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Job Description

Our client, DIB Bank Kenya Limited, a subsidiary of Dubai Islamic Bank PJSC, seeks to hire Head of Risk to be responsible for leading and overseeing the bank’s enterprise-wide risk management framework, ensuring that all material risks—particularly Operational, Credit, Market, and Reputational Risks—are identified, measured, monitored, and controlled in line with the bank’s risk appetite, regulatory requirements, and strategic objectives.

Reports to: Board Risk Committee and indirectly to Chief Executive Officer

Job Responsibilities

Enterprise Risk Management (ERM)

• Develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive Enterprise Risk Management Framework covering all risk types.
• Define and continuously refine the bank’s risk appetite, risk policies, and tolerance limits in collaboration with senior management and the Board.
• Ensure risk considerations are embedded into strategic planning, product development, and major business decisions.
• Provide independent and objective risk oversight across all business lines.

Operational Risk Management

• Establish and oversee frameworks to identify, assess, monitor, and mitigate operational risks, including process failures, fraud, system outages, cyber risk, and third-party/vendor risks.
• Oversee incident reporting, root-cause analysis, and corrective action plans.
• Ensure robust business continuity planning (BCP) and disaster recovery arrangements.
• Promote a strong risk culture and internal control environment across the organization.

Credit Risk Management

• Lead the development and enforcement of credit risk policies, and approval authorities.
• Oversee credit portfolio quality, including exposure limits, concentration risks, and sectoral risks.
• Monitor asset quality indicators such as non-performing loans (NPLs), provisioning, and expected credit losses.
• Ensure effective credit review, stress testing, and early warning systems are in place.
• Provide independent challenge to lending decisions and portfolio strategies.

Market Risk Management

• Oversee the identification and measurement of market risks, including interest rate risk, foreign exchange risk, and liquidity risk.
• Monitor trading and banking book exposures against approved limits.
• Ensure appropriate stress testing, scenario analysis, and sensitivity analysis are conducted regularly.
• Collaborate with Treasury and Finance teams to manage balance sheet risks prudently.

Reputational Risk Management

• Identify and assess potential reputational risks arising from business activities, customer interactions, regulatory issues, conduct risk, and external events.
• Advise senior management on reputational implications of strategic decisions, new products, and partnerships.
• Work closely with Compliance, Legal, Communications, and Business units to manage and mitigate reputational threats.
• Ensure effective escalation and response mechanisms for reputational incidents.

Regulatory & Compliance Oversight

• Ensure the bank’s risk management practices comply with all applicable regulatory, legal, and supervisory requirements.
• Act as a key liaison with regulators and external auditors on risk-related matters.
• Prepare and present risk reports, dashboards, and regulatory submissions as required.

Governance, Reporting & Stakeholder Engagement

• Prepare clear, timely, and insightful risk reports for Senior Management, the Board, and Board Risk Committees.
• Provide independent challenge and recommendations to management on risk issues.
• Support Board and committee meetings with high-quality risk analysis and documentation.

Leadership & Culture

• Lead, mentor, and develop the Risk Management team, ensuring high professional standards and continuous capability building.
• Foster a strong risk-aware culture across the bank, promoting accountability and ethical behavior.
• Encourage collaboration while maintaining the independence of the risk function

Other Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Accounting, Risk Management, or a related field (Master’s degree preferred).
• Relevant professional certifications in Risk Management are highly desirable.
• Minimum 10–15 years of experience in banking or financial services, with significant experience in risk management and at least 5 years at Head / senior management level in well-established and recognized financial institutions, preferably with a Group reporting matrix.
• Proven experience interacting with regulators and Board-level committees.

Technical Competencies

• Risk Management
• Computer Literacy
• Excellent analytical skills
• Project Management
• Appreciation of Technology in Banking
• Finance and Accounting Skills

Functional Competencies

• Corporate Governance
• Banking laws and regulations both local and international
• Strategic Planning
• Ability to drive change
• Project Management
• Governance – knowledge and ability to ensure good governance practices
• Analytical –highly analytical and ability to challenge status quo based on quantitative facts and impacts
• Stakeholder Management

Behavioral Requirements

• Leadership and management-ability to lead teams, mentor and coach staff to goal definition and achievement
• Performance Management and team management
• Decision making ability to make strategic decisions in a timely and effective manner and to be accountable for decision making within departmental and role allocation and advise departments on major financial implications and critical decisions required
• Integrity and honesty
• Building consensus and influencing-ability to influence various players across all stakeholder spectrum departments
• Strong Communication skills
• Customer orientation-is customer focused striking a solid balance between external and internal customer orientation
• Resilience –able to withstand strategic and operational challenges, strict deadlines and timelines and maintain momentum Emotional Intelligence-manages emotions in a mature and composed manner as expected of a leader.

• Develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive Enterprise Risk Management Framework covering all risk types.
• Define and continuously refine the bank’s risk appetite, risk policies, and tolerance limits in collaboration with senior management and the Board.
• Ensure risk considerations are embedded into strategic planning, product development, and major business decisions.
• Provide independent and objective risk oversight across all business lines.
• Establish and oversee frameworks to identify, assess, monitor, and mitigate operational risks, including process failures, fraud, system outages, cyber risk, and third-party/vendor risks.
• Oversee incident reporting, root-cause analysis, and corrective action plans.
• Ensure robust business continuity planning (BCP) and disaster recovery arrangements.
• Promote a strong risk culture and internal control environment across the organization.
• Lead the development and enforcement of credit risk policies, and approval authorities.
• Oversee credit portfolio quality, including exposure limits, concentration risks, and sectoral risks.
• Monitor asset quality indicators such as non-performing loans (NPLs), provisioning, and expected credit losses.
• Ensure effective credit review, stress testing, and early warning systems are in place.
• Provide independent challenge to lending decisions and portfolio strategies.
• Oversee the identification and measurement of market risks, including interest rate risk, foreign exchange risk, and liquidity risk.
• Monitor trading and banking book exposures against approved limits.
• Ensure appropriate stress testing, scenario analysis, and sensitivity analysis are conducted regularly.
• Collaborate with Treasury and Finance teams to manage balance sheet risks prudently.
• Identify and assess potential reputational risks arising from business activities, customer interactions, regulatory issues, conduct risk, and external events.
• Advise senior management on reputational implications of strategic decisions, new products, and partnerships.
• Work closely with Compliance, Legal, Communications, and Business units to manage and mitigate reputational threats.
• Ensure effective escalation and response mechanisms for reputational incidents.
• Ensure the bank’s risk management practices comply with all applicable regulatory, legal, and supervisory requirements.
• Act as a key liaison with regulators and external auditors on risk-related matters.
• Prepare and present risk reports, dashboards, and regulatory submissions as required.
• Prepare clear, timely, and insightful risk reports for Senior Management, the Board, and Board Risk Committees.
• Provide independent challenge and recommendations to management on risk issues.
• Support Board and committee meetings with high-quality risk analysis and documentation.
• Lead, mentor, and develop the Risk Management team, ensuring high professional standards and continuous capability building.
• Foster a strong risk-aware culture across the bank, promoting accountability and ethical behavior.
• Encourage collaboration while maintaining the independence of the risk function

• Risk Management
• Computer Literacy
• Excellent analytical skills
• Project Management
• Appreciation of Technology in Banking
• Finance and Accounting Skills
• Corporate Governance
• Banking laws and regulations both local and international
• Strategic Planning
• Ability to drive change
• Project Management
• Governance – knowledge and ability to ensure good governance practices
• Analytical –highly analytical and ability to challenge status quo based on quantitative facts and impacts
• Stakeholder Management
• Leadership and management-ability to lead teams, mentor and coach staff to goal definition and achievement
• Performance Management and team management
• Decision making ability to make strategic decisions in a timely and effective manner and to be accountable for decision making within departmental and role allocation and advise departments on major financial implications and critical decisions required
• Integrity and honesty
• Building consensus and influencing-ability to influence various players across all stakeholder spectrum departments
• Strong Communication skills
• Customer orientation-is customer focused striking a solid balance between external and internal customer orientation
• Resilience –able to withstand strategic and operational challenges, strict deadlines and timelines and maintain momentum Emotional Intelligence-manages emotions in a mature and composed manner as expected of a leader.

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Accounting, Risk Management, or a related field (Master’s degree preferred).
• Relevant professional certifications in Risk Management are highly desirable.
• Proven experience interacting with regulators and Board-level committees.