Loan Verification Officer

PalmPay is one of Africa’s fastest-growing fintech and MSME credit platforms, powering digital payments and business lending for millions of merchants. With a rapidly expanding loan portfolio across multiple states, we are strengthening our verification engine to protect portfolio quality, reduce credit losses, and deepen our understanding of on-ground merchant behavior. As we scale, you will play a mission-critical role in safeguarding our credit operations. As a Loan Verification Officer, you will:
● Conduct high-quality offline merchant verification visits across assigned LGAs.
● Validate the authenticity, capacity, and operational integrity of merchants requesting loans.
● Ensure accurate documentation, geo-tagged evidence, and risk assessments to support credit decisions.
● Monitor post-disbursement merchants to confirm loan utilization and repayment readiness, reducing early-stage defaults.
Key Responsibilities
A. Field Verification & Business Validation
● Conduct in-person merchant verification visits across designated LGAs.
● Confirm physical store presence, business category, operational capacity, staff activity, inventory levels, and trading patterns.
● Validate merchant identity and operations through live observations and structured interviews.
B. Document Collection & Evidence Capture
● Collect and upload required documents for verification.
● Ensure all information submitted is accurate, complete, and compliant with internal/CBN standards.
C. Merchant Engagement & Loan Assessment
● Engage merchants to understand business model, cashflow, loan purpose, and capacity.
● Confirm alignment between the requested loan amount and the merchant’s operational reality.
● Educate merchants on disbursement conditions, repayment expectations, and responsibilities.
D. Risk Identification & Reporting
● Prepare clear, timely, and factual verification reports for the Credit Team.
● Flag high-risk cases and recommend follow-up actions or additional checks where needed.
E. Post-Disbursement Monitoring
● Revisit merchants who have drawn down loans to:
○ Confirm actual utilization of funds ○ Assess repayment readiness and early risk signals
○ Identify red flags such as weak sales, reduced inventory, operational decline, or evasive behavior
● Submit revisit reports within required timelines to strengthen early-warning systems.
Your Profile Experience:
1–2 years as a Field Loan Officer, Verification Officer, Merchant Onboarding Officer, or similar role in a fintech, microfinance, or digital lender. Education: OND/HND/Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, Economics, or related field. Technical Skills: Familiarity with mobile verification tools, geo-tagging, documentation standards, and simple reporting dashboards.
Core Competencies:
● Strong attention to detail
● Excellent observational and communication skills
● High integrity and sound judgment
● Risk-aware mindset with knowledge of lending and MSME dynamics Work Style:
● Comfortable with extensive field travel
● Self-driven and accountable
● Thrives in fast-moving, execution-heavy roles