products help clients unlock their potential and achieve more. As one of Africa's fastest growing lenders, we combine a client-first mindset with innovative technology and data analytics to make life easy for our clients.

Why this role matters

Every credit decision shapes our clients' experience and Unifi's future. As part of the Data and Credit team, you’ll be responsible for the shaping, development and improvement of credit policy across Unifi. You will use data, deep technical expertise and sound judgement to balance portfolio risk, profitability and sustainable growth.

What you will own

• Shape our credit policy. Maintain Unifi’s credit policies, ensuring credit rules are clear, consistent and adapted to local market conditions.
• Make credit easier to access. Use data and credit insights to improve credit offerings, simplify client experience and reduce friction. Work with Operations, IT and Data to turn opportunities into practical improvements.
• Make smarter credit decisions. Analyse and recommend changes to credit limits, scoring cut-offs, pricing, provisioning and credit rules, building strong evidence based cases for approval.
• Test, learn and improve. Design and run controlled credit experiments, measure their impact and use the results to improve credit decisions, client experience and explore new opportunities.
• Balance risk and profitability. Develop risk based pricing strategies and work with Finance and Data Science on credit risk assumptions and model inputs that inform profitability and overall client experience.
• Stay ahead of portfolio risk. Monitor and report back at different levels on credit quality, repayment trends and losses or gains across our markets. Identify emerging risks and opportunities early and recommend interventions to improve portfolio performance.
• Turn models into decisions. Work closely with teams to translate scoring models and insights into practical credit policies, and to ensure credit rules are implemented and tested correctly.
• Make changes count. Own the credit policy approval process, from building the business case and securing approval to overseeing implementation, monitoring results, reporting back on outcomes and refining what doesn't work.
• Share your expertise. Help teams understand credit decisions, challenge assumptions and build stronger credit thinking across Unifi.

What you will bring

• 5–8+ years of experience in consumer credit risk, with hands‑on experience shaping credit policy, pricing, credit limits, provisioning and scorecard cut‑offs in unsecured credit.
• A degree in Statistics, Actuarial Science, Mathematics, Economics, Finance or a related quantitative field.
• Advanced SQL/ Python skills and confidence working directly with large datasets (we use BigQuery) or similar cloud‑based platforms.
• Deep understanding of credit scoring, risk‑based pricing, portfolio analytics and the relationship between credit risk and profitability.
• Experience designing credit experiments, evaluating model performance and translating analytical findings into policy decisions.
• A strong understanding of credit risk modelling inputs, loss forecasting and IFRS 9 provisioning principles.
• Sound commercial judgement and the ability to challenge assumptions, influence senior stakeholders and make complex credit decisions understandable.
• Willing and able to travel to our teams across Africa at least once a quarter.

How you show up

• Put the client first. You always keep our client and the opportunity in mind and look for ways to make credit simpler, more fair and accessible, without compromising on responsible lending.
• See the bigger picture. You balance clients needs, risk, growth and profitability, understanding how today's decisions shape Unifi’s future.
• Back your judgement. You use evidence, challenge assumptions and have the courage to step into the awkward to make difficult recommendations, even when they aren't popular.
• Get close to the problem. You stay curious, dig into the data and understand what's happening in our markets before deciding what needs to change.
• Work without ego. You welcome challenges, share your expertise and work across teams to find the best way forward.
• Raise the bar. You set high standards, test your thinking and keep improving how Unifi makes credit decisions.

Unifi is redefining personal credit with innovations that will make life easy for 1 million clients by 2025.

We’re optimistic about the future and have conviction in thepotential of the African continent and its people.