Head L&D

Job Description: Head – Learning & Development

Organization Type:	Microfinance Institution
Employee Strength:	~10,000 (Head Office + Pan-Branch/Field Network)
Reporting to:	Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO)
Location:	Head Office (Hyderabad), with extensive field travel
Function:	Learning & Development
Grade/Level:	Senior Vice President (SVP)

1. Position Summary

The Head – Learning & Development (L&D) will be responsible for designing, building, and leading the L&D strategy, function, and team for the entire organization — covering both Head Office and Field employees (Branch Managers, Loan Officers, Relationship staff, Regional/Area teams). The role requires a leader who can build scalable, high-impact learning architecture for a large, geographically dispersed, high-attrition, field-heavy workforce typical of the microfinance/BFSI sector, while also strengthening leadership pipelines and functional capability at the HO level. The incumbent will lead a distributed L&D team (HO-based content/strategy team + regional/field trainers) and will be a key member of the extended HR leadership team, working closely with Business Heads, Regional Heads, Compliance, Risk, and Operations.

2. Key Responsibilities

A. Strategic L&D Leadership

• Design and own the organization-wide L&D strategy aligned to business goals, portfolio growth plans, and regulatory/compliance requirements (RBI/NBFC-MFI guidelines, fair practices code, etc.)
• Build the annual Training Calendar, budget, and L&D roadmap covering induction, functional, behavioural, compliance, and leadership development tracks
• Institutionalize a robust Training Needs Identification (TNI) / Training Needs Analysis (TNA) process across all levels and geographies
• Define and track L&D metrics/dashboards (training coverage, effectiveness, productivity impact, attrition correlation, certification rates) for leadership reporting.

B. Field Training Leadership

• Lead the field training ecosystem across Regions/Zones/Branches — ensuring last-mile delivery of induction, product, credit, collections, and soft-skills training to field staff (Loan Officers, Branch Managers, Credit Officers, etc.)
• Build and manage a network of Zonal/Regional/Training Managers and field trainers; define their capability standards, review mechanisms, and career path
• Design induction and on-the-job training (OJT) programs for high-volume field hiring, ensuring faster time-to-productivity for new field staff
• Ensure consistent, standardized training delivery across diverse geographies, languages, and literacy levels.

C. Training Design, Content & Delivery

• Own the end-to-end training design process — curriculum design, content development, and delivery methodology across functions (Sales/Business, Credit, Collections, Operations, Compliance, Risk)
• Drive blended learning approaches — classroom, on-the-job, e-learning, mobile-based learning (especially relevant given field force spread), simulations, and refresher modules
• Build/select and manage Learning Management System (LMS) and other digital learning tools/platforms suited for a large, dispersed workforce (including low-bandwidth/vernacular-friendly solutions for field staff)
• Partner with external content/training vendors, institutes, and consultants where required.

D. Leadership & Capability Development

• Design leadership development and succession pipelines for HO and Field leadership roles (Branch Manager → Area Manager → Regional Manager, and HO functional leadership tracks)
• Drive managerial and behavioral capability-building programs (people management, communication, coaching, performance management)
• Partner with Business and HR on identifying high-potential talent and building customized development interventions.

E. Compliance & Certification Training

• Ensure all mandatory regulatory, compliance, KYC/AML, fair practices, and code-of-conduct training is delivered and tracked across the organization
• Maintain audit-ready training records and certification tracking systems for internal/external audits and regulatory inspections.

F. Team Leadership & Stakeholder Management

• Lead, mentor, and build capability of a large, dispersed L&D team spanning HO content/strategy roles and field-based trainers
• Act as a strategic partner to CXOs, Business Heads, Regional/Zonal Heads, and HR Business Partners — translating business priorities into learning interventions.
• Manage relationships with external stakeholders — training institutes, e-learning vendors, industry bodies (e.g., MFIN, Sa-Dhan), and regulatory/compliance training partners
• Represent L&D function in leadership forums, business reviews, and audit/compliance committees.

G. Budget & Governance

• Own the L&D budget — planning, cost optimization, and ROI tracking on training spend
• Establish governance mechanisms (training MIS, dashboards, feedback loops) to continuously improve training quality and effectiveness.

3. Required Qualifications & Experience

Parameter	Requirement
Education	Full-time MBA/PGDM (HR or General Management) from a recognized institute
Experience	Minimum 16+ years of overall experience, with a significant portion in Learning & Development leadership roles
Industry Background	Prior experience in Microfinance/NBFC/Banking/BFSI or other field-force-heavy, high-volume industries (Retail, Insurance, FMCG distribution) strongly preferred.
Field Training Exposure	Demonstrated experience managing field/branch-level training for large, geographically dispersed teams
Functional Expertise	Strong grounding in Training Needs Identification (TNI/TNA), curriculum design, training delivery models, LMS/digital learning tools, and training effectiveness measurement
Team Handling	Proven experience leading large, matrixed L&D teams across HO and field locations
Certifications (Preferred)	Certifications in Instructional Design, Train-the-Trainer, Leadership Coaching, or related L&D certifications (e.g., ATD, CIPD) will be an added advantage.

4. Key Skills & Competencies

• Strategic Orientation: Ability to link L&D strategy to business/portfolio outcomes
• Field & Ground Connect: Comfort with extensive field travel and hands-on understanding of branch-level realities
• Stakeholder Management: Strong, mature stakeholder management skills — ability to influence CXOs, Business Heads, Regional Leadership, and external partners
• Team Leadership: Ability to build, mentor, and manage a large, dispersed team; strong people leadership
• Program & Project Management: Ability to manage multiple, large-scale training rollouts simultaneously across geographies
• Data & Analytical Orientation: Comfort with training MIS, dashboards, and using data to drive decisions
• Communication & Influence: Excellent communication skills (English + regional language advantage); ability to simplify content for varied literacy levels
• Maturity & Executive Presence: Senior leadership maturity, sound judgment, and the ability to operate independently and represent the function at the leadership table
• Adaptability: Ability to work in a fast-paced, high-growth, compliance-sensitive environment.

5. Travel Requirement

Extensive travel to Regional/Branch locations across the operational geography is required (typically 40 – 50% of the time).

6. Key Interfaces

Internal: CHRO/CEO, Business Heads (Sales/Credit/Collections/Operations), Regional/Zonal Heads, Compliance & Risk, HRBPs, IT (for LMS)
External: Training institutes/vendors, e-learning platform providers, industry bodies (MFIN/Sa-Dhan), regulatory training partners, external faculty/consultants.

Document generated for internal use only.