Collection Strategy Lead

About Credit Saison India

Established in 2019, 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 fintechs. 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. CS 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, CS India has a branch network of 45 physical offices, 1.2 million active loans, an AUM of over US$1.5B and an employee base of about 1,000 people. Credit Saison India (CS 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.

Based in Singapore, over 1,000 employees work across Saison’s global operations spanning Singapore, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Mexico, Brazil. 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.

Job Summary : We are seeking a data-driven and strategic professional to lead our collection strategy for retail and SME loans in India. The ideal candidate will develop, implement, and optimize debt collection strategies that improve recovery rates, reduce delinquency, and ensure compliance with regulatory guidelines. The role requires a strong understanding of analytics, collection processes, RBI regulations, and customer segmentation.

Key Responsibilities : Strategy Development : Design and implement end-to-end collection strategies across delinquency buckets (soft, hard, and legal collections). Develop risk-based segmentation to prioritize accounts and personalize recovery actions. Optimize contact strategies (SMS, IVR, email, field visits, call center) based on customer behavior and risk profile. Portfolio Management : Monitor portfolio performance, delinquency trends, and recovery rates. Identify stress segments and design focused recovery campaigns. Analytics & Reporting : Use data analytics and machine learning models to forecast recoveries and predict roll rates. Work closely with the data science team to improve scoring models. Build dashboards and performance reports for senior management. Process Optimization : Drive automation and digitization of collections processes. Collaborate with tech teams to implement collection systems (CRM, dialers, payment gateways). Identify and fix bottlenecks in existing collection flows. Agency & Vendor Management : Onboard and manage third-party collection agencies and legal vendors. Define SLAs and ensure adherence to compliance and performance metrics. Compliance & Risk : Ensure adherence to RBI guidelines, fair practices code, and regulatory requirements. Mitigate reputational and operational risk through effective control mechanisms.

Qualifications & Skills : Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Economics, or related field; MBA preferred. 5–10 years of experience in debt collections, preferably in a fintech, NBFC, or bank. Experience in managing unsecured and secured loan portfolios. Strong knowledge of Indian regulatory framework (RBI, DRA guidelines, SARFAESI). Proficient in Excel, SQL, Power BI / Tableau; knowledge of SAS / R / Python is a plus. Excellent problem-solving, analytical, and communication skills. Experience in working with cross-functional teams (tech, legal, product, operations).

Preferred : Exposure to collections strategy in digital lending or consumer finance. Experience with AI / ML-based collection scorecards or decision engines. Multilingual proficiency to deal with regional agencies across India.