Recovery Officer

Role Overview

This role is centered on protecting the financial health of a community-focused lending organization by ensuring that overdue loans are brought back on track. Day to day, you will review credit portfolios, identify accounts at risk of default, and take hands-on action through phone outreach, field visits, and direct negotiations with borrowers. Your work directly reduces credit losses and keeps the organization’s portfolio quality within regulatory standards while supporting its broader mission of enabling entrepreneurship and financial inclusion.

Key Responsibilities

• Monitor an assigned loan portfolio to detect early signs of repayment difficulty, then recommend appropriate recovery strategies before debts become unmanageable.
• Carry out regular field visits and phone follow-ups with defaulting borrowers to understand reasons for non-payment and negotiate realistic repayment plans.
• Prepare and present weekly and monthly portfolio-at-risk (PAR) reports, including breakdowns by product, individual borrowers, and SMEs, for management and credit review meetings.
• Escalate repayment irregularities to management and other relevant teams promptly, ensuring nothing slips through the cracks.
• Issue demand letters and send reminders to customers, while verifying that credit files are complete, accurate, and properly documented for recovery actions.
• Work closely with the organization’s lawyer to initiate receivership or other legal processes when settlements cannot be reached, ensuring compliance with internal credit policies and local regulations.
• Coordinate with the finance department to reconcile loan payments and ensure transactions are posted in real time, reducing disputes and administrative delays.
• Conduct post-disbursement spot checks to verify that loans are being used as intended and to identify potential red flags early.

Requirements & Qualifications

• A university degree in Finance, Business Administration, or a closely related field.
• At least three years of experience in credit monitoring, loan recovery, or debt collection within a bank, microfinance institution, or comparable lending environment.
• Fluent spoken and written communication in English and Swahili; additional local languages are an advantage.
• Solid understanding of MFI or banking operations, credit risk management, fraud detection, and debt recovery processes.
• Proven ability to handle difficult conversations with confidence, assertiveness, and empathy, while maintaining professional boundaries.
• Comfort engaging with civil court procedures and legal processes; prior involvement in litigation related to loan recovery is a strong plus.
• Perseverance, personal integrity, critical thinking, and the ability to work independently in the field.
• Legal authorization to work in Kenya, with prior experience in the operating region considered an added benefit.

What We Offer / Why Join

You will be joining a high-growth, mission-driven social enterprise where your efforts directly help local entrepreneurs and communities thrive. The organization offers a competitive salary with performance-based bonus potential, a strong culture of learning and professional development, and a diverse, inclusive workplace. Additional benefits include comprehensive health insurance, staff savings options, parental leave, sabbatical opportunities, and the chance to make a lasting social impact across the region.