Senior Manager: Credit Models and Innovation

Job Classification

Req#: 147556

Location: Johannesburg, Gauteng

Closing Date: 10 September 2026

Talent Acquisition Specialist: Noli Madikane

Job Family

Career Stream

Leadership Pipeline

Job Purpose

To lead Credit Modelling and Lending Innovation across the Private Clients, Private Wealth and Small Business (PWS) segment providing strategic and technical leadership in the development and enhancement of acquisition models and innovative solutions. The role is accountable for develop of client centric scorecards, machine learning and AI-driven credit models, and the use of alternative data to enable next-generation lending products, drive sustainable growth, optimise risk targets and support PWS strategic objectives.

Job Responsibilities

• Define and execute the acquisition credit modelling strategy across Private Clients, Small Business, and Private Wealth, ensuring alignment to business growth, risk appetite, and Nedbank's strategic objectives.


• Lead and provide technical input into the development, calibration, implementation, validation, and monitoring of client centric acquisition scorecards, Probability of Default (PD) models, and bureau calibrated risk models.


• Develop and deploy advanced machine learning and AI models that enhance credit decisioning, risk prediction, affordability assessment, customer selection, and portfolio performance.


• Establish innovative modelling capabilities leveraging transactional banking data, POS device data, merchant turnover, cash-flow analytics, behavioural data, and other alternative data sources to improve risk assessment and financial inclusion.


• Lead the analytical design of fintech-inspired lending solutions including revenue-based lending, merchant cash advances, Small Business loans, embedded lending, and cash-flow-driven credit products.


• Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing team of quantitative analysts and data scientists while maintaining hands-on technical involvement in complex modelling and innovation initiatives.


• Drive compliance with model risk governance standards by ensuring all statistical, machine learning, and AI models are explainable, auditable, unbiased, and fit for purpose.


• Analyse portfolio and model performance, identify emerging trends, manage model drift and recalibration requirements, and recommend actions that optimize risk-adjusted returns.


• Collaborate with Credit, Product, Data Science, Technology, Risk, and Strategy teams to embed advanced analytics into customer journeys, decision engines, and lending propositions.


• Research emerging fintech, AI, and credit-risk technologies; develop proof-of-concepts and business cases; and deliver measurable improvements in portfolio growth, profitability, customer experience, and lending efficiency.

Essential Qualifications - NQF Level

Preferred Qualification

• Postgraduate Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Actuarial Science, Data Science, Quantitative Finance or a related quantitative discipline, CFA/ FRM/CQF

Minimum Experience Level

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  5-8 year’ experience in acquisition scorecard and credit risk modelling

  
  


• 
  

  3-5 years' experience leading quantitative analytics, credit risk or modelling teams.

  
  


• Proven experience in the development, implementation, validation and monitoring of credit risk models.


• Proven experience developing and implementing Machine Learning/AI models 


• Advanced Python, SAS and SQL experience


• Experience of small business and merchant lending


• Experience with model governance frameworks and regulatory requirements.

Technical / Professional Knowledge

Behavioural Competencies