Officer, Merchant Underwriter

  • Full Time
  • Nairobi

Website Stratostaff

At Stratostaff we design, implement and manage workforce solutions for large, specialized or routine staff complements giving you the opportunity to focus on your core business.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Merchant Risk Assessment & Onboarding

Conduct thorough KYC/KYB checks (CR12, KRA PIN, Director IDs).
Analyze financial statements and bank records to determine financial viability.
Perform targeted digital audits or site visits for high-risk merchants or those with historical chargeback ratios exceeding 1%.
Review and assign accurate Merchant Category Codes (MCC) based on risk profiles.
Coordinate with Risk and Compliance departments to ensure all anti-money laundering (AML) and fraud checks are cleared.

Decision Making & Risk Mitigation

Approve, decline, or recommend conditional approvals for merchant accounts.
Establish transaction limits, settlement cycles, and rolling reserves.
Negotiate risk terms with Sales teams without compromising bank security.

Compliance & Regulatory Oversight

Screen applicants against AML/CFT sanctions lists (FRC, OFAC, UN) and MATCH / VMSS.
Ensure merchant compliance with PCI DSS data security standards.
Maintain detailed audit trails for every underwriting decision.

 Portfolio Monitoring & Reporting

Monitor for “Transaction Laundering” and suspicious volume spikes.
Investigate accounts with high chargeback ratios and initiate terminations if needed.
Escalate high-risk trends to the Manager, Card Operations, Manager, Specialist Merchant Sales and Head Card, Payments
Monitor dormant Terminals and recommend actions to various sales teams and Merchant analysts

KEY RELATIONSHIP

Internal: Card Operations Team, Merchant Acquiring team, E-commerce team, Sales, Fraud Investigation Unit, Finance, Legal, and IT.
External: Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), FRC, Card Schemes (Visa, MasterCard, CUP, Payment Processors, Merchants (as needed) Payment Processors, Merchants (as needed), and Merchants

Requirements
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Business, Law, or a related field.
Minimum 2-3 years’ experience in risk management or merchant underwriting.
Deep knowledge of Kenyan regulatory frameworks (POCAMLA, CBK Guidelines).

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

Strong analytical and investigative skills.
High attention to detail and accuracy.
Proficiency in risk-scoring models and data analysis tools.
Ability to work independently and meet tight onboarding deadlines.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills.

Apply Through:

jobs.stratostaff.co.ke

To apply for this job please visit jobs.stratostaff.co.ke.