Customer Care Team Lead in Milton Keynes

About Abound

We’re redefining consumer lending in the UK, and beyond. Using advanced AI and Open Banking data, we make fair, affordable personal finance available to more people. While traditional lenders rely almost entirely on credit scores, we look at the full financial picture - how much you spend, and what you can afford to repay to build a deeper, more accurate understanding of each customer’s unique financial situation. And we’ve shown it works at scale. We’ve issued over £1.3bn in loans directly to customers while delivering market-leading credit performance - for every 10 defaults the industry expects, we see only 3. We also reached profitability just 2.5 years after launch. Backed by £2bn+ of funding from top‑tier investors including Citi, GSR Ventures, and Deutsche Bank, we’re recognised as one of Europe’s fastest‑growing fintechs. Now, we’re expanding into new markets and product lines - and we’re looking for ambitious people who want to learn fast, take ownership, and grow with us.

About the Role

We’re looking for an experienced Customer Care Team Lead to manage and develop a high-performing operational team of 8–12 Collections & Recoveries Specialists. This role sits within our fast‑paced Customer Operations function and reports directly to the Director of Customer Operations. Our structure is intentionally flat, offering high visibility and the opportunity to make a real impact. You’ll be responsible for leading a specialist team handling complex collections and recoveries cases, while balancing credit risk, customer outcomes, and regulatory conduct risk. You’ll also play a key role in shaping proactive customer outreach strategies and continuously improving processes. This is a hands‑on leadership role—ideal for someone who thrives in a scaling fintech environment and is willing to go above and beyond.

About the Team

Our Customer Care Specialists are experts in Collections, with experience across:

• Debt Management Plans (DMPs)
• Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVAs)
• BNPL and Credit Card ledgers
• Regulatory notices and complaints
• Core unsecured personal loan (UPL) collections

You’ll lead this specialist function and help scale its impact as we grow.

Key Responsibilities

• Team Leadership & Performance
  • Lead, coach, and develop a team of 8–12 Customer Care Specialists
  • Set clear performance expectations and manage against KPIs and SLAs
  • Foster a high‑performance, customer‑centric culture
  • Support hiring, onboarding, and ongoing development of team members
  • Act as the escalation point for complex cases and complaints
• Operational Excellence
  • Oversee day‑time collections and recoveries activities across unsecured personal loans
  • Ensure effective handling of DMPs, IVAs, complaints, regulatory notices, and complex queries
  • Drive proactive customer outreach strategies and campaign effectiveness
  • Identify process inefficiencies and implement improvements
  • Collaborate cross‑functionally to support wider operational goals
• Risk & Compliance
  • Maintain a strong balance between credit risk and conduct risk
  • Ensure adherence to FCA guidelines, TCF principles, and internal policies
  • Monitor quality and compliance across customer interactions
  • Support handling of vulnerable customers and financial difficulty cases
• Hands‑On Contribution
  • Step in to support operational workload when required
  • Handle complex customer interactions across multiple channels (telephony, email, etc.)
  • Lead by example in delivering exceptional customer outcomes

Who you are

• Proven experience managing a Collections team in unsecured personal lending
• Strong understanding of customer outreach strategies and collections campaigns
• Deep knowledge of financial services regulation (FCA, TCF, KYC)
• Experience balancing credit performance with fair customer outcomes
• Ability to handle and resolve complex customer issues and complaints
• A proactive mindset with a focus on continuous improvement
• Strong leadership skills with a passion for coaching and developing others
• Excellent communication skills across stakeholders and teams
• High attention to detail and commitment to accuracy
• Flexibility and adaptability in a fast‑paced environment

Skills & Experience Required

• Minimum 2+ years customer service experience in financial services
• Minimum 1+ year collections/debt recovery experience
• Previous team leadership or supervisory experience preferred
• Experience working with vulnerable customers and financial difficulty cases
• Strong problem‑solving and analytical thinking skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and work under pressure
• Experience with multi‑channel communication (telephony & email essential)
• Strong self‑management and organisational skills
• Good level of education and excellent computer literacy

What we offer

• Everyone owns a piece of the company - equity
• Hybrid with 3 days a week in the office with occasional travel to London
• 25 days’ holiday a year, plus 8 bank holidays
• 2 paid volunteering days per year
• One month paid sabbatical after 4 years
• Employee loan
• Free gym membership through WellHub
• Team wellness budget to be active together - set up a yoga class, a tennis lesson or go bouldering