Head of Collection

Michael Page; India; On-site; INR 700,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Michael Page is seeking a seasoned Head of Collections & Legal to lead the end-to-end collections strategy and legal recovery framework across India.

The role requires steering delinquency management, NPA reductions, and large-scale recoveries while overseeing ~130 staff across multiple states. Strong focus on governance, analytics, and cross-functional partnership is essential.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in collections, recoveries, and legal functions within retail lending.
• Proven track record of managing delinquency, NPA reduction, and large-scale recovery operations.
• Experience leading pan-India collections teams and multi-location operations.

Responsibilities

• Drive end-to-end collections performance across current, delinquent, and NPA portfolios.
• Develop strategies to improve recoveries and maintain portfolio quality.
• Lead legal recovery initiatives, SARFAESI proceedings, arbitration, and recovery litigation where applicable.
• Monitor delinquency trends, bucket movement, and collection effectiveness.
• Partner with business, credit, risk, and operations teams to minimise portfolio stress.
• Manage a team of ~130 employees through 6 State Heads.
• Establish governance, collection controls, and regulatory compliance standards.
• Drive portfolio analytics and field recovery strategies through data-led decisions.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Data-driven decisions

People management

Education

MBA/PGDM

Graduate degree

Job description

About Our Client

Our client is a well-established Housing Finance Company with a strong presence across India and an Assets Under Management (AUM) portfolio of approximately ₹2,800 crore. The organisation has built a reputation for serving underserved customer segments while maintaining strong portfolio quality, operational discipline, and sustainable growth.

Job Description

The Head of Collections & Legal will lead the organisation's collections strategy and legal recovery framework across India.

Key responsibilities include:

• Driving end-to-end collections performance across current, delinquent, and NPA portfolios.
• Developing and implementing collection strategies to improve recoveries and maintain portfolio quality.
• Managing retail collections operations across multiple states and branches.
• Leading legal recovery initiatives, SARFAESI proceedings, arbitration matters, and recovery litigation where applicable.
• Monitoring delinquency trends, bucket movement, roll rates, and collection effectiveness.
• Partnering with business, credit, risk, and operations teams to minimise portfolio stress.
• Managing a team of approximately 130 employees through 6 direct-report State Heads.
• Establishing governance frameworks, collection controls, agency management practices, and regulatory compliance standards.
• Driving performance through data-led decision-making, portfolio analytics, and field recovery strategies.
• Ensuring adherence to regulatory guidelines and customer-centric collection practices.

The Successful Applicant

Profile of the Successful Applicant

Experience

• 15+ years of experience in collections, recoveries, and legal functions within retail lending.
• Minimum 3 to 4 years of experience in a Housing Finance Company (HFC) is mandatory.
• Proven track record of managing delinquency, NPA reduction, and large-scale recovery operations.
• Experience leading pan-India collections teams and multi-location operations.
• Prior experience in relatively lean or mid-sized organisations would be highly preferred.
• Experience managing legal recovery processes, enforcement actions, and collection agencies.

Technical & Functional Expertise

• Strong understanding of:
  • Retail collections and recovery management
  • NPA control and resolution strategies
  • Housing finance portfolios
  • Legal recoveries and litigation management
  • SARFAESI Act and related recovery mechanisms
  • Portfolio analytics and collections MIS
  • Agency and field collections management
  • Regulatory and compliance requirements within lending businesses

Leadership Requirements

• Demonstrated experience managing large teams through multiple layers of leadership.
• Strong stakeholder management and decision-making capabilities.
• Ability to balance customer outcomes, portfolio performance, and regulatory compliance.
• Commercially driven with a hands-on approach to collections leadership.
• Strong problem-solving and execution skills in a high-growth environment.

Education

• Graduate degree required.
• Postgraduate qualification (MBA/PGDM or equivalent) preferred.

What's on Offer

• Opportunity to lead a key function in the organisation.
• Challenging and rewarding role in the housing sector.
• Scope to develop and implement impactful strategies.