Keertana Finance is a new-generation, inclusive and rural-focused financial institution that leverages cutting-edge technology to deliver hassle-free, affordable, and convenient access to credit. Led by promoter Ms. Padmaja Reddy and a founding team with over 100 years of collective experience in small business lending, Keertana focuses on Gold Loans and Micro Enterprise lending-serving customers traditionally unserved by banks and underserved by NBFCs. In this context, the Operations HR function is pivotal to building and sustaining a capable, motivated workforce aligned to the company’s mission of expanding financial inclusion with operational excellence.
This comprehensive guide provides essential insights into the Operations HR at Keertana Finance, covering required skills, responsibilities, interview questions, and preparation strategies to help aspiring candidates succeed.
1. About the Operations HR Role
As Operations HR at Keertana Finance (Hyderabad), you will coordinate, direct, and supervise core Human Resources activities to develop and maintain a highly capable and motivated workforce. The role oversees implementation of critical Human Capital programs across employee relations, pay and compensation, learning and development, and performance management. It also owns end-to-end recruitment-driving robust hiring processes, coaching the recruitment team, and ensuring a reliable talent pipeline for business growth in gold loans and micro enterprise lending.
Positioned as a strategic partner to the Executive Management team, Operations HR reviews and recommends actions on performance management, promotions, terminations, compensation, and employee relations. The role ensures adherence to company policies and employment laws, leads succession planning, and enhances workflows and communication across the business. By safeguarding employee welfare, wellness, and safety while continuously improving policies and practices, Operations HR helps operationalize Keertana’s inclusive mission with scalable and compliant people processes.
2. Required Skills and Qualifications
Below are the essential qualifications and capabilities for Operations HR at Keertana Finance, covering education, core competencies, and technical skills aligned with the role’s responsibilities.
Educational Qualifications
- MBA-HR (mandatory)
Key Competencies
- Strategic HR Leadership: Ability to develop and implement companywide HR strategy aligned with business objectives
- Employee Relations & Compliance: Knowledge of employment regulations and ability to handle employee complaints, investigations, and ensure policy adherence
- Talent Management: Expertise in managing recruitment, performance management, succession planning, and retention strategies
- Data-Driven Decision Making: Experience with analyzing data to guide strategic employment planning and HR initiatives
- Collaboration & Communication: Effective verbal and written communication skills with ability to create a culture of collaboration
Technical Skills
- HR Operations Management: Proficiency in managing HR operations including recruitment, compensation, benefits, training and records management
- Microsoft Office Suite: Demonstrated proficiency in Microsoft Office applications
- Policy Development: Ability to review, develop and implement HR policies and procedures
- Compensation & Benefits: Knowledge of compensation strategies, salary reviews, and health/welfare benefits administration
- Workforce Planning: Skill in developing and maintaining capable workforce with right competencies through strategic planning
3. Day-to-Day Responsibilities
The Operations HR role at Keertana Finance blends strategic partnership with hands-on execution. Typical daily and weekly responsibilities include the following:
- HR Strategy Development & Implementation: Review, plan and implement a company-wide Human Resources strategy aligned with business objectives to develop a capable and motivated workforce.
- HR Operations Management: Manage all HR operations including recruitment, selection, training and coaching of HR staff; oversee the entire recruitment process and team to ensure exceptional talent acquisition.
- Employee Relations & Compliance: Consult and respond to employee complaints professionally; conduct preliminary investigations and ensure adherence to company policies, employment laws, and organizational values.
- Performance & Compensation Management: Make recommendations on performance management, promotions, terminations, job grading, salary reviews, and compensation structures to executive management.
- Policy Development & Improvement: Conduct constant review of company policies and activities; recommend improvements to workflows, communications, and business processes across the organization.
- Succession Planning & Talent Development: Develop, implement and evaluate succession planning processes; oversee training and development programs to build organizational capability.
- Employee Welfare & Safety: Ensure employee safety, welfare, wellness and health through proactive programs and policy implementation.
- HR Program Implementation: Oversee implementation of human capital programs covering employee relations, compensation, learning & development, and performance management.
4. Key Competencies for Success
Beyond foundational HR knowledge, the following competencies distinguish high-performing Operations HR professionals at Keertana Finance.
- Business Alignment: Translates lending objectives into talent plans, ensuring HR initiatives directly support growth and service quality.
- Decision-Making with Data: Uses evidence from HR dashboards to prioritize interventions and demonstrate ROI of HR programs.
- Change Enablement: Guides teams through policy updates, new tools, or process changes with clear communication and adoption support.
- Risk & Compliance Mindset: Proactively identifies compliance gaps and implements controls to protect employees and the organization.
- People Coaching: Coaches managers on feedback, performance conversations, and team development to build a high-trust culture.
5. Common Interview Questions
This section provides a selection of common interview questions to help candidates prepare effectively for their Operations HR interview at Keertana Finance.
Give a concise overview highlighting HR operations, recruitment leadership, and experience in performance management.
Connect Keertana’s inclusive, rural focus and lending segments with your motivation to build scalable, compliant people practices.
Explain stakeholder mapping, cadence (reviews/scorecards), and aligning HR outcomes to business KPIs.
Share a prioritization framework (impact/urgency), escalation paths, and use of dashboards to allocate capacity.
Outline the problem, data used, change implemented, and measurable impact on compliance or cycle time.
Cover confidentiality, neutrality, documentation, and transparent communication of procedures.
Focus on setting expectations, feedback models, PIP design, and outcomes.
Describe clear charters, SLAs, standardized SOPs, continuous learning, and quality controls.
Mention competency frameworks, calibration, evidence-based decisions, and audit trails.
Highlight integrity, respect, accountability, and service to employees and business goals.
Use the STAR method, quantify outcomes, and tie each story to Keertana’s mission and risk-conscious culture.
Explain workforce planning inputs: branch expansion, productivity ratios, attrition trends, and lead times.
Discuss TAT, offer-to-join ratio, quality of hire, source effectiveness, and hiring manager satisfaction.
Cover JD clarity, fair assessments, background checks, documentation, and audit-ready records.
Outline goal-setting, mid-year reviews, calibration, feedback, and development planning.
Mention internal equity, market benchmarks, performance data, and governance sign-offs.
Recruitment funnel, attrition/retention, L&D completion, ER case aging, and compliance status.
Discuss SOPs, manager enablement, audits, system controls, and periodic refreshers.
Identify critical roles, competency gaps, readiness levels, and targeted development actions.
Reference Excel for modeling, HRIS reports, and data validation for decision-grade accuracy.
Tailor hiring, training, and policies to local contexts while upholding consistent standards.
Map every technical answer to a measurable outcome-speed, quality, compliance, or cost.
Diagnose the funnel, remove bottlenecks, add sources, and deploy a blitz-hiring plan with daily tracking.
Ensure safety, preserve evidence, follow investigation SOPs, maintain confidentiality, and document findings.
Analyze reasons, recalibrate compensation/EVP messaging, optimize TAT, and enhance candidate experience.
Coach on policy and outcomes, provide tools/templates, and escalate if non-compliance persists.
Run exit analysis, manager skip-levels, fix onboarding/training gaps, and deploy retention actions.
Release clear SOPs, conduct manager briefings, track acknowledgments, and audit compliance.
Tie modules to role outcomes, schedule in shifts, enable nudges, and report completions to leaders.
Use evidence-based criteria, run calibration, check internal equity, and document rationale.
Follow adjudication matrix, seek clarifications, apply policy consistently, and communicate decisions.
Activate safety protocol, support affected employees, log incident, and review preventive measures.
Frame solutions with clear SOPs, timelines, stakeholders, and measurable success criteria.
Link responsibilities and results to recruitment, ER, performance, and policy governance.
Share monthly volumes, role types, regions, and fulfillment SLAs achieved.
Describe metrics, refresh frequency, consumers, and business impact.
Reference policy audits, documentation rigor, training, and corrective actions.
Detail calibration methods, PIPs, and capability-building interventions.
Explain process changes, sourcing strategy, and quality-of-hire outcomes.
Cover policy alignment, documentation, manager guidance, and respectful communication.
Mention HRIS/ATS and Excel proficiency for reporting and analytics.
Discuss playbooks, training, clinics, and office hours with uptake metrics.
Summarize domain strengths, values alignment, and readiness to scale inclusive growth.
Quantify your achievements and tailor examples to Keertana’s lending context and operational scale.
6. Common Topics and Areas of Focus for Interview Preparation
To excel in your Operations HR role at Keertana Finance, it’s essential to focus on the following areas. These topics highlight the key responsibilities and expectations, preparing you to discuss your skills and experiences in a way that aligns with Keertana Finance objectives.
- End-to-End Recruitment Operations: Study sourcing strategies, funnel metrics, and offer-to-join levers to meet hiring SLAs without compromising quality.
- Employee Relations & Compliance: Review grievance handling, documentation standards, and employment law fundamentals to manage cases fairly and consistently.
- Performance Management & Succession: Understand goal-setting, calibration, PIPs, and talent reviews that build a reliable leadership pipeline.
- L&D Program Design and Measurement: Prepare to connect training plans with capability gaps and show how you measure impact on performance.
- HR Analytics & Reporting: Practice building concise dashboards in Excel/HRIS and converting data into actionable leadership insights.
7. Perks and Benefits of Working at Keertana Finance
Keertana Finance offers a comprehensive package of benefits to support the well-being, professional growth, and satisfaction of its employees. Here are some of the key perks you can expect
- Collaborative, Innovative Culture: Work with a dynamic team that values teamwork and new ideas.
- Professional Growth: Access opportunities for learning, mentorship, and career development.
- Competitive Compensation: Receive a competitive salary with performance-based incentives.
- Impactful Work: Contribute to challenging projects that advance inclusive, rural-focused financial services.
- Supportive Environment: Benefit from a collaborative workplace with guidance from experienced professionals.
8. Conclusion
Operations HR at Keertana Finance is a strategic, hands-on role that builds the talent engine behind an inclusive, technology-enabled lender focused on gold loans and micro enterprise customers. Success requires mastery in recruitment operations, employee relations, performance and succession management, policy compliance, and HR analytics.
By aligning people programs to business goals and safeguarding employee welfare and compliance, you enable scalable growth and a high-trust culture. Prepare with role-relevant examples, quantified outcomes, and clear process thinking to demonstrate your readiness to contribute from day one.
Tips for Interview Success:
- Show measurable impact: Bring metrics for hiring TAT, offer-to-join, attrition, and ER case closure to evidence results.
- Connect HR to business: Link your initiatives to branch expansion, productivity, compliance, and cost outcomes.
- Demonstrate rigor: Highlight SOPs, documentation, and governance used in investigations, promotions, and terminations.
- Be candidate- and employee-centric: Showcase how you improved experience, communication, and manager capability.