Collections Manager

Northreach is a dynamic recruitment agency that connects businesses with top talent in financial services, lending, and digital sectors. We specialise in providing a seamless recruitment experience for clients and candidates, fostering innovation and professional growth.

We’re looking for an experienced Collections Manager to lead the day-to-day performance of a collections function within a growing, customer-focused financial services business.

This is a hands-on leadership role with responsibility for people performance, collections operations, complaints, Consumer Duty, third-party debt recovery partners and operational reporting.

You’ll play a key role in ensuring customers receive fair, transparent and appropriate treatment throughout the collections journey, while also driving strong operational performance and continuous improvement.

This role would suit an experienced collections leader who combines strong people management and collections expertise with excellent regulatory knowledge, commercial awareness and an interest in using AI to improve operational efficiency.

What you’ll be doing

People leadership & performance

• Lead, motivate and develop a high-performing internal collections team.
• Set clear objectives and hold individuals accountable for team KRIs, SLAs and recovery targets.
• Run regular 1:1s, performance reviews and coaching sessions.
• Ensure colleagues complete mandatory training, onboarding and ongoing skills development.
• Manage workforce planning, rotas and capacity to meet customer and operational requirements.
• Act as the senior escalation point for complex, sensitive or high-risk customer cases.
• Use CRM and AI-enabled tools to improve team efficiency and effectiveness.
• Manage and monitor agentic AI workflows designed to automate multi-step tasks and improve operational performance.

Consumer Duty & customer outcomes

• Embed Consumer Duty into day-to-day collections activity.
• Monitor and evidence good customer outcomes, identifying and addressing potential customer harm or poor practice quickly.
• Champion fair, transparent and appropriate treatment of customers in arrears, including customers in vulnerable circumstances.
• Represent the customer voice across cross-functional discussions and working groups.

Complaints

• Own the end-to-end management of formal complaints.
• Ensure complaints are handled promptly, fairly and effectively in line with FCA DISP requirements and Financial Ombudsman Service expectations.
• Manage complex and high-risk complaints, providing clear and well-reasoned outcomes.
• Analyse complaint trends and root causes to identify systemic issues.
• Work with Compliance, Risk, Product and Customer teams to reduce complaint drivers and improve the customer journey.

Collections & recoveries

• Oversee collections activity across early arrears, late arrears and debt recovery.
• Ensure agreed collections strategies are consistently and compliantly executed.
• Manage governance and quality assurance of third-party Debt Recovery Agencies.
• Monitor outsourced partner performance and ensure delivery against internal standards.
• Maintain high standards of regulatory compliance across all collections activity.

Reporting & governance

• Chair the Customer Committee, using data and insight to review:
• Collections performance and team KRIs
• Customer outcomes and Consumer Duty
• Complaint themes and trends
• Debtor behaviour
• Emerging risks and opportunities
• Own accurate and timely operational reporting for senior leadership and relevant governance committees.
• Use Excel/Google Sheets and other analytical tools to identify trends, performance issues and opportunities for improvement.
• Support audit readiness and maintain strong conduct and governance standards across the function.
• Translate senior-level strategic direction into clear processes, objectives and actionable plans for the team.

We’re looking for someone with:

• Proven experience leading collections teams in a regulated financial services environment.
• Strong knowledge of FCA regulation, particularly Consumer Duty and DISP.
• Experience managing collections performance, KRIs, SLAs and operational targets.
• Strong understanding of collections governance and third-party Debt Recovery Agency oversight.
• Demonstrable experience managing and resolving complex customer complaints.
• Excellent people leadership, coaching and performance management skills.
• Strong analytical and reporting capability, including experience using Excel or Google Sheets.
• Experience using technology and/or AI tools to improve operational efficiency.
• An interest in emerging agentic AI, with the ability to manage and monitor AI workflows that automate multi-step operational tasks.
• Strong judgement, attention to detail and the ability to manage sensitive and high-risk situations.
• A genuine commitment to achieving fair customer outcomes and embedding Consumer Duty into everyday decision-making.

This is an opportunity to take ownership of a critical customer-facing function and make a tangible impact on both customer outcomes and operational performance.

You’ll have the opportunity to:

• Lead and develop a talented collections team.
• Shape how technology and AI are used within collections operations.
• Influence customer outcomes and Consumer Duty practices.
• Work cross-functionally with senior stakeholders across the business.
• Drive meaningful improvements across collections, complaints and customer experience.
• Help contribute to a more financially fair UK.

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You must have full right to work in the UK

This role is hybrid working and would require 2 days pw in their offices in Central London

Northreach is an equal opportunity employer and we do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or age. We are committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace and hiring practices, therefore only partner with business that promote DEI. We strive to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all employees.