Job Description

Job Title: Arrears Team Leader (Late Arrears)
Working Pattern: Monday to Friday, 36.25 hours per week
Salary: Up to 45,000 depending on experience and up to 20% annual bonus.
Location: Chester-le-Street (Drum Industrial Estate) - hybrid working
The Arrears Team Leader (Late Arrears) will be responsible for the supporting the Operations Director lead a team of Arrears Executives. The Late Arrears Team is responsible for communicating with customers in financial difficulty or late arrears (from arrears cycle 3-4) and authorised third parties via voice, responding to inbound telephony calls from customers within internal service level agreement timescales. The Arrears Team Leader (Late Arrears) will also be responsible for the successful completion of outbound arrears related telephony activity (including supporting the use of the automated dialler for accounts in our collections strategy). Our aim is to provide exceptional service to our lending customers ensuring that we provide the support they require during their period of financial difficulty/ arrears whilst ensuring that appropriate exit strategies are implemented.
As an Arrears Team Leader (Late Arrears) your responsibilities will include:

• Lead and motivate the Late Arrears Team with responsibility for ensuring that your team professionally respond to all inbound financial difficulty / arrears related telephone calls, supporting customers in financial difficulty / arrears
• Successfully coordinate the completion of outbound arrears related activity (including supporting the use of the automated dialler for accounts in our collections strategy) each day
• Ensure that internal service level agreements are exceeded whilst supporting our customers in financial difficulty / arrears (including monitoring live telephony performance)
• Ensuring the Arrears Executives are trained to robustly explore and document the reason for a customer's financial difficulty including providing relevant forbearance options for the customer. The Arrears Executives should also demonstrate knowledge of the consequences of non-payment and demonstrate this in their conversations with our customers in arrears
• Ensuring that appropriate late arrears exit strategies are implemented including mortgage and motor finance litigation and repossession (supporting the Operations Administration and Recoveries Team Leader with motor finance recoveries)
• Ensuring that mortgage litigation and asset management is robustly embedded and overseen within the team to ensure that potential losses are mitigated, and profitability is maximised for us and the customer
• Ensuring that unsecured loans and hire purchase loans are correctly worked to identify which can be sold to our third-party debt sale partners.
• Assist our Specialist Serving Team (SST) and Vulnerable Customer Champions to support our vulnerable customers ensuring that we fully understand the reason for their vulnerability and how this impacts their ability to manage their personal finances
• Self-identify operational risks and support with the creation and completion of associated first line controls and instil a culture of risk identification within the Late Arrears Team
• Self-identify and own operational risk events, robustly documenting these in our risk management system. Also support any customer remediation that may be required due to the risk event
• Ambassador for our BEST values, ensuring that our customers are at the heart of Operations
• Provide leadership motivation and support to your team including completing monthly 121's and coaching and support on an ongoing basis for each colleague
• Providing career progression support when requested by a colleague in your team
• Support the planning and co-ordination of resource across the wider Early and Late Arrears teams to ensure that we meet the demands of our customers
• Continuously review and refine operational processes, efficiencies and ways of working to drive operational improvement to support customers in financial difficulty / arrears
• Adhere to FCA guidelines ensuring that all work is compliant and aligned to regulatory standards
• Responsible for supporting the Training & Competence Manager with training for new and existing Arrears Executives and ongoing leadership oversight to ensure adherence to the group Training & Competency Policy
• Support the Operations leadership team with relevant management information to demonstrate the support delivered to our customers in financial difficulty /arrears (for both internal and external use with our Regulator and third parties)
• Provide support to the wider Operations teams when required

Requirements for an Arrears Team Leader (Late Arrears)

• Demonstrable experience in leading front-facing Late Arrears teams in a regulated environment
• Demonstrable knowledge of FCA rules relating to unsecured and secured loans and mortgages (including CONC 7 and MCOB 13)
• 2+ years' experience of leading a mortgage litigation and asset management team with demonstrable knowledge of mortgage litigation and asset management
• Demonstrable knowledge of managing third party supplier relationships with litigation and asset management companies
• Knowledge of the vehicle recovery processes are desirable
• Personally driven to enhance team and individual performance
• Demonstrable communication skills including ability to provide clear, constructive feedback to direct reports alongside experience in effective coaching and training. As well as professionally communicating with third-party recovery, litigation and asset management partners
• Demonstrable attention to detail to ensure accuracy and quality in operational tasks

Rewards that reflect your value, what's in it for you?
At Tandem, your hard work is rewarded in many ways, and we have an enhanced employee benefits package on offer from your very first day with us:
25 days annual leave plus 8 days Bank Holiday

• An additional day off for a 'celebration day' including, but not limited to, birthdays, weddings, religious holidays, graduations etc
• Buy or sell up to 5 days holiday a year
• Healthcare cash plan through Westfield Health
• Electric Vehicle salary sacrifice scheme
• Cycle to Work salary sacrifice scheme and a free helmet
• Salary sacrifice Pension contribution*, 4% employee contributions matched with 4% Tandem contribution (*Subject to salary eligibility)
• Smart Tech scheme (buy goods with 0% interest)
• 10% discount on solar panels
• Tandem Hub for treats, cash back and discounts on UK retailers
• 2 days per year paid volunteering
• Free cereal, snacks and drinks in all offices
• Quarterly team social budgets

Our Green Deal: Your Impact Amplified
A little welcome gift from us to you, we'll plant a tree in the Tandem Grove and you can enter into our "Green Deal" below:

• Volunteer 2 days a year for charity

receive an early Friday finish * Raise 200 per annum for charity
Tandem provide PR and marketing support * Have renewable energy at home
receive an additional 1 day annual leave * Drive an electric car
receive 500 towards a home charger
Ready to make your mark?
Apply now and let's pave the way to a greener world, together. Our approach to DE&I is reflected in our hiring process so please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments. We are looking to conduct final interviews on the 28th October so will be closing this advert on the 17th October 2025. You will have a pre-screen call with one of our Recruitment Partners and then a Teams interview.
Sourcing Model
Recruitment at Tandem works primarily on a direct sourcing model and does not accept resumes from recruitment agencies which are not on the preferred supplier list. We are not responsible for any related fees for resumes submitted to job postings, our employees, or any other part of our company. You can find our Applicant Privacy Policy on our Careers page.
Tandem is an equal opportunity employer and are committed to meeting our responsibilities under the Equality Act (2010). We respect the diverse experience and talents that every individual brings to our Company, and we are determined to ensure that no applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of gender, age, disability, religion, belief, sexual orientation, marital status, or race, or is disadvantaged by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be justifiable.
Please be aware that background checking (including credit, criminal records and CIFAS Internal Fraud Database Checks) form part of our recruitment process. We will adhere to our duties under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.
#INDSJ

Skills Required