Role Summary

The Head of SME (Small and Medium Enterprise) Lending Risk in Hong Kong will oversee the credit risk management for the SME banking portfolio. This pivotal role involves the dual responsibility of managing program and discretionary lending strategies, while ensuring compliance and risk mitigation across the cluster, including focused attention on Greater Bay Area clients. The position demands strong leadership, strategic insight, and robust risk control to safeguard the bank's interests and support business growth.

Role Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Risk Management

• Develop and implement credit risk strategies that align with group-wide business objectives, mitigating risks while supporting lending growth for SME and Medium Enterprises.
• Lead risk assessment and credit approval processes, ensuring consistency and compliance with internal policies and regulatory requirements.
• Collaborate closely with business units to balance credit risk appetite with commercial objectives, providing expert guidance and oversight.

Operational Excellence & Process Supervision

• Supervise first-line risk management processes, enhancing operational efficiency and ensuring adherence to risk controls.
• Oversee continuous improvement initiatives to streamline credit evaluation and portfolio monitoring activities.
• Ensure comprehensive and timely reporting of credit risks and exposures to senior management and relevant stakeholders.

Stakeholder Engagement & Team Development

• Maintain proactive communication with internal teams and Greater Bay Area clients to address lending needs effectively and manage exposure prudently.
• Build and nurture a high-performing risk management team by identifying talent, facilitating ongoing development, and fostering an inclusive culture.
• Drive a collaborative environment that encourages shared responsibility for credit risk management and compliance adherence across the cluster.

Risk Governance and Compliance

• Ensure all lending activities comply with the bank’s risk appetite, credit policies, and statutory regulations governing banking conduct.
• Regularly review and update risk management frameworks to address evolving market conditions and regulatory expectations.
• Lead risk-related audits and reviews, promptly addressing any gaps or findings with corrective actions.
• Report credit risk metrics transparently to senior leadership and contribute to enterprise-wide risk management forums.

Leadership Expectations

• Lead by example to promote a culture of risk awareness, accountability, and continuous improvement across the SME lending risk function.
• Champion diversity and inclusion principles within the team, creating an environment where all voices are valued and innovation thrives.
• Foster strong working relationships with business partners, regulators, and external stakeholders to enhance risk governance and reputation management.
• Drive talent development programs to build future leaders in credit risk, ensuring succession preparedness and knowledge continuity.

Innovative Risk Solutions and Technology Adoption

• Champion the use of data analytics, credit scoring models, and fintech innovations to enhance credit assessment accuracy and operational efficiency.
• Encourage the team to stay abreast of emerging risks and technological advancements that can transform traditional lending practices.
• Collaborate with IT and digital transformation teams to implement risk solutions that enable agile response to client needs and market developments.

Key stakeholders

Internal

• Chief Executive & Chief Risk Officer (Country)
• Business & Segment Heads, Senior Bankers, Credit/Marketing (Country & Group)
• SME Risk Leadership (Regional/Group, including Country Heads)
• Stressed Asset Management – TWC (Country/Regional/Global)
• Group Audit (Country)
• Legal, Compliance & Credit Risk Control (Country)
• Wealth Solution Sales & CIB Credit (Country)
• Hub Locations – Medium Enterprise Governance (Outside Country)

External

• Executives (including equivalent CRM Units) of other banks
• Key Corporate and Institutional relationships in country
• Members of the legal professions
• Directors/Key contacts in the business community
• Accountants/Consultants
• Auditors / Government regulators

Role Requirements

Educational and Professional Qualifications

• Degree in Finance, Economics, Business Administration, or a related field is essential; advanced qualifications (e.g., CFA, CPA) are an advantage.
• Proven track record of  credit risk management experience within banking, preferably with significant exposure to SME or commercial lending portfolios.
• Deep understanding of credit risk frameworks, risk rating systems, and impairment assessment processes aligned with regulatory standards.
• Experience working in or with Greater Bay Area markets is advantageous due to cross-border lending responsibilities.
• Professional Accreditation such as Enhanced Competency Framework (ECF) under the HK Institute of Bankers (HKIB) would be an advantage.
• Credit Risk Certification Curriculum ("CRCC") is a plus

About Standard Chartered

We're an international bank, nimble enough to act, big enough for impact. For more than 170 years, we've worked to make a positive difference for our clients, communities, and each other. We question the status quo, love a challenge and enjoy finding new opportunities to grow and do better than before. If you're looking for a career with purpose and you want to work for a bank making a difference, we want to hear from you. You can count on us to celebrate your unique talents and we can't wait to see the talents you can bring us.

Our purpose, to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, together with our brand promise, to be here for good are achieved by how we each live our valued behaviours. When you work with us, you'll see how we value difference and advocate inclusion.

Together we:

• Do the right thing and are assertive, challenge one another, and live with integrity, while putting the client at the heart of what we do
• Never settle, continuously striving to improve and innovate, keeping things simple and learning from doing well, and not so well
• Are better together, we can be ourselves, be inclusive, see more good in others, and work collectively to build for the long term

What we offer

In line with our Fair Pay Charter, we offer a competitive salary and benefits to support your mental, physical, financial and social wellbeing.

• Core bank funding for retirement savings, medical and life insurance, with flexible and voluntary benefits available in some locations.
• Time-off including annual leave, parental/maternity (20 weeks), sabbatical (12 months maximum) and volunteering leave (3 days), along with minimum global standards for annual and public holiday, which is combined to 30 days minimum.
• Flexible working options based around home and office locations, with flexible working patterns.
• Proactive wellbeing support through Unmind, a market-leading digital wellbeing platform, development courses for resilience and other human skills, global Employee Assistance Programme, sick leave, mental health first-aiders and all sorts of self-help toolkits
• A continuous learning culture to support your growth, with opportunities to reskill and upskill and access to physical, virtual and digital learning.
• Being part of an inclusive and values driven organisation, one that embraces and celebrates our unique diversity, across our teams, business functions and geographies - everyone feels respected and can realise their full potential.