Credit and Risk Manager

Overview of the role:

The credit risk manager is responsible for managing the credit risk profile of the institution while ensuring compliance with UAE regulatory requirements and internal risk appetites. This involves developing robust credit risk assessment methods, maintaining credit policies, and monitoring the credit portfolio comprehensively. The role requires effective portfolio management, ensuring sound provisioning, and an acute awareness of potential risks, furthering strategies to mitigate such risks. The position also entails significant reporting responsibilities, ensuring that all necessary guidelines and regulations are met, especially those set by the Central Bank of the UAE. This managerial position demands strong collaboration with other risk departments and participation in committees to uphold the institution's risk governance framework.

What you will do:

Policies, frameworks & governance

• Develop, maintain, and enhance credit risk policies, underwriting standards, and credit manuals.
• Ensure alignment with CBUAE regulations, including the credit risk management and corporate governance guidelines.
• Support stress testing and risk appetite framework updates.
• Contribute to model validation, risk rating system reviews, and credit scoring enhancements.

Portfolio management

• Monitor the credit portfolio, including concentrations by sector, geography, and product.
• Identify early warning signals and recommend mitigation strategies.
• Oversee provisioning levels in accordance with IFRS 9 and internal impairment models.

Credit risk assessment

• Support CRO in providing independent risk opinions on credit proposals in line with internal policies.
• Participate in credit committees and ensure adherence to delegated credit authority levels.
• Provide timely submission of reports to CRO within agreed time frame.

Reporting & analysis

• Produce regular risk dashboards highlighting portfolio trends, NPL movement, impairments, and risk appetite breaches.
• Conduct sectoral and macroeconomic risk assessments relevant to the UAE market.
• Participate in data quality initiatives to improve credit data accuracy and reliability.

Required skills to be successful:

• Excellent written and verbal communication, including presentation skills.
• Experience in credit modelling, financial analysis, stress testing, and risk rating tools.
• Ability to analyze complex credit scenarios and provide clear, decisive risk opinions.
• Strong leadership skills, demonstrated in managing risk-related projects and initiatives.

What equips you for the role:

• Bachelor's degree in finance, economics, or a related field.
• Professional certifications such as CFA, FRM, or PRM are strongly preferred.
• 7-10 years of credit risk experience within a bank or regulated financial institution in the UAE or GCC.
• Strong understanding of CBUAE regulations, Basel III/IV standards, and IFRS 9 impairment frameworks.

About Al-Futtaim Group Real Estate

The real estate development and operations arm of Al-Futtaim, Al-Futtaim Group Real Estate is responsible for a multi-billion-dollar portfolio across MENA. With high-quality residential, business, retail, tourism, educational and healthcare developments, the master developer caters to the diverse needs of cities and communities in the region. From origination, conception, development, sales, procurement and construction of mega-projects and the leasing, operation and management of these projects after completion, Al-Futtaim Group Real Estate (AFGRE) has been developing and managing owned landbanks, unlocking the economic potential of the region and contributing to future development for more than 40 years.

Our focus is to enable and invest in meaningful relationships to make our properties the best places to live and work, build additional products and services and enable partnerships to create true value to our customers throughout their entire experience with us.

AFGRE is responsible for master planning of all projects in its portfolio, including two large scale mixed use destinations: Dubai Festival City and Cairo Festival City.

About Al-Futtaim Malls

Al-Futtaim Malls provides development and asset management expertise, specializing in building retail-led super regional malls in prime locations across MENA and beyond. With a proven track record of creating both sustainable revenue growth and value enhancement for tenants, Al-Futtaim Malls delivers exceptional experiences and exciting shopping environments for customers.

Part of the Al-Futtaim Group, Al-Futtaim Malls leadership team brings more than 30 years of experience and a deep understanding and knowledge of the retail sector, both from a shopper’s point of view but as curators of space or landlords to other brands. The company has a directly managed portfolio including over 9 million sqft of retail space across four malls in the MENA region and two under development. Malls under the Al-Futtaim Malls portfolio include Dubai Festival City Mall and Festival Plaza in the UAE, Cairo Festival City Mall in Egypt, Doha Festival City in Qatar and Zenata Mall, Morocco.

Leveraging on the expertise of its parent company, Al-Futtaim Malls established PLEX Management Services offering a full array of services including asset management and development, leasing, and brand experience expertise to shopping mall landlords and retail organizations globally. Implementing global best practice and deploying Al-Futtaim Mall’s deep understanding of mall management and retail dynamics, PLEX promises to deliver continuous growth and long-term value for its partners.

About Al-Futtaim Engineering & Technologies

Al-Futtaim Engineering & Technologies offers customers complete engineering and systems integration solutions.

The engineering arm operates in the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt providing a wide variety of products and services from air conditioning, scaffolding and access solutions, elevators and escalators, control and life safety, facilities management, building products, MEP, energy management, technology infrastructure and digital transformation.

The technologies division provides complete business solutions to large, medium and small customers that include contact centre solutions, business applications, business intelligence, data management, advanced analytics amongst others. The IT infrastructure portfolio comprises IP telephony, ELV systems, networking solutions, professional audio-visual solutions and managed services.

These solutions are further complemented by services that include project management, installation, testing, commissioning and after-sales maintenance contracts.