Head of Debt Management at Higher Education Loans Board (HELB)

HELB GRADE 3

Job Purpose:

Reporting to the Chief Operations Officer, Head of Debt Management is responsible for the overall formulation, review and implementation of loan repayment and recovery policies, procedures, systems and strategies to manage the credit risk and foster timely recovery and repayment of all matured Undergraduate, Partner Managed funds, Technical and Vocational Educational Training (TVET) and continuing education loans worth over Kshs. 69 Billion from over 560,000 loanees in both formal and informal sectors to create a sustainable revolving fund.

Relationship Management of a suite of strategic partners to improve the Portfolio At Risk (PAR) to acceptable levels and overseeing optimization of digital service delivery to improve customer satisfaction index and managing the Strategic Business Unit’s Risk Management in line with the
institution’s enterprise risk management framework.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Overseeing management of the mature Undergraduate, Partner Managed funds, Technical and Vocational Educational Training (TVET) and continuing education loan portfolio of over 560,000 loanees worth over Kshs.69 Billion in accordance with the relevant contracts and MOUs to achieve a sustainable revolving fund;
• Overseeing employer compliance of over 250,000 employers to the existing legal framework through inspections and issuance of compliance certificate to compliant employers and ensuring continuous engagement of the over 400, 000 current students in preparation for the loan repayment through regular provision of account status and financial literacy;
• Providing leadership and strategic direction to the department in furtherance of the institution’s strategic objectives of debt management to enhance loan repayment and recovery and spearheading liaison with relevant agencies and organizations on matters related to inspection, investigation, prosecution, and enforcement of HELB Act to maximize loan recovery, overseeing preparation and submission of periodic repayment and recovery reports to management and the Board of directors for decision making and overseeing the identification of training needs for the departmental staff to enhance their skills and improve performance;
• Providing required information and responses to the Chief Operations Officer (COO) on any queries/issues that may be raised by parliament or any other arm of government regarding loan repayment and recovery, overseeing the formulation and implementation of policies, strategies and systems that will ensure effective and efficient execution of the repayment, and recovery functions of the institution to drive the department’s Business Continuity Management (BCM) activities to
• ensure human and other departmental assets are protected and continuity of operations in the event of disruptions or a disaster;
• Driving the formulation of the departmental Contingency Funding Plan (CFP) strategies for business continuity and overseeing the management of relationships with relevant stakeholders (Governments-National & County, loanees and Employers in tracing defaulters and initiating recovery, oversee credit information sharing with Credit Reference Bureaus (CRB) and other relevant stakeholders in line with existing legal framework to maximize loan recovery, ensuring periodic communication
• and reminders to all loanees to maximize loan recovery of external funds while ensuring adherence to partner memorandum of understanding (MOUs) in relation to repayment for enhanced collaborations and improved portfolio performance;
• Overseeing the relationship with external debt collection agencies contracted to recover problem loans in order to build and uphold partnerships with loanees and stakeholders in the diaspora to aid in loan recoveries and appraisal and evaluation of performance for the staff in the department in line with the institution’s set targets, chairing regular departmental meetings with the staff to monitor performance, build teamwork and enhance cohesion and also ensure development and management of a knowledge sharing platform in the department for capacity building;
• Spearheading the implementation of the Enterprise Risk Management framework within the department to mitigate against any existing and emerging risk, ensuring adherence to the quality manual procedures and standards for satisfactory service delivery to customers and oversee the development of Debt Management department operational budget;
• Maintaining, updating, and recommending changes to the Institution’s loan repayment and recovery policy to align it to the changing environment, overseeing recovery of all matured loans to maximize loan recovery, the coordination of field inspections to enforce compliance to the HELB Act and spearheading collaboration with relevant stakeholders (Employers, Kenya Revenue Authority, Diaspora communities) in tracing defaulters and initiating recovery measures;
• Overseeing the implementation of the departmental action plan for attainment of departmental objectives, allocations of all payments to individual loanee accounts to ensure accurate balances, the process of issuance of compliance certificates to both loanees and employers to ensure compliance
• to Chapter Six of the Constitution of Kenya 2010; and
• Providing oversight in guiding the recovery agents (debt collectors) on the recovery processes to ensure adherence to the existing policies, leading, inspiring, motivating and mentoring the team to enhance productivity, succession planning and advising the Board of Directors and management on all matters relating to debt management for decision making.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a business-related field from a recognized university
• Master’s Degree in Social sciences
• Management course lasting not less than four (4) weeks
• Membership to a relevant professional body in good standing
• At least twelve (12) years’ work experience four (4) of which should be in management in a comparable institution.