Data Analyst

The Core Group; Sandton; On-site; ZAR 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

The Core Group in Sandton invites applications for a Data / MI Credit Portfolio Analyst to provide reliable, actionable insight into our consumer credit portfolio.

You will source, investigate and structure credit data across the lifecycle and build daily and weekly reporting for Risk, Finance and BI teams.

The ideal candidate has consumer credit knowledge, advanced SQL and Power BI, and a proven ability to turn complex data into clear business insights.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Data Science, Statistics, Information Systems or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years' experience within consumer credit or related data environment.
• Advanced SQL skills and solid Power BI/dashboard development experience.
• Experience building data models or reporting solutions from disparate sources.

Responsibilities

• Source, investigate and structure consumer credit data across the full lifecycle.
• Build and maintain daily and weekly Power BI dashboards for risk and collections.
• Identify trends, risks and provide actionable insights to Risk, Finance and BI teams.
• Collaborate with BI & Data and Risk stakeholders to ensure reporting aligns with regulatory considerations.

Skills

SQL

Power BI

Credit knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance/Data Science/Statistics/IS

Tools

Microsoft Fabric Lakehouse

Job description

Store is looking for a Data / MI Credit Portfolio Analyst to provide reliable, actionable insight into the performance and risk of our consumer credit portfolio.

This is not a traditional Business Analyst role where a detailed specification is handed to you. You will be expected to independently source, investigate, interpret and structure consumer credit data across the full credit lifecycle — from application and approval through to repayments, arrears and collections.

You will play a key role at the intersection of Risk, Finance and BI & Data, building and maintaining daily and weekly reporting, identifying emerging risks and providing insights that support better credit and collections decisions.

The ideal candidate combines strong consumer credit knowledge, advanced SQL and Power BI capability, with the curiosity and initiative to work with complex, disparate data sources and turn them into meaningful business intelligence.

Data Sourcing & Integration

• Identify and engage with relevant systems and stakeholders to source consumer credit data across application, origination, bureau and affordability checks, approval, decisioning, disbursement, repayment and collections.
• Independently determine which data sources are relevant and fit for purpose.
• Investigate and document data sources, structures and lineage to create a reliable reference for the wider team.
• Partner with the BI & Data team to formalise validated data sources within the Microsoft Fabric Lakehouse environment.
• Support the development of sustainable and repeatable reporting solutions.

Data Cleaning, Conforming & Consolidation

• Clean, standardise and consolidate consumer credit data from multiple systems, products and entities.
• Identify inconsistencies and establish common business rules across different data sources.
• Ensure consistent interpretation of credit concepts, including decline reasons, arrears statuses, collections statuses and product terms.
• Develop and maintain a consumer credit KPI and metric glossary.
• Ensure data quality, accuracy and integrity across reporting outputs.

Reporting & Analytics

• Design, develop and maintain daily and weekly Power BI dashboards covering the consumer credit lifecycle.
• Monitor application volumes, approval and decline rates, credit book performance, arrears and collections effectiveness.
• Identify trends, anomalies and emerging risks and translate these into actionable business insights.
• Proactively recommend new KPIs, metrics and reporting views to improve visibility of credit performance.
• Present findings and insights clearly to Risk, Finance and BI & Data stakeholders.

Credit Risk & Collections Monitoring

• Develop and maintain risk-flagging logic across the credit lifecycle.
• Monitor application fraud and affordability indicators, elevated decline patterns and early-stage arrears and collections risks.
• Identify emerging patterns and recommend appropriate risk rules and thresholds.
• Define and maintain escalation processes for identified credit and collections risks.
• Monitor the effectiveness of credit decisioning and collections rules.
• Recommend refinements that support improved recovery outcomes and reduced credit losses.

Automation & Process Understanding

• Maintain a working understanding of automated credit decisioning, workflow and collections tools.
• Understand how rules-based approval and decline engines, automated collections processes and workflow/RPA solutions impact data and reporting.
• Distinguish between automated and manual decisions and actions when interpreting system-generated data.
• Identify opportunities where automation could improve data quality, turnaround times and risk outcomes.

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Work closely with the BI & Data team to support data engineering and long-term reporting sustainability.
• Partner with Risk and Finance stakeholders to ensure reporting aligns with business requirements, risk appetite and relevant regulatory considerations.
• Investigate and resolve ad hoc consumer credit data queries and reporting requirements.
• Build strong working relationships across Risk, Finance and BI & Data.

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Data Science, Statistics, Information Systems or a related field, or equivalent demonstrable experience.
• 5+ years' experience within consumer credit, lending or a similar consumer finance data environment.
• Strong working knowledge of the consumer credit lifecycle, including:
  • Application and origination
  • Credit bureau and affordability assessments
  • Approval and decisioning
  • Disbursement
  • Repayment behaviour
  • Arrears
  • Collections
• Advanced SQL skills.
• Strong Power BI or equivalent BI dashboard development experience.
• Proven experience building data models or reporting solutions from disparate, poorly documented data sources with limited guidance.

Advantageous

• Working knowledge of automated credit decisioning and rules engines.
• Exposure to workflow automation, RPA or automated collections solutions.
• Experience working with credit bureau data, affordability assessments and credit scores.
• Understanding of responsible lending and relevant credit regulatory considerations.
• Experience working within a Microsoft Fabric / Lakehouse environment.
• Experience working across multiple consumer credit products or entities.

KEY COMPETENCIES

We are looking for someone who demonstrates:

• Strong analytical and investigative capability.
• A self-starter mindset and the ability to operate comfortably with ambiguity.
• High attention to detail and a strong focus on data integrity.
• The ability to translate complex data into clear, actionable business insights.
• Sound judgement when identifying and escalating credit and collections risks.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills.
• The ability to work collaboratively across Risk, Finance and BI & Data.
• Curiosity and initiative to identify opportunities rather than simply respond to requests.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Based at 1 Sandton Drive, Johannesburg.
• Standard office hours, with occasional flexibility required to respond to urgent credit risk or collections matters.
• Regular collaboration with the BI & Data team and other Core Group offices.
• No direct reports initially, with potential future opportunity to support and mentor a junior analyst as the function develops.