Customer Support and Collections Associate

LGBT Jobs; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 26,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

Close Brothers Asset Finance is seeking a Customer Support and Collections Associate in Manchester. You will assist customers in financial difficulty with tailored collections strategies within your authority, while delivering empathetic, compliant service.

The role requires experience in lending collections, strong communication, and the ability to assess customer circumstances. You will work in a hybrid setup between office and home, with a focus on regulatory adherence.

Qualifications

• Prior experience in collections/recoveries for lending products.
• Experience handling vulnerable customers with sensitivity.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated emotional intelligence, resilience and empathy.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Engage with customers to mitigate losses and deploy collections strategies.
• Communicate empathetically via telephone, post and email.
• Assess customer circumstances using structured questioning and income/expense analysis.
• Explain repayment options and provide debt advice sources.
• Identify customer vulnerability and escalate as needed.
• Ensure compliance with governance and regulatory requirements.
• Log customer dissatisfaction and adhere to escalation processes.
• Collaborate with colleagues to improve outcomes.

Skills

Excellent communication and Interpres

Experience in collections/recoveries

Experience with vulnerable customers

Analytical skills

Emotional intelligence and empathy

Teamwork skills

Tools

Alfa Financial Software

Job description

Customer Support and Collections Associate

Location: Manchester, UK

Job Type: Permanent

Pay: Competitive Basic Salary + Benefits + Discretionary Bonus

Highlighted points for this job

Assist customers in financial difficulty with tailored collections and recovery strategies

Maintain compliance with internal and external regulatory expectations

Develop deep understanding of Close Brothers Asset Finance businesses, products and processes

Provide empathetic communication with customers through various channels

Ensure all Governance and Compliance requirements are adhered to

OVERALL SUMMARY

At Close Brothers we look to recruit individuals from all different backgrounds and encourage you to apply even if you don’t tick every box. We celebrate diversity, promote inclusivity and are open to discuss flexible work options to help you balance your work and home life.

Join the Close Brothers Asset Finance (CBAF) team where you will assist our customers in financial difficulty, providing appropriate support and operating within your designated authority. This includes identifying tailored and effective collections and recovery strategies for our customers, whilst maintaining compliance with relevant internal and external regulatory expectations.

You will need to develop a deep understanding of CBAF businesses, products and processes. You'll use your strong interpersonal skills to deliver good customer outcomes ensuring alignment to divisional objectives. An inquisitive nature, strong initiative, problem solving skills and a customer-first approach are key to success in this role.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Customer:

Mitigate losses to the bank through early engagement with customers in financial difficulty and deployment of appropriate collections and recoveries strategies

Confidentially and empathetically communicate with customers through channels including telephone, post and email

Understand customer circumstances through appropriate techniques, including structured questioning and use of income and expenditure analysis

Provide clear explanations of repayment options and independent sources of debt advice to empower customers to make informed decisions

Identify and respond to customer vulnerability ensuring an appropriate level of care, seeking additional support where needed.

Apply the CBAF Collections and Recoveries Standards, and associated procedures, to all customer dealings

Identify and log customer dissatisfaction in an appropriate and professional manner whilst adhering to complaints/escalation process

Escalate complex queries or situations that cannot be resolved at first instance

Identify improvements to enhance customer and/or Bank outcomes

Ensure that all Governance and Compliance requirements are adhered to and all reporting and reviewing activities required by the Regulatory Bodies are carried out to the standards required

WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU IF YOU HAVE:

Prior experience in collections/recoveries in relation to lending products

Experience with vulnerable customers

Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills

Excellent analytical skills, with the ability to assess customer circumstances and identify appropriate strategies, applying judgement and decision making skills

The ability to demonstrate emotional intelligence, resilience and empathy

Strong teamwork skills, able to collaborate effectively while maintaining individual workload in a fast paced environment

IT IS NOT ESSENTIAL BUT IT WOULD BE GREAT IF YOU HAVE/CAN:

Deliver excellent customer service via previous customer facing roles with excellent and professional telephony skills

Knowledge of collections and recoveries regulatory requirements and industry standards

Proficiency in Alfa Financial Software

We are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. We recognise that candidates may have specific needs that require adjustments to ensure they have a fair and equal opportunity to demonstrate their skills and abilities. Candidates who require the job description or application form in an alternative format, or any other adjustments, are encouraged to email us at [e-mail] or request a call back.

ABOUT US

At Close Brothers we support employees to balance their work life priorities and in this role you will be able to enjoy a mixture of hybrid working.

Close Brothers is a leading UK merchant banking group providing lending, deposit taking and securities trading. We employ approximately 3,000 people, principally in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Close Brothers Group plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250.

To find out more about Close Brothers, please visit our careers page: https://www.closebrothers.com/careers

To find out more about life at Close Brothers:https://www.closebrothers.com/life-close-brothers#374017299-899295541

To find out more about our benefits:https://www.closebrothers.com/employee-benefits

To find out more about our commitment to creating an inclusive environment:Our Responsibility - Diversity and inclusion ¦ Close Brothers Group

If this job opportunity is not suitable, then check out the other LGBT friendly jobs across UK!