Head, Recovery – Africa

Job Title: Head, Recovery – Africa

Industry: Banking

Location: Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire (Home-based within Africa may be considered for an exceptional candidate)

Salary: $85,000 – $100,000 per annum + Benefits

About the Opportunity

Our client, a leading pan-African financial institution, is seeking an accomplished Head, Recovery – Africa to provide strategic leadership for recovery and remedial management activities across multiple African markets.

Reporting into senior executive leadership, the successful candidate will drive regional recovery strategies, oversee high-value distressed assets, negotiate complex restructurings, and lead recovery teams across several African jurisdictions to maximise recoveries while ensuring regulatory compliance and operational excellence.

This is an outstanding opportunity for a senior banking professional with deep expertise in corporate recoveries, loan restructuring and distressed asset management within Africa.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute regional recovery and remedial management strategies.
• Drive recovery performance across multiple African markets.
• Implement industry best practices to maximise recoveries and minimise credit losses.
• Provide strategic direction on large, complex and high-value recovery cases.

Recovery & Portfolio Management

• Lead recovery efforts for large corporate and commercial non-performing loan portfolios.
• Develop and implement recovery, restructuring and workout strategies.
• Review and approve settlement proposals, restructuring requests and interest waiver recommendations.
• Monitor implementation of approved restructuring and recovery plans.
• Analyse watch-listed accounts and recommend appropriate remedial actions.

Stakeholder Management

• Lead negotiations with borrowers and key stakeholders to achieve commercially viable recovery outcomes.
• Manage relationships with debt recovery agents, external legal advisers, insolvency practitioners, valuers and other recovery partners.
• Liaise with regulators and law enforcement agencies where appropriate.
• Partner closely with business and credit teams to identify early warning signals and implement timely interventions.

Litigation & Collateral Management

• Oversee collateral inspections and valuation reviews.
• Manage enforcement of security and collateral.
• Monitor litigation matters and provide strategic direction on legal recovery proceedings.

Leadership & Governance

• Lead, coach and develop recovery teams across multiple African markets.
• Monitor recovery performance against agreed targets and budgets.
• Produce executive-level reports for senior management.
• Ensure compliance with applicable banking regulations, policies and governance standards.

Key Performance Indicators

• Achievement of Net Recovery targets.
• Reduction in Non-Performing Loan (NPL) ratios.
• Cost-effective recovery performance.
• Timely execution of restructuring and workout strategies.
• Accuracy and quality of management reporting.
• Effective leadership of regional recovery teams.

Candidate Profile

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, Law or a related discipline.
• A Law degree or relevant professional qualification will be an added advantage.

Experience

• Minimum 10 years' experience in Recovery, Remedial Management, Special Assets or Corporate Workouts within a commercial bank.
• Proven track record managing large corporate distressed assets.
• Experience leading recovery teams across multiple African markets.
• Strong understanding of credit risk, restructuring, insolvency and enforcement processes.

Essential Requirements

• Fluent in both English and French (spoken and written).
• Experience operating across multiple African jurisdictions.
• Strong commercial banking background with significant corporate recovery experience.
• Ability to lead complex negotiations involving borrowers, legal advisers, regulators and external recovery specialists.
• Strong knowledge of banking regulations, insolvency laws and judicial recovery processes across Africa.
• Demonstrated leadership of high-performing recovery teams.
• Willingness to undertake regular travel across Africa.

Key Competencies

• Strategic Leadership
• Corporate Recovery & Distressed Asset Management
• Loan Restructuring & Workout Strategies
• Credit Risk Analysis
• Negotiation & Conflict Resolution
• Litigation & Insolvency Management
• Regulatory & Legal Knowledge
• Portfolio Management
• Executive Communication & Board Reporting
• Stakeholder Management
• Performance Management
• Commercial Judgement
• Results Orientation

Why Join?

This is a unique opportunity to lead recovery operations across one of Africa's leading banking groups, influencing strategic recovery outcomes across multiple markets while working with senior executives and country leadership teams to strengthen portfolio performance and shareholder value.