Muhammad Faizan Rehan

Astra Tech

Role Summary The SME Operations role will be responsible for managing the complete loan lifecycle from disbursement to repayment ensuring operational accuracy, compliance, and efficiency. This role is critical in driving portfolio performance, maintaining healthy credit operations, and ensuring alignment with internal policies and regulatory standards.ResponsibilitiesOversee end-to-end loan disbursement processes, ensuring accuracy and adherence to turnaround times (TATs).Monitor loan utilization rates, repayment schedules, and non-performing loan (NPL) ratios.Lead and execute collections strategies, coordinating between internal teams and third-party agencies.Collaborate with Finance to ensure proper loan accounting, including reconciliations, ledger entries, provisioning, and reporting.Deliver management dashboards on portfolio performance, bad debt ratios, and NPL trends.Ensure full compliance with CBUAE regulations, AML/CFT guidelines, and audit requirements.Requirements3 5 years of experience in credit operations, loan servicing, or SME lending.Strong understanding of reconciliation, ledger accounting, and credit monitoring.Proven experience in collections management and handling distressed loans.Familiarity with regulatory frameworks and reporting standards in the UAE financial ecosystem.Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and stakeholder management skills.Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced fintech or financial services environment.

SME Operations

<div>
 
 Role Summary
 
 
 We are looking&nbsp;for a
 
 Product Manager &ndash; Cards &amp; Installments
 
 to drive the strategy, design, and execution of our card-based products and installment solutions. The ideal candidate will have deep experience in
 
 credit/debit/prepaid cards, BNPL, or installment payment solutions
 
 , and will work closely with cross-functional teams to deliver seamless, compliant, and scalable payment experiences.
 
 
 Key Responsibilities
 
 <ul>
 <li>
 
 Own the end-to-end product lifecycle for card and installment products &ndash; from concept to launch and post-release enhancements.
 
 </li>
 <li>
 
 Define and prioritize product roadmap aligned with business goals and customer needs.
 
 </li>
 <li>
 
 Collaborate with internal stakeholders (Engineering, Risk, Compliance, Operations, Marketing) and external partners (banks, networks, and fintech vendors).
 
 </li>
 <li>
 
 Lead integrations with third-party platforms such as card processors, AECB, M2P, or similar partners.
 
 </li>
 <li>
 
 Analyze product performance and customer behavior to drive data-led decisions and continuous improvements.
 
 </li>
 <li>
 
 Ensure all product features comply with
 
 CBUAE regulations
 
 , data protection, and internal governance standards.
 
 </li>
 <li>
 
 Develop detailed PRDs, user stories, and workflows for smooth execution by tech teams.
 
 </li>
 <li>
 
 Stay ahead of emerging trends in cards, embedded finance, and consumer credit solutions.
 
 </li>
 </ul>
 
 Key Requirements
 
 <ul>
 <li>
 
 Bachelor&rsquo;s degree in Business, Finance, Computer Science, or related field; MBA preferred.
 
 </li>
 <li>
 
 
 5&ndash;8 years
 
 of product management experience within
 
 fintech, banking, or payments
 
 , focusing on
 
 card issuing, acquiring, or installment/BNPL products
 
 .
 
 </li>
 <li>
 
 Strong understanding of card lifecycle management, EMI conversions, and payment processing flows.
 
 </li>
 <li>
 
 Experience working with APIs, payment gateways, and card network integrations (Visa, Mastercard, etc.).
 
 </li>
 <li>
 
 Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and deliver complex projects on time.
 
 </li>
 <li>
 
 Analytical mindset with strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
 
 </li>
 <li>
 
 Familiarity with
 
 AECB
 
 ,
 
 CBUAE compliance
 
 , and local ecosystem regulations.
 
 </li>
 </ul>
</div>

Product Manager – Cards & Installments

<div>
 
 
 
 Role Summary
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 We are seeking a Product Head - Loan Management System to lead the strategy, design, and delivery of the middleware layer that powers our financial ecosystem.
 
 
 This role is pivotal in ensuring seamless, secure, and scalable connectivity between our core systems &mdash; including loan management systems (LMS), payment gateways, risk engines, and third-party platforms. You will drive the product vision and roadmap for middleware services, overseeing API frameworks, data exchange standards, and integration architectures that enable smooth interaction across all internal and external systems. As the bridge between product, engineering, and business teams, you will ensure that every integration aligns with enterprise goals, compliance mandates, and operational excellence.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Key Responsibilities
 
 
 
 
 
 
 <ul>
 <li>
 
 Product Strategy &amp; Roadmap:
 
 Define and own the middleware product vision, multi-year roadmap, and modernization strategy. Enable scalable integration across lending, payments, and credit platforms through robust API and microservices frameworks.
 </li>
 <li>
 
 Platform Design &amp; Development:
 
 Oversee design and delivery of integration services, data pipelines, and message queues connecting core systems (e.g., loan origination &rarr; LMS &rarr; risk engine &rarr; payment gateway).
 </li>
 <li>
 Ensure high-volume, low-latency communication that meets regulatory uptime and SLA standards. Lead technical discussions with vendors and partners such as
 
 
 FintechOS, Camunda, FinnOne, AECB, and M2P.
 
 
 </li>
 <li>
 
 Governance &amp; Team Leadership:
 
 Build and mentor a specialized team of product managers, solution architects, and integration engineers. Establish standards for API documentation, observability (Grafana/Kibana), version control, and release management. Implement robust governance frameworks for API lifecycle, access control, and change management.
 </li>
 <li>
 
 Security, Compliance &amp; Quality:
 
 
 
 Ensure all middleware services comply with CBUAE, AECB,
 
 
 
 
 and data protection regulations. Implement encryption, tokenization, and logging standards to safeguard customer and transaction data. Collaborate with Risk and Data teams to enforce auditability, lineage tracking, and recovery mechanisms.
 </li>
 <li>
 
 Stakeholder Management:
 
 Partner with Product, Risk, Operations, and external vendors to translate business requirements into API-based workflows. Present middleware performance metrics, uptime dashboards, and roadmap progress to executive leadership.
 </li>
 </ul>
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Key Requirements
 
 
 
 
 
 
 <ul>
 <li>
 Bachelor&rsquo;s or Master&rsquo;s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline. PMP, Agile Product Owner, or TOGAF certification preferred.
 </li>
 <li>
 
 Experience:
 
 10+ years of experience in product management, middleware architecture, or system integration &mdash; ideally in fintech, banking, or lending environments.
 </li>
 <li>
 Proven experience managing API gateways, microservices, and integration platforms.
 </li>
 <li>
 Hands-on expertise with Azure Service Bus, Kafka, RabbitMQ, REST/GraphQL APIs, Camunda, Kubernetes, and CI/CD pipelines (e.g., GitLab).
 </li>
 <li>
 Strong understanding of lending systems, payment gateways, risk engines, and credit bureau integrations.
 </li>
 <li>
 Demonstrated success leading cross-functional product and engineering teams.
 </li>
 <li>
 Deep knowledge of integration patterns (event-driven, synchronous/asynchronous).
 </li>
 <li>
 Strong understanding of regulatory and data privacy frameworks in financial services.
 </li>
 <li>
 Excellent communication and documentation abilities.
 </li>
 <li>
 Strategic thinker with the ability to balance scalability, compliance, and business value.
 </li>
 <li>
 Analytical mindset with experience in API design and performance optimization.
 </li>
 </ul>
 
 
</div>

Product Head - Loan Management System

<div>
 
 
 
 Role Summary
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 We are looking for a
 
 Business Analyst &ndash; Collections
 
 to drive data-led insights and strategies across our lending and collections functions. The role will focus on analyzing portfolio performance, identifying trends and risks, and developing actionable recommendations to improve recovery, reduce credit risk, and enhance operational efficiency. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to translate data into strategy and support the design and optimization of collection processes.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Key Responsibilities
 
 
 
 
 
 
 <ul>
 <li>
 Analyze data across the credit lifecycle to identify trends, risks, and opportunities in collections performance.
 </li>
 <li>
 Develop and maintain dashboards, reports, and KPIs to monitor portfolio health and recovery effectiveness.
 </li>
 <li>
 Partner with stakeholders in Credit, Collections, Risk, and Operations to define business requirements and translate them into actionable insights.
 </li>
 <li>
 Support the design and implementation of collection strategies and delinquency management frameworks.
 </li>
 <li>
 Conduct root cause analyses of portfolio performance issues and recommend corrective measures.
 </li>
 <li>
 Leverage BI and analytics tools (SQL, Power BI, Tableau, etc.) to generate insights and automate reporting.
 </li>
 <li>
 Ensure adherence to internal policies, regulatory guidelines, and industry best practices.
 </li>
 </ul>
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Responsibilities
 
 
 
 
 
 
 <ul>
 <li>
 Proven experience as a
 
 Business Analyst
 
 within lending, credit, or collections functions.
 </li>
 <li>
 Strong understanding of the
 
 credit lifecycle
 
 , loan products, and collection processes.
 </li>
 <li>
 Hands-on expertise with
 
 BI and data analytics tools
 
 such as SQL, Power BI, and Tableau.
 </li>
 <li>
 Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
 </li>
 <li>
 Strong stakeholder management and collaboration abilities.
 </li>
 <li>
 Bachelor&rsquo;s degree in
 
 Business, Finance, Economics, or a related field
 
 .
 </li>
 <li>
 Experience in
 
 fintech, banking, or NBFC
 
 environments preferred.
 </li>
 <li>
 Familiarity with
 
 credit bureau data
 
 and regulatory frameworks is an advantage
 </li>
 </ul>
 
 
</div>

Business Analyst – Collections

Join Astra Tech and explore 4   exciting career opportunities. They're hiring for various roles with options for remote or on-site work. Apply today and become part of their innovative team.

Astra Tech

ABOUT_COMPANY

SME Operations

Product Manager – Cards & Installments

Product Head - Loan Management System

Business Analyst – Collections