Deputy Vice President - SME Partnerships

DVP - SME Partnerships

About Credit Saison India:

Established in 2019, Credit Saison India (CS India) is one of the countrys 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 Indias 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 80+ physical offices, 2.06 million active loans, an AUM of over US$2B and an employee base of about approx ~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 Japans 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 Internationals global operations span over Singapore, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Mexico, Brazil, with active investments in debt, equity, corporate venture capital, and technology.

Role Overview:

We are looking for a senior business leader to build and scale centralized SME partnerships for high-ticket lending (10 lakh+). The role will focus on developing strategic relationships with fintechs, digital platforms and SME ecosystem players to create a strong, scalable origination engine.

The role will own the partnership lifecycle end-to-end, while working closely with Credit, Risk, Product, Technology and Operations teams to deliver a seamless digital lending journey with centralized underwriting.

Key Responsibilities:

- Own the SME partnership strategy and business growth for the high-ticket lending segment.

- Identify, onboard and scale strategic partnerships with fintechs, digital platforms and SME ecosystem players.

- Build and manage relationships with platforms such as Progcap, Tally and other SME-focused partners available in market.

- Drive the complete partnership lifecyclefrom partner identification and commercial negotiation to integration, launch and scaling of the business.

- Develop partnership-led acquisition channels and continuously improve lead quality, conversion, disbursals and portfolio economics.

- Work with Credit and Risk teams to align partner sourcing with defined credit policies and portfolio objectives.

- Partner with Product and Technology teams to create digital/API-led lending journeys with centralized underwriting.

- Own partner-level business plans, commercials, profitability and portfolio performance.

- Identify new SME segments and ecosystem opportunities to expand the partnership network.

- Build and manage a high-performing SME partnerships team.

- Up breast with competitors strategy/updates and market intel.

Ideal Candidate:

- 12 - 18+ years of experience in SME lending, fintech, digital lending or financial services.

- Strong experience in SME partnerships / B2B partnerships / digital distribution.

- Proven experience in sourcing and scaling 10 lakh+ SME/business loans.

- Strong understanding of fintech-led lending, digital journeys and centralized underwriting models.

- Demonstrated ability to build relationships with senior stakeholders and negotiate complex commercial partnerships.

- Strong commercial orientation with an understanding of unit economics, portfolio quality and profitability.

- Experience in building and scaling partnership-led businesses.

Target Background:

- Candidates from SME fintechs, digital lending platforms, NBFCs or banks with strong partnership/distribution businesses.

- Relevant organisations could include Progcap, Tally, Paisabazaar, Kinara Capital, Lendingkart, Indifi, NeoGrowth, U GRO Capital, OfBusiness and similar SME/digital lending platforms.