Head of Financial Assistance Operations (Collections)

TN United Kingdom; Manchester; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative bank is seeking a Head of Financial Assistance Operations to lead their collections teams across multiple locations. This pivotal role involves developing strategies that ensure customer-centric outcomes while maintaining regulatory compliance. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in collections operations and a passion for leading high-performing teams. Join a forward-thinking organization committed to reshaping banking with a culture that values empathy and accountability. This is an exciting opportunity to make a significant impact in a dynamic and supportive environment.

Benefits

25 days holiday plus public holiday allowance

Extra day off for your birthday

Annual leave increases with service

Paid volunteering time

Company enhanced pension scheme

Life insurance at 4x salary

Private Medical Insurance

Generous family-friendly policies

Perkbox membership

Cycle to Work initiatives

Qualifications

• Proven leadership in collections operations with a focus on customer outcomes.
• Strong understanding of regulatory obligations within unsecured portfolios.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Financial Assistance Operations teams across Retail and Business segments.
• Ensure effective execution of collections strategies and maintain regulatory compliance.

Skills

Collections Operations expertise

Customer-Centric Decision Making

Operational Excellence

Risk & Regulatory Acumen

Stakeholder Influence & Communication

Job description

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Head of Financial Assistance Operations (Collections), Manchester

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Client:

Starling Bank

Location:

Manchester, United Kingdom

Job Category:

Other

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EU work permit required:

Yes

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Job Reference:

a46fde64a2c2

Job Views:

5

Posted:

05.05.2025

Expiry Date:

19.06.2025

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Job Description:

Hello, we’re Starling. We built a new kind of bank because we knew technology had the power to help people save, spend and manage their money in a new and transformative way. We’re a fully licensed UK bank with the culture and spirit of a fast-moving, disruptive tech company. We’re a bank, but better: fairer, easier to use and designed to demystify money for everyone. We employ more than 3,500 people across our London, Southampton, Cardiff and Manchester offices.

Our recruitment process:

Interviewing is a two way process and we want you to have the time and opportunity to get to know us, as much as we are getting to know you! Our interviews are conversational and we want to get the best from you, so come with questions and be curious.

Following your application being reviewed, you can expect the below:

Stage 1 - Prescreen call with Talent Acquisition Partner

Stage 2 - Role related interviews

About the role:

We're looking for an experienced collections technical leader to join & lead our recently rebranded Financial Assistance department. The operation is split across Cardiff, London & Manchester; we're looking for an engaging people leader to travel across all three sites, with at least 10 days a month spent in a Starling office.

As Head of Financial Assistance Operations, you'll lead the end-to-end Financial Assistance Operations teams across Retail and Business customer segments. This role ensures the effective execution of collections and recoveries strategies, driving sustainable performance, delivering good customer outcomes, and maintaining regulatory compliance. The role requires a balance of strategic leadership, operational excellence, and strong people management.

Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities Include:

• Execute the bank’s collections and recoveries strategies in line with risk appetite, customer needs, and business objectives
• Ensure a customer-centric approach in all interactions, especially with financially vulnerable customers.
• Champion fair treatment of customers in financial difficulty, in line with FCA Consumer Duty and other regulatory standards.
• Embed a culture of empathy, accountability, and outcome-focused engagement within the operations team.
• Proactively identify and address emerging risks, operational issues, or regulatory developments.
• Identify how hand-offs to specialist areas are best managed to ensure seamless processing and customer experience
• Lead, develop and motivate high-performing teams.
• Create a high-performance culture focused on delivery, innovation, collaboration, and customer outcomes.
• Work closely with the Director of Financial Assistance to shape the wider customer support strategy.
• Collaborate with internal teams within Financial Assistance and across the Bank to ensure aligned execution.
• Act as a key contact for senior leadership on performance and escalation.

Requirements

• Strategic Thinking & Execution
• Customer-Centric Decision Making
• Operational Excellence
• Risk & Regulatory Acumen
• Leadership & People Development
• Stakeholder Influence & Communication

Skills & Experience:

• Collections Operations expertise and leadership including operating model design
• Broad understanding of regulatory obligations within an unsecured portfolio and preferably government backed loans
• Ability to effectively partner with different teams to deliver an effective servicing model
• Strong communication skills with the ability to influence and navigate change
• Have attention to detail to ensure processes and models are robust, compliant, effective and efficient
• Can influence senior stakeholders credibly based on experience, business knowledge, depth of insight, market and best practice
• 25 days holiday (plus take your public holiday allowance whenever works best for you)
• An extra day’s holiday for your birthday
• Annual leave is increased with length of service, and you can choose to buy or sell up to five extra days off
• 16 hours paid volunteering time a year
• Salary sacrifice, company enhanced pension scheme
• Life insurance at 4x your salary & group income protection
• Private Medical Insurance with VitalityHealth including mental health support and cancer care. Partner benefits include discounts with Waitrose, Mr&Mrs Smith and Peloton
• Generous family-friendly policies
• Incentives refer a friend scheme
• Perkbox membership giving access to retail discounts, a wellness platform for physical and mental health, and weekly free and boosted perks
• Access to initiatives like Cycle to Work, Salary Sacrificed Gym partnerships and Electric Vehicle (EV) leasing

About us:

You may be put off applying for a role because you don't tick every box. Forget that! While we can’t accommodate every flexible working request, we're always open to discussion. So, if you're excited about working with us, but aren’t sure if you're 100% there yet, get in touch anyway.We’re on a mission to radically reshape banking – and that starts with our brilliant team. Whatever came before, we’re proud to bring together people of all backgrounds and experiences who love working together to solve problems.

Starling Bank is an equal opportunity employer, and we’re proud of our ongoing efforts to foster diversity & inclusion in the workplace. Individuals seeking employment at Starling Bank are considered without regard to race, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, ancestry, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. When you provide us with this information, you are doing so at your own consent, with full knowledge that we will process this personal data in accordance with our Privacy Notice. By submitting your application, you agree that Starling Bank will collect your personal data for recruiting and related purposes. Our Privacy Notice explains what personal information we will process, where we will process your personal information, its purposes for processing your personal information, and the rights you can exercise over our use of your personal information.