Head: Business Support and Recoveries

Job Description

• The Head: Business Support and Recoveries is responsible for providing strategic leadership in managing distressed and at-risk clients, thereby safeguarding the DBSA's loan portfolio and long-term financial sustainability. The role is responsible for maximising recoveries from impaired and defaulted exposures, minimising losses and provisions and improving cash recoveries from legal and workout processes. The role drives early identification of potential distress, decisive intervention, and the design and execution of turnaround, contingency, restructuring, recovery and business rescue plans It evaluates client liquidity, advises on operational efficiency and margin enhancement, and assesses strategic and financial alternatives to restore viability and protect organisational value.

Key Responsibilities KEY PERFORMANCE AREAS

Strategic Focus

• Develop long-term and short-term business support and recoveries strategy, and execution plan aligned to DBSA's strategic objectives and approved budgets.
• Develop and implement turnaround/recovery management solutions in order to build a platform of swift recovery of DBSA loans.
• Oversee the scanning of the environment, conducting research and benchmarking the DBSA to similar institutes to establish Industry best practice in terms of Business Support & Recoveries.
• Lead turnaround/recoveries management practices into the organisation to achieve competitive advantage.
• Monitor that the Unit enforces the Bank's policies and procedures, with no material audit findings and control deficiencies are timeously remedied.
• Maintain a repository of post-mortem reviews, restructuring outcomes and lessons learnt, and use these insights to improve origination, credit monitoring, risk appetite calibration and recoveries strategy across the Bank.

Business Support and Recoveries Operations

• Conduct financial due diligence and portfolio reviews, preparation of asset valuations and disposal options when DBSA clients are in distress or potential distress and may not meet their loan obligations to the DBSA.
• Lead and direct the recoveries team in providing a tailored, objective assessment of the situation and resources by rapidly and rigorously reviewing the financial performance, operating dynamics, asset deployment and management issues of the distressed or potentially distressed client.
• Design and execute controlled exit plans where no alternative solutions exist, including wind-downs, asset sales, or business disposals, applying proven methodologies to optimise shareholder returns, mitigate obstacles, and minimise disposal costs.
• Develop borrower-specific workout plans supported by collateral analysis, recovery waterfalls, valuation assumptions, scenario analysis, covenant remediation, risk-rating recommendations and clear approval routes through relevant governance structures.
• Provide innovative and practical solutions and advice in instances of bankruptcy or developing voluntary arrangement through leading-edge methods enable creditors to maximise recoveries while helping businesses and institutions avoid a potentially disastrous slide into bankruptcy.
• Prepare periodic reports on business support and recoveries, including lessons learnt, as required by Management or the Board.
• Report on a regular basis to Management and relevant Committees on the progress of the management of distressed clients, potential defaults and turnaround/recoveries.
• Coordinate with Legal, Finance, Credit, Portfolio Management, external counsel, valuers, restructuring advisors, business rescue practitioners and other creditors to structure, document and execute approved forbearance, amendment, restructuring, enforcement, settlement and collateral realisation strategies.

Technical Oversight, Monitoring & Reporting

• Provide strategic advisory and technical guidance on operational practices, solutions, tools, and the resolution of complex or non-standard service requests.
• Oversee the development of metrics, frameworks, policies, and reporting to governance forums, while monitoring non-performing loans and Stage 3 assets against the Bank's risk appetite and tolerance levels.
• Analyse data, monitor key performance metrics, and deliver accurate, actionable insights and reports to support strategic decision-making, performance improvement, and accountability.
• Maintain watchlist, early-warning and problem-project review routines to ensure matters are escalated early, supported by clear action plans, accountabilities, timelines and committee reporting.
• Oversee IFRS 9 staging inputs, expected credit loss assumptions, probability of default, loss given default, exposure at default, collateral haircuts and recovery assumptions for distressed and non-performing exposures, in collaboration with Finance and Credit Risk.

People Management

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous learning to maximize individual and collective potential
• Drive talent development initiatives, including coaching, performance management, and career pathing, to build and retain a skilled and motivated team
• Promote DBSA values and a culture of high performance through implementing performance management in line with the planned strategic objectives, goals, quality standards and agreed key performance measures using sound performance management principles.
• Contribute to building synergies & cooperation across functions in the DBSA.
• Embed the DBSA values, ethics and culture.

Stakeholder Management

• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders, including ExCo and divisional leadership, to embed risk management practices.
• Engage with external stakeholders such as regulators, industry bodies, and development partners to align DBSA's risk practices with best standards.
• Represent DBSA in risk-related forums and contribute to shaping industry-wide risk management practices.
• Engage with co-lenders, syndicate members, guarantors, development partners, insurers, business rescue practitioners, insolvency practitioners and external advisors to align recovery actions while protecting DBSA's mandate, legal position and reputation.
• Develop and maintain productive client, staff, management, and Board relationships through effective communication and engagement.

Key Measurements of Outputs

• Maintain NPL ratio within approved risk appetite NPL ratio % of total book.
• Reduce overall distressed loan portfolio NPL reduction year-on-year, % in value.
• Improve portfolio quality and credit risk metrics cure rate of distressed accounts.
• Early identification and intervention on high-risk accounts % of accounts reviewed within agreed timelines, number and value of accounts returned to performing status.
• Achievement of targeted cash collections against annual budget.
• Percentage of recoveries achieved through settlements and legal actions.
• Reduction in impairment provisions and write-off reduction % and value.
• Quality and accuracy of client liquidity assessments and financial evaluations delivered to management and committees
• Implementation of solutions that deliver sustainable client outcomes.
• Stakeholder satisfaction and confidence in business support and recoveries interventions.
• Compliance with legal, regulatory, and governance requirements in recoveries and restructuring processes.
• Cost effectiveness of recovery actions.
• Timeliness and quality of approved workout strategies, including completion of borrower action plans, collateral reviews, covenant remediation and recovery forecasts within agreed service levels.
• Accuracy and audit-readiness of portfolio data, risk ratings, restructuring documentation, legal status updates and committee submissions.

Expertise & Technical Competencies Minimum Qualification

• A Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or Business-related equivalent.
• A Postgraduate qual