Group Lending Manager, VisionFund Kenya

With 75 years of experience, our focus is on helping the most vulnerable children overcome poverty and experience fullness of life. We help children of all backgrounds, even in the most dangerous places, inspired by our Christian faith.

Come join our 31,000+ staff working in nearly 100 countries and share the joy of transforming vulnerable children’s life stories!

Employee Contract Type:

Local - Fixed Term Employee (Fixed Term)

Job Description:

Overview

VisionFund Kenya is a dynamic financial services company and a key investment of World Vision Kenya, committed to fostering sustainable financial inclusion. Learn more at www.visionfundkenya.co.ke.

The Group Lending Manager reports directly to the Chief Operations Officer (COO). He/She will provide strategic leadership and oversight of VisionFund Kenya's Group Lending portfolio, ensuring sustainable portfolio growth, excellent portfolio quality, operational efficiency, and compliance with institutional policies. The role is responsible for driving business performance, supporting branch operations, strengthening credit risk management, and developing high-performing teams while delivering exceptional customer experience.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and implement strategies to achieve sustainable growth of the Group Lending portfolio.
• Translate organizational objectives into operational plans and monitor implementation across all branches.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives that enhance operational efficiency and business performance.

Portfolio Growth & Financial Performance

• Lead initiatives to achieve portfolio growth, profitability, and client outreach targets.
• Monitor branch performance against key business indicators and implement corrective actions where necessary.
• Ensure optimal portfolio productivity while maintaining high portfolio quality.

Credit Risk Management

• Oversee credit appraisal, loan approval, portfolio monitoring, and loan recovery processes.
• Ensure Portfolio at Risk (PAR) remains within approved institutional thresholds.
• Strengthen credit controls and ensure compliance with lending policies and procedures.
• Monitor delinquency trends and implement effective recovery strategies.

Operations & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with VisionFund Kenya's operational policies, regulatory requirements, and internal controls.
• Coordinate implementation of audit recommendations and monitor corrective actions.
• Promote operational excellence through standardization and continuous process improvement.

Leadership & People Development

• Provide leadership, coaching, mentoring, and performance management to regional and branch lending teams.
• Foster a high-performance culture built on accountability, collaboration, integrity, and continuous learning.
• Support talent development, succession planning, and employee engagement initiatives.

Customer Experience

• Promote excellent customer service standards across the Group Lending portfolio.
• Monitor customer satisfaction and ensure timely resolution of client complaints.
• Champion responsible lending practices that protect clients and promote long-term relationships.

Reporting & Performance Monitoring

• Prepare and present timely portfolio performance reports to Senior Management.
• Monitor key performance indicators and recommend strategic interventions to improve results.
• Provide business insights and recommendations to support informed decision-making.

Safeguarding

• Champion VisionFund Kenya's safeguarding commitments by ensuring all operations uphold policies that protect children, vulnerable adults, staff, and communities from abuse, exploitation, and harm.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

The successful candidate will be measured against the following key performance indicators:

• Portfolio growth.
• Portfolio at Risk (PAR).
• Loan repayment and collection rates.
• Customer retention.
• Loan turnaround time.
• Staff productivity.
• Compliance and audit results.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Business Administration, Economics, Banking, Microfinance, or a related field.
• A Master's degree or relevant professional qualification will be an added advantage.

Experience

• Minimum of five (5) years' experience in microfinance or financial services.
• At least three (3) years in a supervisory or management role within Group Lending operations.
• Proven experience in credit analysis, portfolio management, loan recovery, and business growth.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong leadership and people management skills.
• Excellent credit appraisal, lending, and risk management expertise.
• Financial analysis, budgeting, and reporting skills.
• Strong negotiation and conflict resolution abilities.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
• Sound decision-making and problem-solving capabilities.
• Strong customer relationship management skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications and core banking or microfinance management systems.
• High ethical standards, integrity, and accountability.
• Commitment to VisionFund Kenya's Christian values and mission.

Application Instructions

The care and protection of children and vulnerable adults is our top priority. We take our responsibility to protect those we work with seriously. We have extensive Child and Adult Safeguarding policies and protocols in place to safeguard children and the communities we serve. We condemn all forms of exploitation or abuse of children or adults and have a zero-tolerance policy for incidents of violence, especially against children.   

All candidates must be professing and practicing Christians whose conduct and depth of character are governed by personal Christian convictions. Interested and suitably qualified individuals should forward their applications, attaching copies of their academic and professional certificates, detailed CV indicating work experience, daytime contact, and addresses of 3 professionally relevant referees to reach on or before Friday, 14th August 2026.

Important Notices:

The CV must be in PDF format, and all the attachments scanned into one PDF document.

VisionFund Kenya is a registered Data processor and controller, by submitting your application you consent to using your Data for recruitment purposes.

VisionFund Kenya is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not require payment during the recruitment process.

Applicant Types Accepted:

Local Applicants Only