Contact Centre Team Leader

Sopra Steria; Newcastle upon Tyne; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

Health cash plan

Life assurance

Pension

Job summary

Sopra Steria Financial Services in the UK is recruiting a Contact Centre Team Leader to head a team of up to 15 advisors in Newcastle. In this hybrid role you’ll coach, develop and performance-manage colleagues while balancing regulatory requirements with excellent customer outcomes.

You’ll use MI and quality data to identify improvement opportunities, drive change and support the department’s goals. Working pattern: two days at Quorum Business Park and the rest from home.

Qualifications

• Utilities experience combined with people leadership experience in another customer operations environment.
• Strong coaching, performance management and people development skills.
• Good understanding of debt collection regulations, customer vulnerability requirements and Consumer Duty principles.
• Ability to analyse performance data and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Strong organisational, problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Passion for delivering positive customer outcomes alongside strong commercial performance.

Responsibilities

• Leading, motivating and developing a team of Collections and Recoveries Advisors to create an engaged, high-performing culture.
• Delivering regular coaching, one-to-one meetings and performance reviews to support colleague development and improve results.
• Monitoring productivity, quality, compliance and customer outcome measures, taking action to address performance gaps.
• Supporting colleagues with complex customer situations, complaints and vulnerable customer cases.
• Using management information and performance data to identify trends, improve operational performance and enhance customer experience.
• Driving continuous improvement initiatives and supporting operational change across the department.

Skills

Team leadership

Coaching

Performance management

Data analysis

Regulatory understanding

Customer outcomes

Job description

Are you an experienced people leader who thrives on developing high-performing teams and delivering great customer outcomes?

We're looking for a Contact Centre Team Leader to join our Collections and Recoveries operation in Newcastle. This is an exciting opportunity to lead a team of up to 15 advisors in a fast-paced, customer-focused environment where you'll play a key role in balancing commercial performance with fair and ethical customer treatment.

You’ll be responsible for driving performance, coaching colleagues, and ensuring customer interactions are handled in line with regulatory requirements and business expectations. Working within a supportive and collaborative culture, you’ll have the opportunity to influence continuous improvement initiatives, develop your leadership skills and make a real impact on both customer and colleague experiences.

This is a hybrid role based from our Newcastle office at Quorum Business Park two days per week with the rest working from home. Working patterns operate between 8am and 8pm Monday to Friday, and 8am to 4pm on Saturdays, with time off in lieu for weekend working.

What you’ll be doing:

• Leading, motivating and developing a team of Collections and Recoveries Advisors to create an engaged, high-performing culture.
• Delivering regular coaching, one-to-one meetings and performance reviews to support colleague development and improve results.
• Monitoring productivity, quality, compliance and customer outcome measures, taking action to address performance gaps.
• Supporting colleagues with complex customer situations, complaints and vulnerable customer cases.
• Using management information and performance data to identify trends, improve operational performance and enhance customer experience.
• Driving continuous improvement initiatives and supporting operational change across the department.

What you’ll bring:

• Utilities experience combined with people leadership experience in another customer operations environment.
• Strong coaching, performance management and people development skills.
• Good understanding of debt collection regulations, customer vulnerability requirements and Consumer Duty principles.
• Ability to analyse performance data and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Strong organisational, problem-solving and decision‑making skills.
• Passion for delivering positive customer outcomes alongside strong commercial performance.

It would be great if you had:

• Experience within a Debt Collection Agency environment.
• Knowledge of vulnerable customer frameworks and affordability assessments.
• Experience supporting change initiatives and continuous improvement activities.

Employment Type: Full-time, Permanent.

Location: Newcastle (Quorum Business Park).

Security Clearance Level: SC.

Salary: Up to £35,000 per annum.

Benefits: 25 days annual leave with the choice to buy additional days, health cash plan, life assurance, and pension.

Loved reading about this job and want to know more about the sector?

Founded in 2021, Sopra Steria Financial Services is redefining what’s possible for public and private sector organisations across the UK. Our team delivers cutting-edge IT support and consultancy to leading banks, energises customer experiences for the nation’s largest savings bank through advanced contact centre services, and empowers organisations to recover outstanding debt with smart, data‑driven strategies. Every solution we create is driven by a spirit of innovation and a commitment to putting our clients and their customers at the centre of every decision. We’re not just supporting businesses, we’re shaping the future of financial services with integrity, creativity and a relentless focus on doing what’s right.

We embrace difference as a source of creativity, innovation and competitive advantage and are striving to become a more diverse organisation. We welcome applications from people with a diverse variety of backgrounds and identities. We are committed to equality of opportunity for all and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation or marital status. We have partnered with Vercida, the UK's largest diversity and inclusion focused careers site, where all our vacancies are available in an accessible format.