Lending Manager, Strategy & Business Development

About the role

BigPay Malaysia is hiring a Lending Manager, Strategy & Business Development in Kuala Lumpur. The role covers strategy, product management, partnerships and business development, and stakeholder and governance matters for lending across Malaysia and prospective Southeast Asian markets.

Key responsibilities

• Design lending operating models covering origination, underwriting, servicing and collections, and build Shariah-compliant and conventional product blueprints, policy manuals and SOPs aligned with BNM, OJK, MAS and AAOIFI standards.
• Work with Risk and Data teams to build and embed credit scoring models in the core lending platform, and lead annual strategic planning, P&L forecasting and capital allocation.
• Manage the product lifecycle from discovery to launch, including BRD and PRD preparation, user stories, backlog prioritisation, UAT and post-launch optimisation.
• Identify and negotiate distribution partnerships with e-commerce players, aggregators, MFIs and cooperatives, enable partner channels, onboard merchants and run cross-selling campaigns.
• Present solutions and credit structures to C-suite executives, liaise with the Shariah Committee and external scholars, and prepare board packs, regulator submissions and investor updates.
• Work with Finance on funding structures, securitisation and liquidity planning, and ensure compliance with lending regulations and risk appetite.
• Mentor analysts and associates and promote a culture of compliance, data ethics and customer empathy.

Required profile

• 5-10 years of progressive experience in fintech or digital banking, with at least 2 years on digital lending products.
• Proven track record launching or scaling credit products such as BNPL, micro-loans, SME financing or consumer installments.
• Strong sales and business development experience, including negotiating complex B2B or channel partnerships.
• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Economics, Engineering or a related field; CFA, FRM, MBA or CPIF viewed favourably.
• Understanding of credit analytics, P&L management and regional regulations (BNM, MAS, OJK, AAOIFI); regional experience in Southeast Asia and fluent English are required, with Bahasa Malaysia an advantage.

Required skills

• Conventional and Islamic finance knowledge (Murabaha, Tawarruq, Bai' al Inah, Kafalah)
• Agile product management, Jira, SQL/analytics and API-first architecture
• Preferred: experience with digital lending platforms and fintech innovations