Head of Collections Education Loans (Study Abroad)

As the Head of Collections, you will lead and manage the collections function for long-tenure education loans disbursed for study abroad purposes. You are required to be a strategic thinker with hands-on experience in managing early-stage, mid-stage, and delinquent loan buckets. Your responsibilities include shaping collection strategies, building and mentoring the collections team, managing external agencies, and ensuring portfolio health while maintaining sensitivity towards the customer segment. - End-to-End Collections Ownership: - Lead collections strategy across all DPD buckets (0-180+) for long-tenure education loans, focusing on minimizing NPAs and improving recovery rates. - Team Leadership & Vendor Management: - Build, scale, and lead a high-performing in-house collections team and manage third-party collection agencies and legal partners. Define performance metrics, incentives, and escalation frameworks. - Strategy & Execution: - Design and implement risk-based segmentation and differentiated treatment strategies for various borrower profiles (students, co-applicants, parents, guarantors). - Process Optimization: - Introduce digital collections tools, automated reminders, and customer-centric approaches to reduce delinquencies while maintaining brand goodwill. - Regulatory & Compliance: - Ensure adherence to all regulatory guidelines (RBI, NBFC norms) related to collections, customer contact, grievance handling, and fair practices code. - Portfolio Monitoring & Reporting: - Monitor portfolio performance through data analytics, generate MIS reports for internal stakeholders, and present actionable insights to leadership. - Customer Engagement: - Lead initiatives to counsel borrowers on restructuring, settlement (when appropriate), and early resolution while preserving relationships. - Legal & Recovery: - Initiate legal recovery proceedings for chronic defaulters and collaborate with legal teams on litigation, arbitration, and actions as applicable. Experience: - 10+ years in Collections within NBFCs/Banks, with at least 3 years in managing long-tenure loan products (education loans). - Prior experience in education loan collections is highly preferred. Leadership: - Proven experience in team building, performance management, and cross-functional collaboration. Strategic Thinking: - Ability to balance recovery focus with empathy for student borrowers and their financial realities. Communication: - Strong interpersonal and negotiation skills, with experience dealing with senior stakeholders, law firms, and regulatory bodies. Education: - Bachelors degree in Finance, Business, or related field; MBA preferred.,