Product Manager - Lending systems

About the Company

We are a leading, impact-focused, pan-african credit platform, empowering institutions and essential service providers with the liquidity they need to grow by providing affordable capital to enable the scaling of social infrastructure in underserved markets.

About the Role

We are looking for a Product Manager to professionalize and scale our entire lending platform & systems. You will be accountable for the delivery performance of the entire tech function.

This role owns the full technology architecture. This includes product roadmap, execution discipline, and operational integration of:

• The Loan Management System (LMS) and the Loan Origination System (LOS) - including integration between them

• The Field App

• Lending data analytics and reporting

• Financial product configuration and systemization

You will be accountable for sequencing, prioritization, and delivery across all lending technology initiatives.

You will manage 2 direct reports: a Full-Stack Developer and a Data Analyst

You will execute much of the LMS configuration yourself, in addition to managing the broader roadmap.

Immediate Mandate (First 6 Months)

Your first and primary objective is to:

1. Successfully Implement a New Loan Management System (LMS)

   • Lead full LMS rollout from configuration to go-live

   • Define MVP scope and prevent feature creep

   • Own integration sequencing (CRM, accounting, reporting, etc.)

   • Ensure data migration integrity

   • Define testing protocols and UAT structure

   • Establish a structured post-launch stabilization plan

   You are responsible for ensuring the LMS becomes the single source of truth for lending operations.

2. Redesign All Lending Workflows Around the LMS

   • Map current-state underwriting, approval, disbursement, monitoring, and collections workflows

   • Eliminate redundant manual processes

   • Re-architect processes to fit system logic (not vice versa)

   • Introduce measurable efficiency benchmarks

   • Design role clarity and accountability within system workflows

   Deliverables:

   • Clean end-to-end digital lending journey

   • Reduced manual touchpoints

   • Clear ownership per workflow stage

Core Responsibilities

1. Loan Management System (LMS) Ownership & Rollout

   The LMS implementation is the first and most critical mandate of this role.

   You are fully accountable for:

   • Leading end-to-end LMS rollout

   • Defining staged building schedules and preventing overbuilding

   • Personally executing significant portions of the system configuration

   • Managing vendor relationships and delivery sequencing

   • Designing a data migration plan and ensuring integrity

   • Structuring UAT and go-live processes

   • Establishing post-launch stabilization protocols

   You must ensure that workflows adapt to system logic where appropriate — not endlessly customizing the system to legacy habits.

   Deliverables:

   • Clean LMS configuration aligned to lending products

   • Controlled and documented integrations

   • Successful go-live with minimal operational disruption

   • Fully documented system configuration

   • Maintaining SOPs

2. End-to-End Lending Process Ownership (Product View)

   You are responsible for managing lending processes across the business from a product and systems perspective.

   This includes:

   • Mapping all lending workflows (origination → underwriting → approval → disbursement → monitoring → collections → reporting)

   • Documenting and maintaining clear SOPs for each stage

   • Redesigning processes for scalability and system alignment

   • Eliminating manual redundancies

   • Ensuring clarity of ownership at each stage

   • Conducting quarterly process reviews with the Tech oversight committee

   You own the productized architecture of lending operations.

   Deliverables:

   • Version-controlled SOP library

   • End-to-end process maps

   • Reduced ambiguity and manual friction

   • Clear system-aligned operational structure

3. Roadmap & Sprint Process

   You maintain a unified roadmap spanning:

   • LMS

   • Field Team App

   • Process automation

   • Reporting and analytics

   • Product enhancements

   • External development outside of LMS

   • Identifying automation opportunities around AI and other tools

   • Sequencing enhancements realistically

   • Avoiding over-reliance on immature tools

   • Ensuring foundational system stability before expansion

   Responsibilities:

   • Consolidate requests into a centralized backlog

   • Implement a prioritization framework

   • Manage sprint cadence

   • Oversee ticketing system adoption

   • Track weekly execution

   • Maintain full documentation discipline.

   You are the gatekeeper of what gets built and when.

   Product Roadmap & Sequencing

   • Own 12-month lending product roadmap across our loan management system, customer support lead app, financial products, and process redesign.

   • Define MVP vs phase 2+ enhancements

   • Implement structured backlog governance

   • Introduce feature approval gates

   • Tie product sequencing to GLP growth, PAR improvement, and cost efficiency

   • Leading product discovery process across internal stakeholders and teams to understand technology needs. Regular meetings with the C-suite and Tech Committee to prioritize.

   You are the gatekeeper of what gets built

4. User Journey Ownership Across Technology Stakeholders

   You are accountable for digital user journeys across all lending-related stakeholders, including:

   • Credit team

   • Operations

   • Finance

   • Leadership

   Responsibilities:

   • Map current and target user journeys

   • Identify bottlenecks and friction

   • Align LMS and field team configurations with real operational needs

   • Ensure role-based access matches workflow reality

   • Reduce processing time and system confusion

   You ensure that technology reflects operational logic — and that operations evolve toward scalable system design.

   Deliverables:

   • Documented user journey maps

   • Improved usability and reduced turnaround times

   • Clear role-based system flows

5. Field Team App Product Management

   You own the Field Team App as a lending-aligned product.

   Responsibilities:

   • Maintain a structured roadmap

   • Define feature prioritization

   • Oversee sprint execution with the developer

   • Ensure adoption and measurable value

6. Data Analytics & Lending Optimization

   Working closely with the Data Analyst:

   • Refine and improve operational dashboards

   • Improve underwriting decision visibility

   • Improve portfolio monitoring transparency

   • Identify inefficiencies using data

   • Reduce shadow reporting outside core systems

   Data must actively inform process redesign.

7. Financial Product & System Design Alignment

   You contribute to the internal loan product committee through:

   • Redesigning lending products toward industry-standard structures

   • Simplifying complex or legacy product features

   • Translating financial design into a clean system configuration

   • Ensuring scalability within LMS constraints

   You help shape products so they are operationally and technologically scalable.

8. Cybersecurity, Controls & User Rights

   You are accountable for system control integrity.

   Responsibilities:

   • Design and enforce role-based access controls (RBAC)

   • Implement structured user provisioning/de-provisioning processes

   • Conduct quarterly access audits

   • Ensure segregation of duties across the lending lifecycle

   • Maintain audit trail integrity

   • Implement incident documentation procedures

   • Compliance readiness (CBK, Auditors)

   • Access governance

   • Data privacy and security

   • Disaster recovery and business continuity

   • External development outside