Head – Credit & Risk – NBFC RiverForest Connections

The Corporate Institute; Mumbai; On-site; INR 3,000,000 - 4,200,000; Full time

Job summary

The Corporate Institute seeks a seasoned Head of Risk & Credit to steer portfolio risk, underwriting, ERM, and operational risk. You will build and govern risk frameworks, policies, and governance structures aligned with regulatory requirements and business objectives.

You will collaborate with multiple functions to enhance credit outcomes and risk awareness across the organization. Ideal candidates have 12–20 years in credit risk, portfolio risk, or enterprise risk management within financial

Qualifications

• Postgraduate qualification in Finance, Banking, Economics, or Risk Management.
• Strong understanding of credit underwriting, portfolio risk, and RBI regulations.
• Demonstrated senior management reporting and team leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead Portfolio Risk Management, including MIS, dashboards, and EWS.
• Oversee Credit Risk Management and Underwriting, including policy review and risk-based lending.
• Drive Enterprise Risk Management framework and board reporting.
• Establish risk-based audit frameworks and strengthen internal controls.
• Oversee regulatory compliance with RBI requirements and stakeholder coordination.
• Provide risk insights to MD/CEO and Risk Management Committee.

Skills

Strategic risk leadership

Analytical skills

Stakeholder management

Decision making

Education

Postgraduate qualification in Finance/Banking

CA/MBA/FRM preferred

Job description

1. Role Purpose:

To lead the Risk & Credit function, ensuring effective credit underwriting, portfolio quality management, enterprise risk governance, and operational risk mitigation in alignment with the Company’s business objectives and applicable regulatory requirements.

2. Key Roles and Responsibilities:

A. Portfolio Risk Management:

• Monitor portfolio quality, delinquency, develop portfolio MIS, risk dashboards, and Early Warning Systems (EWS) to identify emerging risks and drive corrective actions.
• Analyse collection efficiency, credit performance, and branch-level risk trends to improve portfolio quality.

B. Credit Risk Management and Underwriting:

• Develop and review credit policies, underwriting standards, appraisal processes, and approval mechanisms.
• Strengthen borrower assessment, repayment capacity analysis, and risk-based lending practices.
• Monitor credit exposure, policy deviations, and portfolio concentration, and develop appropriate risk mitigation strategies.
• Collaborate with Business, Collections, Operations, and Technology teams to improve credit outcomes.

C. Enterprise Risk Management (ERM):

• Develop and implement the ERM framework and policy for Board approval.
• Identify and monitor key enterprise risks, maintaining risk registers covering the top five risks for each relevant business unit, along with mitigation plans.
• Establish risk reporting, escalation mechanisms, and a strong risk-aware culture across the organisation.

D. Audit and Operational Risk Management:

• Establish risk-based audit frameworks covering credit, branch operations, and IT, ensuring completion of 100% of scheduled audits.
• Strengthen SOPs, internal controls, and operational risk management practices.
• Monitor fraud incidents and audit observations, ensuring timely root-cause analysis and corrective and preventive actions.

E. Product Risk Strategy and Governance:

• Conduct risk assessments and due diligence for existing and new products.
• Review underwriting parameters, credit assessment models, digital risk-scoring mechanisms, partnerships, and origination channels.
• Review risk policies and prepare portfolio assessments and presentations for the Board and Risk Management Committee (RMC).

F. Regulatory Compliance and Stakeholder Management:

• Ensure risk policies and frameworks align with applicable RBI regulations and statutory requirements.
• Coordinate with Compliance, Legal, Finance, Internal Audit, and Business teams on risk mitigation and governance matters.
• Provide portfolio insights and risk reports to management, investors, bankers, and other stakeholders, and monitor relevant industry developments.

G. Management Reporting:

• Submit periodic risk dashboards, assessments, and recommendations to the MD & CEO and relevant committees.
• Support business planning, product development, and portfolio expansion through data-driven risk analysis and mitigation strategies.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Postgraduate qualification in Finance, Banking, Economics, or Risk Management; CA, MBA (Finance), or FRM preferred.
• Approximately 12 – 20 years of relevant experience in credit risk, portfolio risk, or enterprise risk management within a bank, NBFC, microfinance institution, or lending business.
• Strong understanding of credit underwriting, portfolio monitoring, RBI regulations, and microfinance risk management.
• Demonstrated experience in senior management reporting, risk governance, and team leadership.

Key Competencies:

• Strategic risk leadership and sound business judgement.
• Strong analytical and credit risk assessment capabilities.
• Knowledge of enterprise risk governance and regulatory requirements.
• Effective stakeholder management, communication, and decision-making skills.
• High integrity, accountability, and attention to detail.