Credit Lead - UAE

About FlapKap

FlapKap is a fintech company specializing in data-driven lending solutions that provide short-term working capital to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the UAE. Unlike traditional lenders, FlapKap evaluates businesses based on their financial health and cash flow patterns by leveraging proprietary AI-powered credit models.

We offer three distinct lending solutions:

• POS Financing: Installment facilities designed for B2C merchants with substantial card transaction revenues.
• Short Term Loan (STL): Working capital loans aimed at B2B SMEs involved in trading, services, and manufacturing.
• Invoice Discounting (ID): Advances against validated receivables from confirmed debtors.

Role Overview

As the senior underwriter within the Credit team, you will manage the most complex credit applications, formulating informed credit decisions and defending them during Investment Committee meetings. You'll play a pivotal individual contributor role, shaping underwriting standards and company-wide lending policies without managing a direct team.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct end-to-end underwriting for POS, STL, and ID lending products, assessing borrowers' repayment capacity and willingness while assigning risk ratings using product-specific credit models.
• Analyze AECB reports in conjunction with bank statements and facility documentation.
• Present cases confidently to the Investment Committee, including clear recommendations, structured proposals, and conditions; assume accountability for outcomes.
• Manage high-level enhanced-review credit files.
• Design appropriate security structures and credit conditions.
• Evaluate appeals and exception requests from the commercial team based on merit, upholding credit discipline where necessary.
• Analyze portfolio data to identify inaccuracies in credit criteria — determining thresholds that may exclude creditworthy borrowers or allow risky cases.
• Recalibrate credit scorecards and rating logics across all products, recommending and formalizing policy updates.
• Develop analytics to support adjustments in exposure limits, pricing strategies, refinancing criteria, and eligibility rules.
• Collaborate with product and engineering teams to embed policy into automated pre-screening rules within the lending platform.
• Monitor and report on portfolio performance metrics, early warning signals, and the alignment of risk ratings with actual outcomes.

Qualifications and Skills

• Between 4 to 6 years of experience in SME credit, gained either in UAE banking SME lending or non-bank fintech lending environments.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience in evaluating SME credit files, encompassing bank statement analysis, VAT reconciliation, ageing reports, and financial statement analysis (spreading).
• Comprehensive understanding of the UAE credit landscape, including familiarity with AECB, trade licenses, Ejari, VAT filings, and cheque-based securities along with their enforcement realities.
• Strong aptitude for AI applications in credit risk, including knowledge of model functioning and leveraging models for credit decision-making enhancement.
• Ability to assertively oppose commercial team requests unsupported by credit merit, backed by sound analytical justification.

Preferred Extras

• Experience in invoice discounting or receivables finance, specifically including verification of debtors.
• Background in scorecard development or validation of credit models.
• Understanding of automated decisioning systems and balancing rule-based versus model-based approval tradeoffs.

Measures of Success

• Within 3 months: Independently underwrite all three products and provide mentorship for junior team members' case reviews.
• Within 6 months: Identify at least two ineffective policy criteria informed by portfolio data and propose substantiated revisions.
• Within 12 months: Demonstrably enhance credit model calibration and improve rating outcome accuracy.

Employee Benefits

• Competitive salary packages.
• Paid time off for work-life balance.
• Comprehensive healthcare coverage.
• Collaborative team culture encouraging professional and personal growth.
• Employer commitment to wellbeing and work-life harmony.
• Innovation-driven learning environment.