Background

Since the sale of our first kit in 2013, SunCulture has been on a mission to help smallholder farmers in Africa improve both crop yields and quality. We are driven to constantly innovate and improve our technology to make solar powered irrigation solutions truly affordable for the millions of farmers on the continent

About the Role:

The Head of Credit (PAYGrow) is accountable for the end-to-end performance of SunCulture’s PAYGrow financing portfolio, spanning credit strategy, underwriting, portfolio risk management, collections, recoveries, and repossessions.

The role ensures that PAYGrow grows responsibly and profitably, balancing commercial expansion with disciplined credit risk management, strong cash recovery, regulatory compliance, and customer protection.

Key Responsibilities:

PAYGrow Credit Strategy & Portfolio Performance

• Own and continuously refine the PAYGrow financing strategy across all cohorts and markets.
• Evaluate portfolio performance (Old vs New loan books, payplans, cohorts) and recommend structural improvements.
• Partner with Finance (CFO) to support PAYGrow funding, liquidity planning, and investor reporting.
• Provide accurate, timely portfolio performance updates to internal leadership, Board, and external stakeholders.
• Ensure portfolio growth aligns with risk appetite and operational capacity.

Credit Risk Management & Underwriting

• Design, refine, and enforce customer credit assessment and approval frameworks.
• Reduce underqualified sales and first payment defaults through improved eligibility, affordability, and scoring models.
• Define and manage credit risk KPIs (PAR 30/60, collection rate, recovery rate, churn rate, cure rate, ROI).
• Liaise with legal counsel to strengthen PAYGrow contracts and ensure compliance with local and international regulations.
• Ensure adherence to customer protection and consumer finance legislation in all jurisdictions.

Collections, Recoveries & Repossessions

• Take full ownership of collections and recovery strategy and execution.
• Design and manage structured collections approaches (CX call center, field collections, repossessions).
• Implement escalation frameworks, settlement offers, restructures, and incentive mechanisms.
• Oversee repossession processes, controls, asset tracking, and recovery value optimization.
• Reduce aging arrears, write-offs, and cost-to-collect while protecting customer experience.

Systems, Data & Analytics

• Optimize credit systems and workflows across origination, repayment, collections, and repossession.
• Partner with IT/ Software, BI, Data, Operations, and Product teams to enhance system reliability and automation.
• Define and maintain robust dashboards for operational, executive, and Board-level reporting.
• Ensure data accuracy, completeness, and consistency across all credit lifecycle stages.

Governance, Compliance & Audit

• Oversee all credit-related audits and internal control processes.
• Ensure strong credit risk governance and closure of audit findings.
• Act as the credit risk custodian for PAYGrow operations in Kenya and supported markets.
• Coordinate external audits and regulatory engagements related to PAYGrow financing.

Team Leadership & Capability Building

• Build, scale, and lead high-performing credit, collections, and recovery teams.
• Define clear roles, responsibilities, KPIs, and performance management frameworks.
• Identify training and development needs to strengthen technical and leadership capacity.
• Act as a culture ambassador, embedding SunCulture values, accountability, and ownership.

You Might Be a Great Fit If:

• You are a strategic thinker with strong execution discipline.
• You are a data-driven decision-maker
• You have strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
• You are comfortable operating in ambiguity and fast-evolving environments.
• You are a hands-on leader with field and operational exposure.
• You have high integrity, an ownership mindset, and problem-solving orientation.

Key Performance Indicators:

• Lock versus Unlock Rate.
• Early Delinquency Rate (EDR).
• First Payment Default (FPD).
• PAR > 30 Days.
• PAR > 60 Days.
• Total PAR (% Arrears).
• Collection Recovery Rate—CRR (Monthly Collection Rate).
• Cure Rate (Reactivation Rate).
• Churn Rate (Attrition Rate).
• Recovery Against Write-offs.
• Improvement of first contact aftersales resolution rate.

Qualifications & Experience

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Credit Management, Microfinance, or related field.
• 8+ years’ experience in consumer or asset financing, preferably PAYGo / PAYGrow / fintech / solar. financing with 3 years team leadership experience.
• Strong credit risk, collections, and portfolio management experience.
• Experience building and managing operational credit teams.
• Strong data analysis, financial modeling, and dashboarding capability.
• Proven ability to engage senior leadership, Board members, and external stakeholders.
• Proficient in financial modeling and comfort with in-depth data analysis.
• Strong analytical skills and strategic thinker with strong negotiation and interpersonal skills.
• Willing and able to both make and execute hard decisions - own the process, the strategy, and the final outcome.
• Able to manage a variety of large tasks with competing timelines and priorities.
• You enjoy being in the field, but also able to work strategically with the other senior executives.

Preferred

• Experience financing farmers, low-income consumers, or PAYGo energy products.
• Multi-market or rapid-growth environment experience.
• Exposure to IoT-enabled asset financing models.

• Own and continuously refine the PAYGrow financing strategy across all cohorts and markets.
• Evaluate portfolio performance (Old vs New loan books, payplans, cohorts) and recommend structural improvements.
• Partner with Finance (CFO) to support PAYGrow funding, liquidity planning, and investor reporting.
• Provide accurate, timely portfolio performance updates to internal leadership, Board, and external stakeholders.
• Ensure portfolio growth aligns with risk appetite and operational capacity.
• Design, refine, and enforce customer credit assessment and approval frameworks.
• Reduce underqualified sales and first payment defaults through improved eligibility, affordability, and scoring models.
• Define and manage credit risk KPIs (PAR 30/60, collection rate, recovery rate, churn rate, cure rate, ROI).
• Liaise with legal counsel to strengthen PAYGrow contracts and ensure compliance with local and international regulations.
• Ensure adherence to customer protection and consumer finance legislation in all jurisdictions.
• Take full ownership of collections and recovery strategy and execution.
• Design and manage structured collections approaches (CX call center, field collections, repossessions).
• Implement escalation frameworks, settlement offers, restructures, and incentive mechanisms.
• Oversee repossession processes, controls, asset tracking, and recovery value optimization.
• Reduce aging arrears, write-offs, and cost-to-collect while protecting customer experience.
• Optimize credit systems and workflows across origination, repayment, collections, and repossession.
• Partner with IT/ Software, BI, Data, Operations, and Product teams to enhance system reliability and automation.
• Define and maintain robust dashboards for operational, executive, and Board-level reporting.
• Ensure data accuracy, completeness, and consistency across all credit lifecycle stages.
• Oversee all credit-related audits and internal control processes.
• Ensure strong credit risk governance and closure of audit findings.
• Act as the credit risk custodian for PAYGrow operations in Kenya and supported markets.
• Coordinate external audits and regulatory engagements related to PAYGrow financing.
• Build, scale, and lead high-performing credit, collections, and recovery teams.
• Define clear roles, responsibilities, KPIs, and performance management frameworks.
• Identify training and development needs to strengthen technical and leadership capacity.
• Act as a culture ambassador, embedding SunCulture values, accountability, and ownership.

• Strategic thinking
• Execution discipline
• Data-driven decision-making
• Stakeholder management
• Communication skills
• Comfort operating in ambiguity and fast-evolving environments
• Hands-on leadership
• Field and operational exposure
• High integrity
• Ownership mindset
• Problem-solving orientation
• Data analysis
• Financial modeling
• Dashboarding
• Negotiation skills
• Interpersonal skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Credit Management, Microfinance, or related field.
• 8+ years’ experience in consumer or asset financing, preferably PAYGo / PAYGrow / fintech / solar. financing with 3 years team leadership experience.
• Strong credit risk, collections, and portfolio management experience.
• Experience building and managing operational credit teams.
• Strong data analysis, financial modeling, and dashboarding capability.
• Proven ability to engage senior leadership, Board members, and external stakeholders.
• Proficient in financial modeling and comfort with in-depth data analysis.
• Strong analytical skills and strategic thinker with strong negotiation and interpersonal skills.
• Willing and able to both make and execute hard decisions - own the process, the strategy, and the final outcome.
• Able to manage a variety of large tasks with competing timelines and priorities.
• You enjoy being in the field, but also able to work strategically with the other senior executives.
• Experience financing farmers, low-income consumers, or PAYGo energy products.
• Multi-market or rapid-growth environment experience.
• Exposure to IoT-enabled asset financing models.