DFS Manager – Digital Loans and Savings

KCB is seeking an experienced digital financial services professional for the position of DFS Manager – Digital Loans and Savings. The role will lead the development, management and growth of the Bank’s digital lending and savings portfolio, with responsibility for product strategy, innovation, customer experience, portfolio performance and financial inclusion.

The successful candidate will drive the end-to-end lifecycle of digital loans and savings products while identifying emerging market opportunities and evolving customer needs. The role will also involve collaboration with Risk, Credit, Analytics, Technology, fintechs, mobile network operators and other ecosystem partners to deliver competitive, accessible and sustainable digital financial solutions.

Position: DFS Manager – Digital Loans and Savings
Department: Digital Financial Services (DFS)
Experience Required: Minimum 8 years

Responsibilities

Product Strategy and Portfolio Management

• Define and execute the digital loans and savings strategy in line with the Bank's Digital Financial Services strategy.

  

• Develop and maintain product roadmaps covering:

  • Digital lending

    

  • Digital savings

  • Micro-savings

    

  • Micro-lending

  • Goal-based savings

    

  • Fixed savings

  • Embedded financial services

• Identify market opportunities and changing customer needs.

• Drive product innovation and portfolio expansion.

• Manage the profitability, growth and performance of the digital loans and savings portfolio.

• Continuously enhance products to maintain competitiveness and market relevance.

Digital Product Innovation

• Lead ideation, conceptualization and development of digital lending and savings solutions.

• Design customer-centric products for:

  • Retail customers

  • SMEs

  • Youth

  • Women

  • Underbanked customers

• Explore emerging technologies to support product innovation.

• Evaluate the use of alternative data sources and artificial intelligence.

• Explore digital credit assessment models.

• Promote financial inclusion through accessible and affordable digital financial products.

Product Lifecycle Management

• Manage the complete product lifecycle from concept development through retirement.

• Prepare business cases for new products and initiatives.

• Gather product requirements.

• Coordinate product development and testing.

• Oversee product rollout and optimization.

• Monitor product performance throughout the customer lifecycle.

• Implement enhancements to improve adoption and profitability.

• Develop product pricing strategies.

• Develop customer value propositions.

• Develop go-to-market strategies.

• Monitor product utilization and customer engagement.

• Identify opportunities for portfolio growth.

Digital Lending Management

• Lead the development and optimization of digital loan products, including:

  • Salary advances

  • Mobile loans

  • Nano-loans

  • SME digital credit

  • Ecosystem financing solutions

• Drive digital lending portfolio growth while maintaining an appropriate risk-return balance.

• Collaborate with Risk, Credit and Analytics teams.

• Support the development of credit decisioning and scoring models.

• Monitor loan disbursement volumes.

• Monitor portfolio quality and repayment behavior.

• Assess product profitability.

• Develop responsible lending practices.

• Support sustainable growth of the digital lending portfolio.

Digital Savings Management

• Develop and manage digital savings products.

• Increase customer engagement and deposit mobilization.

• Drive adoption and growth of digital savings accounts.

• Support the growth of investment-linked savings solutions.

• Develop initiatives that encourage long-term savings behavior.

• Promote financial wellness among customers.

• Monitor deposit growth.

• Monitor account activity and customer retention.

• Assess digital savings product profitability.

Customer Experience and Journey Management

• Improve customer experience across digital loans and savings products.

• Conduct customer journey mapping.

• Support UX/UI optimization.

• Develop digital customer engagement strategies.

• Identify customer pain points.

• Implement improvements that simplify product access and usability.

• Use customer insights and analytics to improve product performance.

• Improve customer satisfaction.

• Ensure seamless customer onboarding and servicing across digital platforms.

Partnerships and Ecosystem Development

• Establish and manage strategic partnerships with:

  • Fintech companies

  • Mobile network operators

  • Credit bureaus

  • Technology providers

  • Aggregators

  • Other ecosystem players

• Explore embedded finance opportunities.

• Develop ecosystem lending opportunities.

• Expand customer reach through strategic partnerships.

• Drive innovation through collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.

• Manage partner relationships.

• Manage commercial arrangements.

• Monitor and manage service-level agreements.

Project Delivery, Implementation and Governance

• Ensure successful execution of digital product initiatives.

• Apply effective project management practices.

• Coordinate product implementation activities.

• Oversee quality assurance processes.

• Coordinate User Acceptance Testing (UAT).

• Manage pilot testing.

• Ensure compliance with product release governance requirements.

• Monitor implementation progress and address issues affecting delivery.

Qualifications Required

Applicants should have:

• A Bachelor's degree from a recognized university.

• Professional qualifications in Product Management, Project Management or Agile Practices will be an added advantage.

• A Master's degree in a business-related field will be an added advantage.

Experience Required

Candidates should have:

• At least 8 years of cumulative professional experience.

• Strong experience in digital financial services, digital banking, product management or a related field.

• Experience developing and managing digital lending and/or savings products.

• Experience managing product lifecycles from concept to implementation.

• Experience working with technology, Risk, Credit and Analytics teams.

• Experience with digital credit, alternative data or emerging financial technologies would be advantageous.

• Experience managing fintech, MNO or other strategic partnerships would be beneficial.

Skills and Competencies

The ideal candidate should demonstrate:

• Strong digital product management skills.

• Strategic thinking and portfolio management capabilities.

• Knowledge of digital lending and savings products.

• Strong customer-centric product development skills.

• Understanding of credit risk and responsible lending.

• Strong analytical and commercial skills.

• Project and Agile management capabilities.

• Strong stakeholder and partnership management skills.

• Knowledge of emerging financial technologies.

• Strong problem-solving and innovation capabilities.

• Ability to manage complex product initiatives from concept to implementation.

How to Apply

Interested and qualified candidates should submit their applications through the official KCB recruitment platform. Applicants should provide accurate information and ensure that their qualifications and professional experience clearly demonstrate their suitability for the DFS Manager – Digital Loans and Savings position.

Final Thought

The DFS Manager – Digital Loans and Savings position offers an opportunity for an experienced professional to lead the growth and innovation of digital lending and savings solutions. Candidates with at least eight years of relevant experience and strong expertise in digital products, financial services, product management and customer-focused innovation should consider applying.