Collections Lead

Key Duties & Responsibilities:

• Lead operational engagement with debt collection agencies (DCAs), the debt buyer and relevant PSP and loan management system partners.
• Monitor daily DCA productivity and recovery performance, identify gaps, challenge results and track corrective action plans.
• Run DCA operational performance meetings and follow through on partner commitments and service-level agreements.
• Complete monthly and weekly DCA and debt buyer reconciliations, including payovers, commissions invoices, accruals and exceptions.
• Own complex partner and customer escalations, coordinate investigations and resolve root causes.
• Responsible for QA on DCA customer treatment standards; selectively review calls for escalations or validation, and track remediation of control gaps.
• Prepare concise DCA performance insights and recommend practical processes, quality and automation improvements.

Requirements & Qualifications: 

• Minimum 6+ years of relevant industry experience in collections, credit operations, payments or financial services, preferably in consumer lending or fintech.
• Practical experience engaging external collection agencies or service providers and holding them accountable for delivery.
• Strong financial reconciliation skills, with the ability to independently investigate and explain discrepancies.
• Intermediate-to-advanced Microsoft Excel proficiency is essential: PivotTables/PivotCharts,
• XLOOKUP/VLOOKUP, SUMIF/SUMIFS, COUNTIF/COUNTIFS, IF functions, data cleaning and validation,
• conditional formatting, multi-source reconciliations, variance analysis, and operational performance reporting. Practical Excel assessment required.
• Confident stakeholder communication, analytical judgement, structured problem-solving and sound prioritization.
• Understanding of collections conduct and South African consumer credit requirements. Knowledge of NCA, Debt Collectors Act; fintech, PSP and LMS exposure advantageous.
• A relevant diploma or degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Management, Credit Management or Financial Services is advantageous. Relevant professional certifications in credit management, collections or financial services are also advantageous; demonstrated experience may be considered in the absence of formal qualifications.

Technical skills/software proficiency:

• Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint proficiency is essential: candidates must comfortably prepare professional reports, procedures, correspondence, presentations and stakeholder updates, and be comfortable presenting these.
• This is an individual-contributor lead role. Overall collections strategy, business targets and commercial decisions remain with the Payments Manager.

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