Credit Officer - Near East Foundation UK

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Credit Officer

Near East Foundation UK

Damascus, Syria

Full-time

Credit Officer (National Position)

Department

Syria سوريا

Employment Type

Full-Time

Minimum Experience

Experienced

Title: Credit Officer

Reports to: Credit Manager

Location: Damascus, Syria.

Type: Full-time Project

No. of Positions: 2

The Near East Foundation (NEF) is seeking candidates for a Credit Officer position to be based in Damascus, Syria. NEF is a non-profit international development organization that has supported livelihoods recovery and community-based economic development in the Middle East, Africa, and Caucasus since 1915. NEF draws on local teams, experience, and partnerships in these regions to create community-led solutions to improve livelihoods and local governance among conflict and crisis-affected groups, while maintaining neutrality and ensuring inclusiveness in our approach. Working through a network of country offices and local partners, NEF has operations in ten countries: Armenia, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Mali, Morocco, Palestine, Sudan, South Sudan, and Syria. Our programs are organized around three pillars: Inclusive Economic Development, Climate-resilient Development, and Stabilization and Peacebuilding.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

NEF has launched a revolving credit fund to empower local entrepreneurs in north Syria by facilitating MSMEs & agricultural businesses' access to finance. The Credit Officer will work under the supervision of the Credit Manager to evaluate applicants’ creditworthiness, provide credit recommendations, and provide needed operational support.

Main duties include:

Conduct credit assessment to evaluate applicants’ creditworthiness based on financial, operational, and market indicators, as well as any additional criteria specific to each project.
Maintain accurate and complete documentation of credit reports, loan applications, and other relevant information and supporting documents.
Coordinate and follow up with the day-to-day lending operations.
Support the continuous development of the loan processing mechanism.
Provide the needed support in other aspects of the project implementation as needed.
Operate in compliance with laws and regulations and adhere to lending compliance guidelines and donors’ requirements.
Support portfolio quality management by implementing effective collection strategies, minimizing delinquency, and promoting sustainable repayment practices.
Collaborate closely with field teams to ensure accurate borrower verification, business assessments, and post-disbursement follow-up on loan utilization and business performance.
Support the rescheduling and restructuring of loans as needed to sustain portfolio health and borrowers viability.
Ensure full compliance with NEF’s internal controls, ethical standards, and all applicable financial regulations governing microfinance and lending activities.
Perform any other tasks as requested.

Qualifications:

BS degree in accounting or a related field.
1-3 years of relevant experience in the MFI or banking sector.
Excellent understanding of MSMEs' loan products and credit analysis.
Experience in agri. Lending is highly preferable.
Excellent Microsoft Office skills.
Excellent numerical skills.
Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills in English and Arabic.

Position Criteria

Builds and maintains effective relationships with colleagues and external partners, in both in-person and remote contexts.
Flexible, solution-oriented, and committed to programmatic excellence.
Experience working in fragile and conflict-affected contexts is preferred.
Stay abreast of new types of business loans and latest lending practices, as well as the digitization of financial services.

NEF will accept rolling applications until the position is filled. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

To apply:

Please apply by submitting the following documents:

Cover letter outlining all relevant experience, explaining how you meet the essential criteria.
Curriculum Vitae.
List of three references (including one from current, or most recent, employer). You will be given further notice prior to us contacting references.

NEF welcomes and encourages applications from all genders, backgrounds, religions, cultures, nationalities and abilities.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Near East Foundation by visiting the NEF website at www.neareast.org.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Pre-employment Checks

Any Employment with the Near East Foundation will be subject to the following checks before the start date:

A satisfactory Restricted Party Screening.
Receipt of satisfactory references.
Workplace Verification Check.

NEF's strength is its people. Our team is our fuel to achieving the innovation, quality programming, community focus, mutual trust, sustainability, and learning needed to realize our mission. To help our team thrive, we support a working structure that prioritizes flexibility, personal commitments, and staff well-being while promoting a work culture of teamwork, collaboration, respect, integrity, and excellence.

As an international organization, we value a truly diverse workforce and prioritize a culture of inclusivity and belonging. We strive to create a high-achieving work environment informed by different cultures, perspectives, and experiences. With a commitment to diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion in all we do, our aim is to ensure that people feel heard, protected, and empowered to contribute to NEF's mission from day one.

Commitment to Safeguarding

As a global organization serving some of the world’s most vulnerable communities, the Near East Foundation takes the safeguarding of its program participants, staff, volunteers, and partners seriously. To that end, the Near East Foundation is a member of the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, and will systematically check with previous employers about any sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment issues relating to potential new hires. We may also employ other robust pre-hire screens, including in-depth reference checks, criminal background checks, and sanctions screens.
procedures. The Near East Foundation expects all program participants, staff, volunteers, and partners to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us.
By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these terms of recruitment.

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