Collection & Recoveries Manager

Atom bank; Newcastle upon Tyne; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

4‑day work week

Hybrid working in Newcastle

Private Medical Insurance

Company pension scheme

'All About Me' fund £200/year

22.5 days annual leave + holidays

Electric Vehicle Scheme

Job summary

Atom bank in the United Kingdom is seeking a Collections & Recoveries Manager to lead a specialist team handling residential mortgage and SME arrears. You will oversee end-to-end collections, underwrite complex arrears cases, and champion vulnerable customer advocacy in line with FCA rules.

You will work in a hybrid setup with Newcastle as a base, driving continuous improvement through data insights and collaboration with external partners.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership experience in regulated collections/recoveries/ar­rears environments.
• Strong technical knowledge of collections and recoveries processes, debt advice, forbearance, and litigation.
• Passion for fair customer outcomes and vulnerable customer management.
• Practical mindset with initiative and adaptability.
• Excellent communication, coaching and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach and support a team of direct agents with a high-performing, engaged culture; deputise for Head of Department.
• Oversee end-to-end collections from pre-delinquency through to forbearance, litigation, receivership and repossession across Residential mortgages and SME loans.
• Underwrite complex mortgage and loan arrears cases to establish sustainable repayment solutions.
• Lead vulnerable customer advocacy, aligning with FCA Consumer Duty requirements.
• Collaborate with outsourced collections partners, field agents, solicitors and receivers to minimise losses and ensure policy adherence.
• Use MI data to track metrics, provide insights to senior stakeholders and drive process improvements.

Skills

Leadership

Collections & Recoveries

Vulnerable customers

Communication & Stakeholder mgmt

Data insights

Job description

We're Atom…

The bank that's on a mission to make finance faster, simpler and way more human.

We've ditched the stuffy banking model to build something that actually works for our customers, whenever and wherever they need us.

To make this happen, we're looking for like-minded people who can help us reach our goals and think differently.

If you're ready to build the future of banking, we'd love to meet you.

We really value in-person collaboration, so this role requires 1-2 days per week in our Newcastle office.

What will your typical day look like? Different that's for sure…

Operations is the beating heart of Atom. It's where we have the most contact with our fantastic customers and where we can ensure we're truly offering the best possible customer service. The Operations team consists of, Originations, Customer Care, Customer Support, Operational Effectiveness, Payments, Fraud & Reconciliations and Customer Administration.

The Collection and Recoveries Manager leads a specialist team responsible for the handling of Residential Mortgage and Business Banking (SME Commercial) customers who are suffering from financial hardship or in arrears, where a specialist approach to dealing with their arrears situation or possession is required through a combination debt advice, non-standard litigation action, receivership, and complex case management where appropriate to satisfy the customer requirements and Atom's objectives.

So, what will you be doing…

• Team Leadership & Development: Lead, coach, and support a team of direct agents, fostering a high-performing, engaged culture with clear personal development goals. Deputise for the Head of Department including working closely with relevant first, second and third line teams and presenting governance committees.
• Arrears & Recovery Management: Oversee end-to-end collections from pre-delinquency through to forbearance, litigation, receivership, and repossession across residential mortgages and SME commercial loans.
• Technical Underwriting: Underwrite complex mortgage and loan arrears cases to establish sustainable long-term repayment solutions that prevent customer detriment.
• Vulnerable Customer Advocacy: Lead Atom's operational approach to vulnerable customers in financial difficulty, driving positive customer outcomes in line with FCA Consumer Duty requirements.
• Supplier & Stakeholder Oversight: Work closely with outsourced collections partners, field agents, solicitors, and receivers to minimise potential loss and ensure adherence to internal policies
• Continuous Improvement & Data Insights: Use MI data to track metrics, highlight performance insights to senior stakeholders and credit committees, and identify process changes to boost automation and operational efficiency

What do we need from you…

• Proven leadership experience managing teams within a regulated collections, recoveries, or arrears environment.
• Strong technical knowledge of collections and recoveries processes, including debt advice solutions, forbearance options, and litigation.
• Passion for delivering fair customer outcomes and deep experience in vulnerable customer management.
• Practical mindset with strong initiative, adaptability, and drive.
• Excellent communication, coaching, and stakeholder management skills.

What will you get from us?

• Salary range of £55-60k
• Flexible hybrid working in Newcastle
• 4-day work week
• Discretionary Cash Bonus - Individual and Company Performance based.
• Incredibly generous company pension scheme (maximum of 13% of Atom input - you can put in more).
• 'All About Me' fund: £200 per year to spend on personal development.
• 22.5 days annual leave plus public holidays.
• Private Medical Insurance, Health Cash Plan & Life Insurance.
• Electric Vehicle Scheme.

PLEASE NOTE: You must have the legal right to work in the UK to apply for this role as Atom is unable to support Visa Applications/Sponsorship

Atom is an equal opportunities employer. We value you as an individual and therefore disregard race, religion/belief, gender, sexual orientation, maternity/pregnancy, age, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership and disability in any hiring decisions we make. Atom will always adhere to the Equality Act 2010.

All roles within Atom must adhere to the Conduct Rules as set out by the PRA and FCA

As part of Atom bank's commitment to the FCA's Consumer Duty, Atom will, take all reasonable steps to avoid causing foreseeable harm to customers, take all reasonable steps to enable customers to pursue their financial objectives and act in good faith.