Head of Credit Portfolio Management

About Allica Bank

Allica is the UK’s fastest growing company - and the fastest-growing financial technology (Fintech) firm ever. Our purpose is to help established SMEs, one of the last major underserved opportunities in Fintech.

Established SMEs are the backbone of local communities - representing over a third of our economy - yet have been largely neglected both by traditional high street banks and modern fintech providers.

Department Description

The Credit Portfolio Management (CPM) function is at the heart of building out data and model-led portfolio stewardship, impairment management and credit data quality. CPM owns credit modelling as well as credit portfolio management, bringing the two together to optimise our risk-return output for the bank.

Models include IFRS9 model estate (e.g. PD, LGD, SICR, economic response models), decisioning models for automated underwriting, and some of the credit-linked GenAI models used to automate processes.

Portfolio management includes setting portfolio risk appetite parameters that guide our setting of deal appetite, impairment reporting, budgeting and stress testing, ad hoc deep dives to inform our lending strategy. Operating at pace in a scaling bank, CPM must balance speed and commerciality with rigorous data quality controls and regulatory-ready model management.

This is a senior leadership role responsible for shaping how the bank manages and measures credit risk across product, geography and economic cycles. The role is responsible for sensibly balancing risk and reward – where too little or too much risk needs to be corrected through the cycle for the level of returns and growth we target.

The role will work closely with Finance, 2

LoD Credit / Model Risk, Commercial & Distribution, Transactional Credit Risk (Underwriting, Collections & Recoveries), Product & Proposition and Capital Markets teams, interacting regularly with Exco members via Committees and otherwise.

We’re looking for a proven leader in commercial credit portfolio management with deep expertise in understanding the dynamics within commercial lending, exceptional fluency in data and analytics, strong capability in people leadership and stakeholder management

For the right individual, this is a rare opportunity to help develop and scale one of the most critical lending functions within a bank that is ambitious, innovative, and fast becoming a leader in UK business banking.

Principal Accountabilities

• Build and lead teams in two core areas:
  Credit Models and Lending Strategy.
• Set the strategic direction for credit portfolio management, model development and credit analytics, aligned to the bank’s risk appetite and commercial objectives.
• Lead the engagement with key stakeholders like finance, external audit, 2
  
  LOD oversight teams as part of impairment reporting.
• Drive through partnership with product and data teams a best in class capability in credit data availability for driving forward our lending strategy and modelling capabilities for the future.
• Drive a culture of analytical excellence, data-driven decision making, accountability, and continuous improvement across the team.

• Develop, motivate and retain a high-performing team across modelling and lending strategy teams.
• Act as a player-manager: combine hands-on modelling and analytics capability with strong people leadership and mentoring.
• Ensure clear career paths, rigorous performance management and succession planning to maintain resilience as the bank grows.
• Drive constant improvement in ways of working of the teams being looked after.

• Define and maintain portfolio-level strategies: provisioning strategy, vintage management, concentration limits and KRI frameworks.
• Set and maintain portfolio level appetite levels as part of annual review and on an ongoing basis, including concentration limits and other credit KRIs.
• Work closely with teams that translate portfolio appetite to deal appetite to create a virtuous feedback loop to optimise lending portfolio performance.
• Lead impairment forecasting and portfolio stress-testing, feeding into annual budgets, ongoing forecasts, ICAAP, investor…