About Credit Saison India
Established in 2019, Credit Saison India (CS India) is one of the country's fastest growing Non-Bank Financial Company (NBFC) lenders, with verticals in wholesale, direct lending and tech-enabled partnerships with Non-Bank Financial Companies (NBFCs) and fintech's. Its tech-enabled model coupled with underwriting capability facilitates lending at scale, meeting India's huge gap for credit, especially with underserved and under penetrated segments of the population.
Credit Saison India is committed to growing as a lender and evolving its offerings in India for the long-term for MSMEs, households, individuals and more. Credit Saison India is registered with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and has an AAA rating from CRISIL (a subsidiary of S&P Global) and CARE Ratings.
Currently, Credit Saison India has a branch network of 100+ physical offices, 2.06 million active loans, an AUM of over US$2B and an employee base of about 2000 employees.
Credit Saison India is part of Saison International, a global financial company with a mission to bring people, partners and technology together, creating resilient and innovative financial solutions for positive impact. Across its business arms of lending and corporate venture capital, Saison International is committed to being a transformative partner in creating opportunities and enabling the dreams of people.
Saison International is the international headquarters (IHQ) of Credit Saison Company Limited, founded in 1951 and one of Japan's largest lending conglomerates with over 70 years of history and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The Company has evolved from a credit-card issuer to a diversified financial services provider across payments, leasing, finance, real estate and entertainment. Based in Singapore, Saison International's global operations span over Singapore, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Mexico, Brazil, with active investments in debt, equity, corporate venture capital, and technology.
Role Objective:
As the AVP - Credit Risk Management, you will play a pivotal role in shaping and executing the credit risk strategy for Credit Saison India. You will be responsible for defining credit policies, overseeing underwriting standards, managing portfolio quality, and ensuring that the organization balances aggressive growth with robust risk mitigation. This role requires strong leadership to guide a team of risk professionals and collaborate cross-functionally with Business, Tech, and Analytics teams to optimize risk outcomes across Digital lending portfolios
Key Roles & Responsibilities
Policy Formulation & Strategy
- Formulate, review, and continuously optimize credit risk policies, underwriting frameworks, and risk appetite parameters across various Digital retail lending products like Personal Loan
- Design and implement end-to-end risk management strategies covering the entire customer lifecycle, including acquisition, portfolio management, fraud prevention, collections, and recovery
- Use data-driven insights to improve risk selection, risk-based pricing, and loan allocation strategies
Credit Underwriting & Appraisal
- Oversee the credit assessment and approval processes, ensuring strict adherence to the established credit policy and regulatory guidelines set by the Reserve Bank of India (R
- BI).Conduct deep-dive credit analysis for expansion/ pull back proposals, and actively participate in internal credit and risk committ
- ees.Enhance automation and digital underwriting processes by working closely with Product and Engineering teams, aiming to improve turnaround times (TAT) and operational efficiency without compromising risk standards
Portfolio Monitoring & Analytics
- Conduct rigorous portfolio analysis and monitor delinquencies at a micro and macro level. Identify vulnerable segments, programs, locations, and profiles
- Establish and track Early Warning Signals (EWS) to identify signs of stress early and initiate proactive corrective measures
- Identify emerging risks, concentration issues, and market trends, providing analytical support for internal management reviews
- Collaborate with the Data Science team to validate, provide inputs for, and optimize risk models (scorecards, PD/LGD models). Create a deep-level understanding of both traditional and alternate data sources for underwriting optimization
Team Leadership & Stakeholder Management
- Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing credit risk team
- Ensure seamless cross-functional collaboration with Business Heads, Product Managers, Data Scientists, and Product/tech teams to align risk strategies with organizational growth targets
Required Skills & Qualifications
Must Have Skills
- Master's degree or MBA in Finance, Economics, Business, or related fields from a top-tier institution; or professional qualifications such as CA (Chartered Accountant), CFA, or FRM
- 6 to 10 years of proven experience in credit risk management, policy formulation, and risk analytics within a Bank, NBFC, or Fintech eco system
- At least 2-3 years of Risk team management experience
- Deep domain expertise in Risk Management about unsecured credit products in the Indian credit ecosystem
- Familiarity with risk modeling concepts, machine learning techniques (like decision trees), descriptive analysis, and probability distributions to effectively work with risk/ data science teams
- Demonstrated experience in evaluating both structured and unstructured data to make informed risk decisions
- Strategic Mindset: Ability to balance business growth objectives with prudent risk management
- Analytical Thinking: Advanced problem-solving skills with the ability to translate complex business problems into actionable analytical frameworks
- Communication: Excellent stakeholder management and communication abilities to articulate risk perspectives clearly to senior management and external partners
Good to Have
Skills
- Fintech or retail/MSME digital lending experience is highly preferred
- Proficiency with analytical and data mining tools; hands-on experience in SQL, Python, or R is a distinct advantage for working closely with analytics teams
- Strong understanding of RBI regulatory frameworks, compliance requirements, and Expected Credit Loss (ECL) provisioning standards
