Job Description

Role Profile: Collections Team Leader - Unsecured Lending

Location: Contact Centre - Sheffield, UK

Function: Operations / Credit & Collections

Reporting to: Operations Manager - Unsecured Lending Collections

Salary: Up to 32,500

Role Purpose

The Collections Team Leader is accountable for the day-to-day leadership and performance of an unsecured lending collections team. The role ensures the delivery of fair, sustainable customer outcomes while maintaining full compliance with FCA regulation, Consumer Duty, and internal policies. Positioned within the defined career pathway, the Team Leader provides a critical link between front-line delivery and operational management, developing people capability, managing risk, and supporting continuous improvement.

Key Accountabilities

People Leadership and Team Performance Provide effective line management to Collections Agents and Senior Collections Agents, including performance management, coaching, and development planning. Set clear expectations aligned to customer outcomes, quality, productivity, and conduct standards. Conduct regular one-to-ones, performance reviews, and quality feedback sessions. Support colleague wellbeing, engagement, and attendance in line with organisational policies. Identify and develop talent, supporting progression within the collections career pathway.

Customer Outcomes and Operational Delivery

Ensure customer interactions and arrears management activities deliver fair, proportionate, and sustainable outcomes. Monitor team activity across unsecured lending portfolios, including early, mid, and late-stage arrears. Balance operational performance with customer fairness, ensuring no detriment to customer outcomes. Oversee the handling of complex cases, complaints, and vulnerable customer situations, providing guidance and challenge where required. Act as an escalation point beyond Senior Collections Agents for customer or decision-related issues.

Regulatory Compliance and Conduct Risk

Maintain oversight of FCA compliance within the team, including CONC, Consumer Duty, and Treating Customers Fairly requirements. Ensure colleagues operate within delegated authority and follow internal policies and procedures. Monitor quality assurance outcomes, conduct risk indicators, and complaints to identify trends and risks. Address conduct, quality, or compliance issues promptly and effectively. Support audits, assurance activity, and regulatory requests as required. Leadership of Senior Collections Agents Provide day-to-day leadership and direction to Senior Collections Agents in their junior management role. Ensure Senior Collections Agents are effectively supporting new starters, managing escalations, and coaching colleagues. Delegate responsibilities appropriately, including acting-up duties and project support. Assess readiness of Senior Collections Agents for progression within the management pathway.

Multi-Channel and Resource Management

Ensure effective delivery of collections activity across all customer contact channels, including telephone, digital, and written correspondence. Manage rotas, adherence, and resourcing to meet service level and customer demand. Support workforce planning through forecasting, leave management, and flexible resource deployment. Ensure accurate and compliant record-keeping across all workflows. Performance Management and Continuous Improvement Use management information, quality data, and customer feedback to drive performance improvement. Identify root causes of underperformance, complaints, or customer detriment and implement corrective actions. Contribute to operational change initiatives, process improvements, and system enhancements. Share insights and performance updates with the Operations Manager.

Working Hours

Contact centre operating hours are 08:30 to 19:30, Monday to Friday. The role operates on a 7.5-hour daily rota basis within these hours. Weekend working is required as part of a rotational management schedule. Knowledge, Skills, and Experience

Essential

Proven experience in unsecured lending collections within a regulated financial services environment. Demonstrated people leadership or supervisory experience. Strong working knowledge of FCA regulation, Consumer Duty, CONC, and vulnerability guidance. Ability to manage performance, conduct, and wellbeing issues effectively. Strong decision-making, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

Desirable

Experience managing Senior or specialist agent roles. Exposure to audit, regulatory reviews, or risk management frameworks. Experience using MI to drive operational and customer outcome improvements.

Behaviours and Values

Acts with clear accountability as a people manager within the collections pathway. Demonstrates strong leadership aligned to customer outcomes and regulatory expectations. Provides effective challenge and support to colleagues at all levels. Takes ownership of risk, escalation, and issue resolution. Models professional conduct and continuous improvement.
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: Up to 32,500.00 per year

Benefits:

Company pension Employee discount Health & wellbeing programme Store discount
Application question(s):

Do have a disability that will require any reasonable adjustments for the interview/recruitment process or job role (working in-person from the office) ?
Work Location: In person