Head Collection Legal & Litigation - Mumbai

Aditya Birla Capital (Aditya Birla Finance Ltd.); Mumbai; Presencial; INR 6.000.000 - 9.000.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

Aditya Birla Finance Limited (ABFL) in Mumbai seeks a seasoned Head of Collection Legal & Litigation to drive the legal recovery engine. The role combines high-stakes litigation, regulatory strategy, and large-scale people leadership to protect the balance sheet across secured and unsecured retail portfolios.

The incumbent will manage 35 professionals, coordinate with business heads, and oversee complex matters spanning SARFAESI, NCLT/IBC, arbitration, and Section 138 NI Act, with a focus on

Formación

• Senior legal professional with extensive experience in retail lending litigation, SARFAESI, NCLT/IBC, Arbitration, Section 138 NI Act, and team management.
• Deep understanding of NBFC operations and RBI regulatory framework; recovery strategies for secured/unsecured retail portfolios.
• Proven track record managing 35+ professionals and 50,000+ active accounts; advising senior leadership on legal strategy.

Responsabilidades

• Formulate strategy with regional heads and vet regulatory notices; coordinate RBI/other bodies on legal positions.
• Own arbitration from appointment to execution, including evidence, interim reliefs, and appeals.
• Lead SARFAESI/NCLT lifecycle including notices, possession, auction, and CoC representation.
• Govern vendor panels and build internal bench strength for high-volume recovery operations.

Conocimientos

Litigation management

Regulatory compliance RBI

NBFC/financial services domain

Team leadership (35+)

SARFAESI/NCLT/IBC/Arbitration

Section 138 NI Act expertise

Descripción del empleo

This opportunity was posted more than 30 days ago and no application deadline was provided. You can explore active listings below.

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Senior legal professional with extensive experience in retail lending litigation, SARFAESI, NCLT/IBC, Arbitration, Section 138 NI Act, and team management. Must have deep understanding of NBFC operations, regulatory framework (RBI), and recovery strategies for secured/unsecured retail portfolios. Proven track record managing large teams (35+), handling 50,000+ accounts, and advising senior leadership on legal strategy.

Full Opportunity Brief

Steering the Legal Helm at a AAA-Rated NBFC Giant

The legal landscape within India's Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) sector is undergoing a seismic shift. As regulatory scrutiny intensifies and asset quality becomes the paramount metric for survival, the role of a litigation head has transcended mere case management to become a strategic profit-center function. The opening for Head Collection Legal & Litigation at Aditya Birla Finance Limited (ABFL) in Mumbai is not merely a vacancy; it is a mandate to architect the legal recovery engine of one of India's most prestigious, AAA-rated diversified NBFCs. For the seasoned legal eagle eyeing the C-suite trajectory, this role represents the intersection of high-stakes litigation, regulatory strategy, and large-scale people leadership.

Insider Perspective: ABFL operates as the lending powerhouse of Aditya Birla Capital Limited. With a portfolio spanning Retail, HNI, MSME, and Large Corporate segments—and a credit rating reaffirmed at AAA by India Ratings, ICRA, and CARE—this role sits at the epicenter of protecting a balance sheet that fuels the aspirations of millions of borrowers across hundreds of branches.

Deconstructing the Mandate: Beyond the Job Description

The Job Description (JD), updated as of January 2023, paints a picture of a role that is operational, strategic, and advisory all at once. The incumbent inherits a team of 35 professionals (direct and indirect) and assumes accountability for a staggering 50,000+ active accounts across a dizzying array of products: Small Ticket Secured Loans (STSL), Mortgage Loans (MLAP), Personal Loans (PL), Business Loans (BIL), Digital lending products, Vehicle Finance, and more.

This is not a role for a specialist who only knows the Civil Procedure Code. The JD explicitly demands fluency across the entire recovery toolkit: SARFAESI Act foreclosures, NCLT/IBC proceedings, Arbitration & Conciliation Act mechanisms, Section 138 NI Act criminal proceedings, and Lok Adalat settlements. The complexity lies in the volume—advising four National Collection Heads (NCHs) and the Head of Legal simultaneously on strategic amendments to loan agreements necessitated by evolving case law.

The Strategic KRAs: Where Legal Meets P&L

The Key Result Areas (KRAs) reveal the true north of this position: NPA Targets & Delivery of Recovery Numbers / Release of Provisions. In the NBFC world, legal recovery directly impacts the Provision Coverage Ratio (PCR) and the bottom line. The successful candidate will be measured not on the number of cases filed, but on the quantum of recovery and the speed of resolution.

• Strategy Formulation: Devising region-specific approaches with Regional Litigation Managers, reviewing statutory notices (demand, Section 13(2) SARFAESI), and vetting replies to regulatory bodies (RBI, ED, EOW, Income Tax).
• Arbitration Mastery: End-to-end ownership—from arbitrator appointment and claim drafting to interim reliefs, evidence, appeals, and execution of awards.
• SARFAESI & NCLT Command: Managing the full lifecycle: statutory notices, physical repossession coordination with local authorities (DM/SDM/Police), e-auction of assets, and Committee of Creditors (CoC) representation in NCLT.
• Vendor & Talent Governance: Empaneling, briefing, and auditing high-performance law firms across jurisdictions while building internal bench strength.

The Mumbai Advantage: Jurisdiction as a Career Accelerator

Being stationed in Mumbai—the financial capital and the seat of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) Mumbai Bench, the Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT), and the Bombay High Court—offers an unparalleled vista point. The JD highlights a specific challenge: Managing risks at the local level, including dealings with local law enforcement. In Maharashtra, the efficacy of SARFAESI possession often hinges on the District Magistrate's cooperation and police assistance. A leader who has navigated the Mumbai suburban and city courts, the DRT Mumbai, and the NCLT Mumbai bench possesses institutional knowledge that is impossible to replicate remotely.

Career Capital: A stint leading retail litigation at a Systemically Important NBFC (SI-NBFC) like ABFL is a golden ticket for future roles: Chief Legal Officer (CLO) at a fintech unicorn, Head of Legal at an Asset Reconstruction Company (ARC), or Partner-track at a top-tier law firm's Banking & Finance practice. The exposure to 50k+ accounts across secured and unsecured products builds a pattern-recognition capability that is the hallmark of elite credit lawyers.

Preparing Your Application: The Competitor's Blueprint

With 143 applicants already in the fray (as of the posting date), generic applications will be filtered out instantly. To penetrate the shortlist, your LinkedIn profile and resume must signal “Recovery Architect” rather than “Litigation Manager.”

1. Quantify Your Recovery Footprint

Do not list “handled SARFAESI matters.” State: Orchestrated SARFAESI-driven recovery of ₹XXX Cr across YYY accounts in FY 2023-24, reducing Net NPA by Z bps. Mention specific products: LAP, Vehicle Repossession, Unsecured Personal Loan settlements via Lok Adalat. The JD lists specific product codes (STSL, MLAP, STUL, PL, BIL, DIGITAL, THE)—mirror this taxonomy in your CV.

2. Demonstrate Regulatory Fluency

Highlight interactions with RBI supervision teams, experience drafting replies to RBI inspection reports on asset classification, or advising business heads on strategic changes in loan agreements on account of changing litigation environment (a direct JD requirement). Cite specific circulars (e.g., RBI Prudential Norms, SARFAESI Amendment Rules, IBC Pre-pack framework).

You are inheriting a team of 35. Detail your span of control: Managed a panel of 20+ law firms across 15 states; implemented SLA-based billing reducing legal costs by 15% while improving decree execution rate. Mention mentorship of junior advocates or paralegals.

4. The “Section 138” Volume Game

Retail litigation is a volume game. If you have managed centralized Section 138 filing factories (dunning notices → complaints → evidence → execution), quantify it: Processed 5,000+ Section 138 cases annually with 85% conviction/settlement rate.

The Cultural Fit: Aditya Birla Group DNA

Aditya Birla Group (ABG) operates on a distinct competency framework—"Poornata" (the internal HR system referenced in the JD with Position Numbers). They value Business Excellence (winners of CII/ABG awards), process rigor, and cross-functional collaboration. The JD notes the role requires “close association and coordination with business heads.” This signals that the successful candidate must speak the language of Collections Efficiency, Roll Rates, and Vintage Analysis, not just legal precedent. You are a business partner first, a lawyer second.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1: What specific prior experience is non-negotiable for this Head of Litigation role at ABFL?

A: The JD mandates deep, hands-on expertise across the full retail recovery stack: SARFAESI (Section 13(2)/13(4) notices, possession, auction), NCLT/IBC (CoC representation, liquidation), Arbitration (appointment to execution), and high-volume Section 138 NI Act management. Crucially, you must have managed a sizable team (20+) and a portfolio of 20,000+ accounts in an NBFC or Bank collections vertical. Experience advising business heads on loan agreement amendments to plug legal loopholes is explicitly required.

Q2: How does this role differ from a traditional Law Firm Partner or In-House Counsel role?

A: This is a P&L-linked operational leadership role, not an advisory one. Your primary KRA is “NPA Targets & Delivery of Recovery Numbers.” You are measured on cash recovery and provision release, not billable hours or legal opinions rendered. You manage 35 people directly/indirectly, coordinate with District Magistrates for physical possession, and run a vendor panel of law firms. It is a General Management role requiring a law degree.

Q3: Is the location flexible or remote-friendly?

A: The JD specifies Mumbai as the location. Given the requirement to “liaise with local authorities to get appropriate orders/support” for repossessions, attend CoC meetings in NCLT Mumbai, and manage a large on-ground team across branches, physical presence in Mumbai is essential. The role falls under the “Risk & Legal & Collections” department reporting to the Head of Collections RCMB, implying daily operational sync.

Q4: What is the significance of the 'Poornata Position Number' mentioned in the JD?

A: “Poornata” is the Aditya Birla Group's internal Human Capital Management (HCM) / HRIS platform. The Position Numbers (e.g., 00154879 for this role, reporting to Head Litigation – Retail RCMB) indicate this is a formally budgeted, permanent leadership role within the Group's global grading structure. It confirms organizational permanence, defined compensation bands (likely GMC/GM or VP level depending on internal grading), and access to ABG's leadership development pipelines.