Area Credit Manager - Self Employed - Pune

Overview

This role exists to support credit decisions by assessing lending proposals and facilitating approvals at various authority levels. The Area Credit Manager is responsible for managing interactions with CPAs, legal, technical, and verification agencies to ensure efficient credit proposal processes. This position plays a critical role in preliminary screening, detailed credit appraisals, coordination with sales teams, and maintaining turnaround times to enable swift approvals.

Company Background

Aditya Birla Finance Limited, a key lending arm within the Aditya Birla Financial Services Group, operates as one of India's top 25 NBFCs with a balance sheet exceeding INR 15,000 Crore. The company focuses on specialized financing solutions, including Capital Markets, Corporate and Trade Finance, Commercial Real Estate, and Business & Individual Lending (BIL/PL). The finance division prioritizes sustainable profitability and maintains ISO 9001:2008 certification across business processes. Operations span 18 cities with plans to expand geographically and diversify product offerings.

Role Context and Challenges

• Accurately assessing creditworthiness based on quantitative and qualitative factors like business ownership, market presence, capital adequacy, collateral evaluation, earnings quality, liquidity, management, and compliance with regulations.
• Ensuring timely turnaround despite the volume and complexity of retail transactions and structured high-value deals in a competitive market.
• Managing relationships with multiple internal and external stakeholders, including sales, verification, legal, and technical agencies, to mitigate credit, customer, and property risks.
• Proactive monitoring and regularization of accounts to minimize overdue and non-performing assets.
• Keeping abreast of economic, sectoral changes and regulatory updates.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform detailed credit analysis of lending proposals, covering financial statements, cash flows, credit history, and other relevant data.
• Engage in direct interactions and external research to gather comprehensive credit information including market feedback and industry references.
• Coordinate with legal and technical agencies to verify and mitigate property risks.
• Prepare credit appraisal memos highlighting risks and recommending actions for approval authorities.
• Ensure all sanction letters and documentation comply with approvals and policy deviations.
• Monitor loan portfolio performance continuously, tracking covenants, overdue accounts, and portfolio health parameters to aid recovery efforts.
• Maintain close coordination to enforce documentation completeness and timely disbursement protocols.
• Adhere strictly to credit policy compliance and participate in ongoing policy improvements.
• Generate and present management information system (MIS) reports detailing portfolio trends, defaults, and recovery statuses.

Skills and Qualifications

• Chartered Accountant or MBA degree preferred.
• Experience ranging from zero to four years in credit and risk functions within banks or NBFCs.
• Strong analytical and evaluation skills with attention to detail and sound decision-making abilities.
• Proficiency in managing cross-functional teams and external agencies effectively.
• Excellent communication skills and an established industry network for market intelligence.

Additional Information

Maintaining fast turnaround times, dealing with data complexity, and managing multiple stakeholders are the prime challenges. The role requires a collaborative mindset with internal departments and external partners to ensure robust risk mitigation and compliance framework adherence.