Branch Manager - Gold Loans

Role overview

The Branch Manager for Gold Loans is responsible for running the branch end to end, with accountability for business growth, profitability, customer experience, portfolio health, compliance, and operational discipline. The role oversees customer acquisition, loan processing and disbursement, collections, cross-sell, risk controls, and the supervision of valuation activities through the Manager Valuation and Officer Valuation roles.

Business context

This position sits within the Financial Services business unit of Aditya Birla Capital Limited and supports gold loan operations across branches in India. The role is critical in a competitive market where quick turnaround, customer trust, accurate operations, and strong portfolio quality directly affect business performance.

Key responsibilities

Own overall branch performance and ensure targets are met across disbursement, portfolio growth, revenue, and profitability. Build the branch business through local market development, lead generation, customer acquisition, and relationship management with customers, influencers, and channel partners. Deliver strong customer service, retention, and grievance resolution.

Manage the full gold loan process, including documentation, valuation oversight, secure handling of pledged gold, underwriting checks, and timely disbursement in line with approved policies. Track LTV compliance, portfolio movements, renewals, delinquencies, overdue accounts, and recovery actions. Support auction readiness and collections effectiveness as required by policy.

Ensure strict compliance with company SOPs, regulatory norms, audit controls, and risk guidelines. Keep the branch prepared for internal and external audits and act quickly on any portfolio or process deviation. Strengthen controls to reduce fraud, prevent spurious gold issues, and avoid policy breaches.

Lead, coach, monitor, and develop the branch team, including Manager Valuation, Officer Valuation, and branch sales/operations staff where applicable. Improve productivity, sales effectiveness, people capability, and cross-sell of other financial products.

Major challenges

The role requires balancing growth with portfolio quality, keeping the branch profitable and productive, maintaining zero tolerance for operational or valuation lapses, preventing fraud and fake gold risks, sustaining service quality during high transaction volumes, and managing collections efficiently while building a strong team.

Direct report responsibilities

The Manager Valuation is expected to perform accurate gold purity testing and valuation, handle pledged ornaments safely, assess risk, support loan disbursement and customer acquisition, and follow valuation SOPs closely.

The Officer Valuation is responsible for conducting gold testing and valuation, maintaining records, ensuring secure handling of ornaments, and supporting branch operations according to established procedures.

Relationship management

The role interacts regularly with the Area Head / Regional Head for business reviews, target tracking, portfolio updates, and escalations. It also works with the Risk & Audit team for compliance and audit closure, the Operations team for transaction approvals and process support, HR for staffing and performance matters, customers for business and service needs, local influencers and channel partners for market development, and security vendors and facilities teams for asset protection and branch infrastructure.

Qualifications and experience

A graduate in any discipline is required, with an MBA preferred. The ideal candidate will bring 5 to 10 years of experience in gold loans, retail lending, NBFCs, banking, or financial services, along with a proven background in branch management, business development, portfolio management, and team leadership.

Core competencies

The position calls for strong business development and sales management capability, leadership and people development skills, portfolio and collections management expertise, a solid understanding of risk and compliance, customer relationship management, process excellence, decision-making ability, market awareness, and negotiation skills.

Reporting structure

The Branch Manager reports to the Area Business Head / Area Head, with responsibility for the performance of the branch and direct oversight of valuation and branch support teams where applicable.