We are looking to hire a Collections Strategy Specialist to join our growing team. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced collections and credit risk professional who is passionate about delivering positive customer outcomes while driving business performance through data-led strategies.
In this role, you will be responsible for developing and maintaining strong, collaborative relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, including Second Line Risk, Underwriting, Frontline Operations, Compliance, Customer Insight and Product teams.
As a Collections Strategy Specialist, your role will include driving the delivery of collections and recoveries strategies to ensure we offer the right treatments to Credit Card customers in arrears, at the right time. You are primarily responsible for utilising your knowledge and experience, using data analysis, to drive the direction of the customer journeys for Credit Card customer in arrears. You’ll use your well-developed skills to draw conclusions, offer solutions and make recommendations that contribute to achieving our businesses ambitions. This ensures that they support customers in line with risk appetite, within regulatory guidelines and delivers delightfully surprising customer solutions.
You will identify opportunities to enhance collections performance, support sustainable growth and ensure fair customer outcomes through responsible and effective collections practices. Working closely with senior stakeholders, you will contribute to the development, evaluation and delivery of strategic change initiatives, communicating effectively across multiple audiences and helping to embed change throughout the business.
As a people leader, you will manage a small team, providing coaching, mentoring and ongoing support to develop capability and drive high performance. The successful candidate will possess excellent stakeholder management skills, a strong analytical mindset and the ability to translate complex data into meaningful business insights and actionable recommendations.
This is a 12-month secondment opportunity.
At Nationwide we offer hybrid working wherever possible. More rewarding relationships are supported through our hybrid approach, bringing colleagues together across our UK wide estate, whilst also supporting generous access to home working. We value our time in the office to solve problems, to learn, and to feel connected.
For this role, you'll be based at your nearest regional office or hub. We value time spent together to connect with colleagues for collaboration so there will be a regular requirement to attend our Leeds site approximately once per month. If you are based at an office location, you'll be expected to meet our hybrid working requirement of at least two days a week, or 40% of your working time if part-time, in the office. If your application is successful, your hiring manager will provide further details on how this works.
Whilst these locations are where we are primarily looking to fill the role, if you’re an internal applicant based in a different location we would welcome your application and if successful, your hiring manager will provide further details on how this could work for this specific role. You can also find out more about our approach to hybrid working here.
Virgin Money is now part of Nationwide
Nationwide acquired Virgin Money in October 2024. Virgin Money continues to serve customers on the high street, and there will be a phased and considered integration over the coming years.
You’ll be employed by Nationwide from day one, delivering real impact and benefitting from a highly competitive range of benefits. We’re a workplace where you’re rewarded, recognised and celebrated.
Nationwide is committed to the redeployment of our employees impacted by change, as such applications for redeployment candidates will be prioritised in this recruitment process.
If you’re a colleague on long-term absence (for example, on parental leave) or a temporary worker, please use your personal email address to submit an application.
Responsibilities
What you’ll be doing
As a Collections Strategy Specialist, you will take ownership of the collections strategy for Credit Card customers, ensuring it remains aligned with customer outcomes, risk appetite and regulatory requirements.
You will identify opportunities to enhance the collections journey, improving customer experiences while optimising operational resources and business performance. A key aspect of the role will involve designing, monitoring and continuously refining contact strategies to ensure customers are engaged through the right channel at the right time.
Working closely with Legal, Compliance and Risk teams, you will ensure strategies remain compliant with existing and emerging regulatory requirements, adapting approaches and monitoring frameworks as necessary. You will build and maintain strong relationships with a range of internal stakeholders across Financial Care, Second Line Risk, Compliance and Commercial teams, collaborating to deliver effective and customer-focused outcomes.
You will also support the development, evaluation and delivery of strategic change initiatives, ensuring clear communication and engagement across multiple stakeholder groups. In addition, you will contribute to monthly strategy governance activities by presenting management information, strategy updates and key credit considerations. The successful candidate will proactively monitor portfolio performance, identify emerging risks and trends, and provide recommendations that drive continuous improvement and support informed decision-making.
About you
You will have:
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with experience using SAS and/or SQL to interrogate data, develop insights and make data-driven recommendations
Proven experience managing, coaching and developing a team, driving performance and fostering a collaborative culture
Excellent stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence and build relationships across multiple business areas and seniority levels
- Working knowledge of FCA CONC, Consumer Duty, SME lending standards, Treating Customers Fairly (TCF), vulnerability guidance, and forbearance expectations
- Experience developing, monitoring and optimising credit risk or collections strategies
Strong understanding of portfolio performance management, risk trends and customer outcomes
Ability to translate complex data and analysis into clear, actionable business recommendations
Experience presenting findings, performance updates and strategic recommendations to senior stakeholders and governance forums
Our customer first behaviours put customers and members at the heart of how we work together. They are the set of behaviours that every colleague needs to display, in every role:
Feel what customers feel - We step into our customers’ shoes, using their feedback and insights to empathise with them and to understand their needs, so that every decision we make starts and finishes with our customers in mind
Say it straight - We are brave in speaking out and saying what we think – we’re honest and direct with good intent, openly sharing diverse perspectives to reach the best conclusions and using language everyone can understand
Push for better - We don’t settle for mediocrity, we challenge the status quo, taking responsibility for continuous improvement and personal development
Get it done - We prioritise what will have the greatest impact, we are decisive, and we take accountability for delivering brilliant customer outcomes
You can strengthen your application by showing how our customer first behaviours resonate with you, and where you may have already demonstrated these.
Qualifications
The extras you’ll get
There are all sorts of employee benefits available at Nationwide, including:
25 days holiday, pro rata
Private medical insurance
A highly competitive pension to help you build a strong foundation for retirement
Access to an annual performance-related bonus
Training and development to help you progress your career
A great selection of additional benefits through our salary sacrifice scheme
Life assurance to provide peace of mind for you and your loved ones in the event of your death
Wellhub – access to a range of free and paid options for health and wellness
Up to 2 days of paid volunteering a year
Banking – but fairer, more rewarding, and for the good of society
We forge our own path at Nationwide.
As a mutual, we’re owned by our members - those customers who bank, save or have a mortgage with us. We challenge the financial sector status quo. We don’t see customers as the engine of our own profit. We share our profits with them and put their needs first. Always there when they need us. Supporting them and their lives.
If you’re inspired by fairer finances, passionate about making a meaningful impact, and truly care about our customers, you’re one of us.
At Nationwide, you are challenged to grow and rewarded for doing so. Valued. Recognised. Inspired to be your best. As a community, we want our working lives to count. As a team, we celebrate what we achieve. As a standard-setter, we work for the good of customers, communities, and broader society.
We are purpose-driven. Uncompromisingly customer. Unstoppably Nationwide.
What to do next
If this role is for you, please click the ‘Apply Now’ button. You’ll need to attach your up-to-date CV and answer a few quick questions for us.
We respond to everyone, so we will be in contact shortly after the closing date to let you know the outcome of your application.
The hiring manager for this role is Vicky West, and the main recruitment contact is Angela Darbar.
Collections Strategy Specialist in Leeds employer: Nationwide
At Virgin Money, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, offering a supportive and dynamic work environment in Cleckheaton. Our commitment to employee growth is evident through ongoing training and development opportunities, alongside a competitive benefits package that includes generous holiday allowances, health and wellness resources, and a strong pension plan. Join us to be part of a team that values customer care and community impact, where your contributions are recognised and celebrated.
