Credit Strategy Manager

Thames Water; Swindon; On-site; GBP 62,000 - 74,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK water utility is seeking a Credit Strategy Manager to lead the development and implementation of credit strategies. The role involves managing a customer portfolio worth £2.4bn and ensuring effective debt recovery. The ideal candidate will demonstrate proven credit strategy experience, change management skills, and the ability to inspire high-performing teams. Excellent benefits include a competitive salary, car allowance, and private healthcare. Join a company committed to making a difference in the community.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Car Allowance

Annual Bonus

Private Medical Health Care

26 days holiday

Performance-related pay plan

Qualifications

• Proven experience in credit strategy portfolio and performance management.
• Strong track record of leading change in complex, regulated environments.
• Commercially focused mindset with results in reducing bad debt and improving revenue performance.
• Ability to lead and inspire high-performing teams.

Responsibilities

• Build strong credit strategy capability to effectively manage the portfolio.
• Develop and manage Thames Water’s Household portfolio strategy.
• Drive development of new and existing portfolio strategies.
• Identify and deliver tailored strategies for customer segments.

Skills

Credit strategy portfolio management

Change management

Analytical skills

Stakeholder relationship building

Tools

SQL

SAS

Job description

Ready to Shape the Future of Credit Strategy at Thames Water? Are you a strategic thinker with a passion for driving performance? We are looking for a Credit Strategy Manager on a Fixed Term/Secondment to take the lead on our Household portfolio strategy, managing a customer base worth £2.4bn in revenue and £2.2bn in cash. This is your opportunity to make a real impact by building best-in-class portfolio management, ensuring effective debt recovery and proactive risk management.

What you will be doing as the Credit Strategy Manager

You will be responsible for building strong credit strategy capability in order to effectively manage the portfolio, spot risks and identify opportunities for improvement. You will be at the heart of transformation as we onboard a new debt management system as well as move to a new data lake. Over the coming months, you will lead your team through change and build capability to deliver the credit strategy in a new environment. Collaboration is key, working closely with senior leaders, including the Director of Income, Head of Portfolio and Credit Reporting and Insights team to turn data into actionable strategies. You will connect with Transformation teams to help shape the future of debt management.

Key accountabilities

• Portfolio Strategy Performance, Monitoring & Reporting
• Own and develop Thames Water’s Household portfolio strategy to ensure effective debt recovery and proactive risk management. Track strategy effectiveness and report performance across both directly and indirectly billed portfolios, including pre-arrears, collections and outsourced recoveries.
• Ongoing Development of New Strategies – Drive the evolution of new and existing portfolio strategies, playing a critical role in transformation projects and the implementation of our new debt collection system.
• Customer Segmentation Management – Identify and deliver tailored strategies to ensure customers receive support suited to their needs.
• Credit Strategy MI & Insights – Lead your team to provide daily, weekly and monthly reporting that enables informed decisions to optimise debt collection and protect portfolio health. Provide MI for the Retail Credit Risk Committee.
• Credit Management Governance – Own Credit Strategy policy and act as a key stakeholder for Retail Credit Committee governance, ensuring robust oversight of portfolio performance, guardrails and controls.

What you should bring to the role

• Proven experience in credit strategy portfolio and performance management.
• Strong track record of leading change in complex, regulated environments.
• Commercially focused mindset with results in reducing bad debt and improving revenue performance.
• Excellent communicator and trusted stakeholder relationship builder.
• Ability to lead and inspire high-performing teams.
• Analytical background with strong planning and problem-solving skills.
• Skilled in managing OPEX and CAPEX budgets.
• Desirable: Experience in Utilities or Financial Services, and SQL/SAS knowledge.

What’s in it for you

• A Competitive starting salary of £62,400 to £73,894.00 per annum, depending on skills and experience.
• 26 days holiday per year, increasing to 30 with length of service (plus bank holidays).
• Car Allowance.
• Annual Bonus.
• Private Medical Health Care.
• Performance-related pay plan directly linked to company performance measures and targets.
• Access to lots of benefits to help you take care of yourself and your family’s health and wellbeing, and your finances – from annual health MOTs and access to physiotherapy and counselling to Cycle to Work schemes, shopping vouchers and life assurance.

Who are we

We’re the UK’s largest water and wastewater company, with more than 16 million customers relying on us every day to supply water for their taps and toilets. We want to build a better future for all, helping our customers, communities, people, and the planet to thrive. It’s a big job and we’ve got a long way to go, so we need help from passionate and skilled people, committed to making a difference and getting us to where we want to be in the years and decades to come.

Working at Thames Water

Thames Water is a unique, rewarding, and diverse place to work, where every day you can make a difference, yet no day is the same. As part of our family, you’ll enjoy meaningful career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.

Real purpose, real support, real opportunities. Come and join the Thames Water family.

We’re committed to being a great, diverse, and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and want to ensure you feel supported throughout the recruitment process. If you need any adjustments, whether that’s extra time, accessible formats, or anything else just let us know, we’re here to help and support.

When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about our business and meet colleagues.

Disclaimer: Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.