Head - Product Development at Co-operative Bank of Kenya

As a customer-centric financial institution, we are on a mission to help our customers succeed by providing highly personalised services to deliver that personal touch. We measure our efforts by the success our customers enjoy and the advocacy they exhibit. We are succeeding because they are succeeding.  As the Head, Product Development, you’ll help make this happen. You will work with other stakeholders to develop value added mortgage finance solutions that straddle across business segment and constantly do enhancement and innovation of existing product capabilities to address the ever-changing requirements and increased product competitiveness.

We are looking for a brilliant, dynamic and self-driven professional with a wide degree of creativity, latitude and an edge for product innovation and enhancement. If this sounds like you then look no further; Co-operative Bank of Kenya, “The Kingdom Bank” is the ideal place for you, here, it can only get more exciting for you; as you get to stretch yourself to new horizons, with opportunities at every step of your career!

Reporting to the Head – Mortgage Finance, the role holder will be responsible for overseeing growth, penetration and quality initiatives of the mortgage finance products through analysis, benchmarking and service process improvement. The role holder will also be responsible for initiating and conducting market research and intelligence, doing product design & development and customer need analysis as well as launching of new products. 

The Role

Specifically, the successful jobholder will be required to:

• Oversee the development and implementation of strategic initiatives for marketing and selling of mortgage finance products with a focus to grow business volumes, customer base and income.
• Spearhead the development of new mortgage finance products and solutions that are tailored to meet the ever changing needs of our customers.
• Develop and implement initiatives for maintaining strong relationships with existing customers as well as develop new relationships that guarantee a portfolio of mortgage finance customers.
• Work with individuals from across the bank to identify and define target market segments, market requirements, key business strategies and the competitive environment for our niche portfolio.
• Champion risk approvals for mortgage finance deals and provide risk management of mortgage finance portfolio and structured solutions to mitigate risk.
• Drive overall client satisfaction and service benchmark for mortgage finance offerings and also build customer loyalty. This will mean benchmarking against world-class mortgage finance providers and ensure that standards of the mortgage finance department meet global best practice.
• Lead the development from conceptualization till launch of new products and services designed to deliver superior value for customers and profitability for the Bank while ensuring strict adherence to Banks principles and guidelines.
• Champion and deliver world class customer service by ensuring quality service delivery for customers within the bank’s Service Level Agreements.

Skills, Competencies and Experience

The successful candidate will be required to have the following skills and competencies:

• A Bachelor’s Degree in business related field from a recognized University with at least seven years working experience in banking operations, four of which must be in credit, product development and project planning & management.
• MBA or advanced degree in Business Administration or Finance and IT/Project management certification will be an added advantage.
• Proven knowledge in all mortgage finance products and related business aspects is an added advantage.
• Proactive, assertive and highly adaptable to change with strong analytical skills and customer centric mindset.
• Personal organization and thoroughness coupled with the ability to work under minimum supervision with good Judgment skills.
• Ability to analyze data, information and situations for effective work performance with excellent attention to details and quality output.