Collections Team Leader

Leasys; Coventry; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Leasys in Coventry is seeking a Collections Team Leader to supervise a team of collections agents, drive coaching, performance and compliance across daily operations.

You will balance customer outcomes with effective debt recovery strategies and report to the Head of Credit, while ensuring adherence to regulatory requirements and company policies.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience in a collections team leader role.
• Strong understanding of FCA regulations, vulnerable customer processes, and arrears management best practices.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and people leadership skills.
• Experience in the automotive or consumer finance industry advantageous

Responsibilities

• Oversee LEASYS debt portfolio and apply effective collection processes.
• Conduct quality checks on calls and emails for accuracy and compliance.
• Lead, coach and develop collections agents; monitor KPIs.
• Manage escalations and negotiate payment solutions.
• Collaborate with other departments to optimize workflows.
• Prepare management reports for the Credit Committee.
• Ensure compliance with policies and relevant laws.

Skills

Leadership

People management

Regulatory compliance

Data analysis

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Debt collection

Job description

Reporting to the Head of Credit, the Collections Team Leader will supervise and lead a team of collections agents assisting the team with ongoing guidance, training and mentoring.

You will supervise a team of collections agents recovering overdue payments, focusing on daily operations, performance coaching, handling escalations, ensuring regulatory compliance, and driving debt recovery strategies while balancing customer satisfaction acting as the crucial link between collections agents and senior management. The Collections Team Leader will lead by example, motivating staff, setting and monitoring KPIs, fostering a positive environment. The role will be responsible for assisting with the day-to-day operations of a fast-paced credit control function.

Location: 2 days in the office as a minimum (Coventry)

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Ownership and control of the LEASYS debt portfolio with effective collection processes in place.
• Conduct quality checks on agent inbound and outbound calls, agent emails to ensure accuracy and audit compliance.
• Cost of Risk Management: reviewing the cost of risk continuously against budget targets set by HQ.
• Ensures Head of Credit and other senior management stakeholders are aware of potential issues associated with any risky customers or any impacts to the Cost of Risk.
• Team Management: Supervise, motivate, coach, and develop collections agents, providing feedback and training.
• Performance Monitoring: Track team performance against targets (KPIs) and manage workloads, ensuring efficient and effective work.
• Escalation Handling: Act as the first point of contact for complex customer issues and difficult collection scenarios.
• Provide consistent, hands-on support for all day-to-day team queries and operational tasks, ensuring these are handled promptly in line with business priorities
• Assist management with reporting, data analysis, and overseeing accurate completion of administrative tasks.
• Work on third party relationships with key suppliers including repossession agents, external debt collection agents and solicitors.
• Conduct regular one-on-ones, appraisals, and team meetings.
• Analyse collection data to identify trends and areas for improvement in any process or systems.
• Oversee workload planning, productivity, and adherence to Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
• Support Head of Credit on effective debt collection strategies and processes.
• Ensure adherence to company policies, procedures, and relevant laws.
• Handle escalated customer complaints, complex cases, and negotiate payment solutions.
• Support Head of Credit to prepare and present performance reports, insights, and challenges to senior management in bi-monthly Credit Committee.
• Collaborate with other departments (sales, customer service) to optimize workflows and resolve issues.

Drivers of Success

• 1-2-1 general reviews with Head of Credit
• Team Productivity - Calls handled per collections agent, customer accounts worked per day etc.
• Collection Effectiveness Index (CEI) - measures how much of the collectible debt is collected.
• Achieve Cost of Risk within Budget.
• SLA of 65% of calls answered within 60 seconds.Coaching and quality checking team members to improve performance and customer outcomes.

Required Knowledge and Skills

Foreign Language skills:

Required experience:

• 2+ years of experience in a collections team leader role
• Strong understanding of FCA regulations, vulnerable customer processes, and arrears management best practices.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and people leadership skills.
• Experience in the automotive or consumer finance industry advantageous

Technical Skills and Personal characteristics:

• Leadership & Management - Ability to motivate, guide, and develop team members, providing regular feedback, training, and performance reviews.
• Performance Monitoring & Management - Setting targets/KPIs, tracking team performance metrics (e.g., recovery rates, delinquency percentages), and implementing improvement plans.
• Conflict Resolution & Escalation Management - Handling escalated customer issues and internal team conflicts, finding timely resolutions, and knowing when to involve senior management or legal teams.
• Workflow & Resource Planning - Planning and prioritizing workloads, managing call volumes across different channels (phone, email, etc.), and ensuring appropriate staffing levels.
• Collections Expertise & Strategy - Debt Recovery Strategies & Techniques
• Developing and implementing effective strategies to improve collection efficiency and optimize debt recovery rates.
• Negotiation & Persuasion - Skill in negotiating payment plans, settlements, and terms with customers while maintaining a professional and empathetic approach.
• Regulatory Compliance & Risk Management In-depth knowledge of relevant laws (e.g., FDCPA, GDPR, FCA guidance) to ensure all activities are compliant and risks are mitigated.
• Data Analysis & Reporting - Analysing collection data and performance reports to identify trends, pinpoint areas for improvement, and make data-driven decisions.
• Excellent Communication (Verbal & Written) - Clear, professional, and persuasive communication to interact with debtors, team members, and stakeholders.
• Empathy & Customer Service - Demonstrating empathy when dealing with customers in difficult financial situations, including vulnerable customers, while providing excellent service.
• Relationship Building – Building strong internal relationships with management, other departments (finance, sales, legal), and external stakeholders/agencies.
• Problem‑Solving & Critical Thinking - Ability to analyse complex situations, identify issues, and develop practical solutions under pressure.
• Ability to ensure high level of attention to detail to work and ability to operate at all levels in an organisation.
• Confident in leading a team and making strong decisions.
• Good problem solving, communication, and organisational skills
• Constantly look to improve current Collections processes and business practices
• Possess a positive attitude and enthusiasm
• Maintain professionalism in all aspects of communication
• Self‑driven and motivated
• Proficient IT skills and competent user in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook
• Intermediate user of Excel
• Ability to work with large data on Excel and create pivot tables or charts desired

Stellantis is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity and equal pay regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or gender identity. Stellantis are also accredited with the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Gold Award, that recognises organisations that pledge, demonstrate or advocate support to the armed forces community. Service Personnel and their families are therefore encouraged to apply.