Head of Credit Intelligence L6 (Head/Director)

Mal is an AI-native Islamic digital bank licensed and regulated in Abu Dhabi, UAE. We are building Sharia-compliant financial products powered by intelligent technology - including a full lending suite spanning car financing, student loans, and personal loans. This role sits at the core of that mission. Design and maintain Mal's end-to-end AI underwriting architecture Build and deploy borrower risk scoring and Probability of Default (PD) models Lead feature engineering across traditional, behavioral, and alternative data sources Develop risk-based pricing models tied to borrower risk tiers Monitor model performance, detect drift, and drive continuous improvement Ensure model explainability and compliance with Abu Dhabi, UAE regulatory standards Partner with Credit Strategy to translate model outputs into lending policies Collaborate with Data Infrastructure to ensure accurate, production-grade model deployment Build underwriting capability across car financing, student loans, and personal loans - with SME lending to follow Conduct a comprehensive review of existing credit policies and make recommendations for enhancements. Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) for credit risk management and reporting. Initiate collaboration with technology teams to identify opportunities for AI integration in credit assessments. Develop a training program for the credit team focused on ethical lending practices and Sharia compliance. Prepare a stakeholder presentation outlining the credit strategy and anticipated impact on the business. Desired Candidate Profile 8-12+ years in credit risk modeling, with proven production deployments Strong ML background - gradient boosting, neural networks, logistic regression Experience with alternative and behavioral data sources for credit decisions Python proficiency and familiarity with ML frameworks (scikit-learn, XGBoost, TensorFlow or similar) Track record building models for at least one of: personal loans, auto loans, student loans, BNPL, or SME lending Understanding of model explainability requirements in a regulated environment Experience at a leading fintech lender (Upstart, Affirm, Klarna, Nubank, LendingClub, SoFi) or digital bank (Revolut, Monzo) Exposure to Islamic finance or emerging market credit models Experience building real-time scoring systems (sub-3-second decision latency)