Program Manager- Direct Assignment & Co-Lending

Role Overview

The Program Manager will lead the end-to-end execution of Direct Assignment (DA) and Co-Lending programs, ensuring strong partner management, policy governance, operational efficiency, and technology integration. The role is critical in scaling secured and unsecured lending portfolios through strategic partnerships while maintaining compliance, quality, and business profitability.

Key Responsibilities

1. Program Management – DA & Co-Lending

• Manage complete lifecycle of DA and Co-Lending programs from origination → assessment → portfolio sale/upload → reconciliation → settlement.
• Track adherence to partner selection criteria, credit boxes, eligibility, and asset quality benchmarks.
• Ensure smooth handover between business, credit, operations, risk, treasury and finance teams.
• Drive process optimisation to reduce TAT and minimise operational leakages.

2. Partner Management

• Act as the primary SPOC for all co-lending and DA partners (banks, NBFCs, fintech platforms).
• Conduct daily/weekly governance calls and quarterly business reviews (QBRs).
• Ensure partner compliance in file movement, documentation, MIS submissions, reconciliation, and SLA adherence.
• Resolve escalations related to credit decisions, disbursements, LOS/LMS sync, settlement mismatches, and technical integration issues.

3. DA & Co-Lending Policy and Framework

• Support development and periodic updates of DA and Co-Lending policies, credit boxes, operational guidelines, file formats, and compliance checkpoints.
• Drive internal alignment with Risk, Legal, Compliance, Treasury and Finance teams on any policy or structural changes.
• Ensure RBI Digital Lending Guidelines, FLDG norms, and co-lending master directions are fully embedded in product and process documents.

4. MIS, Business KPIs & Reporting

• Publish daily/weekly/monthly MIS on:
• DA pool selection, pool performance, delinquency & yield trends
• Co-lending sanctions, disbursements, partner mix
• Settlement status, reconciliation, SLA TATs
• Partner-level funnel conversion & credit decision ratios
• Build dashboards tracking portfolio quality, partner performance, reconciliation exceptions, and revenue movement.
• Provide insights and recommendations for business optimisation and risk management.

5. Technology Development & Integration

• Work with Tech, LOS, LMS, API teams and partner technology teams for seamless co-lending & DA integration.
• Ensure accurate data mapping (loan schema, bureau, documents, KYC, repayment schedules, amortisation).
• Build digital workflows for partner rules, credit box alignment, disbursement logic, and settlement files.
• Lead UAT, SIT, API testing, exception testing and go-live readiness.
• Drive continuous improvement across automation, reconciliation engines, partner dashboards, and audit logs.

Key KPIs / Success Metrics

• DA pool execution volume & turnaround time
• Co-lending disbursement run-rate & partner utilisation
• SLA adherence across partners (credit, ops, tech, settlements)
• Quality of MIS, accuracy, and timeliness
• Reduction in reconciliation breaks & operational exceptions
• Partner satisfaction and governance score
• Compliance & audit adherence (internal and partner audits)
• Successful onboarding & go-live of new partners

Skills & Competencies

• Strong understanding of DA/co-lending models (Model A, Model B, FLDG, first loss cover).
• Experience in LOS/LMS, API integrations, data mapping, file exchange protocols.
• Ability to manage cross-functional workflows with business, credit, ops, legal, risk & tech.
• Excellent analytical and MIS skills (Excel, SQL, PowerBI preferred).
• Strong partner communication, stakeholder management & negotiation skills.

Qualifications

• Graduate/Postgraduate; MBA preferred.
• 4–10 years experience in DA, Co-Lending, Fintech Partnerships or Retail Lending Program Management.