About the Role
The VP, SME Banking Digital Lending Solutions will play a pivotal leadership role in shaping our SME lending platform driving AI-enabled digital lending, embedded financing capabilities, and ecosystem-based credit solutions.
As a core member of the SME Banking Product Management Group, this role is responsible for architecting and scaling end-to-end digital lending journeys, embedding financial services within partner ecosystems, and leveraging alternate data and intelligent automation to deliver faster, smarter, and more inclusive financing solutions for SMEs.
Key Responsibilities
- Digital Lending & Embedded Finance Strategy: Define and execute the strategic roadmap for AI-driven digital SME lending solutions across working capital, trade finance, invoice finance, and ecosystem-based credit products
- Alternate-data led lending: Design solutions that leverage alternate data sources (transaction data, platform data, ecosystem signals, behavioural data) to improve underwriting and customer access
- Ecosystem & Partnership Integration: Design lending journeys that integrate seamlessly into external ecosystems (e.g., marketplaces, SaaS platforms, supply chains, ERP systems, payments platforms) and partner with internal and external stakeholders to embed financing at points of trade, invoicing, and cashflow events.
- AI, Data & Decisioning Enablement: Champion the use of AI, machine learning, and analytics to enhance credit assessment, fraud detection, pricing and risk segmentation, customer targeting, and portfolio optimization etc collaborating closely with data science and risk teams
- Digital Process Orchestration: Build, refine, and continuously re-iterate customer journeys. This involves actively orchestrating the digital processes and technology integration across every step of the lending journey to ensure a seamless and efficient customer and internal user experience.
- Implementation Leadership: Jointly develop the comprehensive implementation plan for new and optimized lending solutions, working with technology, operations, and business stakeholders.
- Project Oversight & Execution: Oversee the full lifecycle of implementation activities, managing project reviews, tracking progress against milestones, and proactively mitigating risks to ensure timely and successful delivery of digital solutions.
- Quality Assurance & Sign-off: Lead the User Acceptance Testing (UAT) process, ensuring that all developed solutions meet business requirements and quality standards. Secure formal sign-offs from relevant Business Units (BUs) and stakeholders before deployment.
- Post-Implementation & Iteration: Orchestrate thorough post-implementation reviews to evaluate the success and impact of the deployed solution against key performance indicators (KPIs). Based on these insights, strategically plan and define the scope for subsequent iterations (e.g., MVP2) to achieve continuous product improvement and value delivery.
Qualifications and Experience:
- Educational Background: Possess a minimum of a bachelor's degree in a quantitative or business-focused field such as Business Management, Economics, Finance, or an equivalent qualification.
- Relevant Experience: Strong experience in digital SME lending or SME credit products, embedded finance or platform banking, and/or product management or digital transformation is needed. Exposure to AI/ML-driven decisioning or alternate data underwriting is a strong advantage
- Execution Orientation: Hands-on leaders who get into the details, solve problems directly, and drive delivery by rolling up their sleeves and personally driving outcomes end-to-end
- Agile Proficiency: Demonstrable, hands-on experience utilizing agile development and project management tools to manage backlogs, track sprints, and document product requirements.
- Analytical & Problem-Solving Acumen: Must possess highly developed analytical capabilities and proven problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex data, translate business needs into technical requirements, and formulate effective, data-driven solutions.
- Stakeholder Management: Exceptional communication, negotiation, and influencing skills are essential, coupled with a strong track record of successful stakeholder management across technical, operational, and commercial teams.
- Drive & Innovation: Initiative-driven individual who actively brings forward innovative thoughts, ideations, and proposals for transformative changes and product enhancements to maintain a competitive edge.
