Collections Manager

Discovery Limited; Sandton; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Discovery Bank is seeking a Collections Operations Manager to oversee 24/7 collections activities, design efficient processes and monitor performance. The role involves improving credit risk controls, managing delinquent accounts, and coordinating with service partners to ensure compliant operations.

The ideal candidate will have 4–6 years in debt management, people leadership experience, and senior-level financial planning exposure.

Qualifications

• At least 4 to 6 years’ experience in debt management services.
• Experience in managing people.
• At least 2 years in financial planning at a senior level.

Responsibilities

• Manages the bank’s risk operations processes and oversees a wide range of operational activities while managing customer relationships.
• Runs a client credit portfolio efficiently while delivering strong customer satisfaction.
• Analyses data to identify credit risks and informs Risk Operations.
• Develops plans to handle client disputes and re-assess credit decisions under policy.
• Performs data analysis on client portfolios to identify trends for credit modelling.
• Intervenes through education, motivation and negotiation to improve clients’ financial status.
• Executes collections and recovery strategies aligned to bank strategies.
• Monitors performance and SLA compliance of external collections agencies.
• Maintains a detailed risk register with mitigation plans for credit ops, collections and recoveries.
• Ensures daily/monthly reports are reviewed and acted upon.
• Fosters stakeholder relationships and leads team development to meet business demands.
• Contributes to policy, procedure, and standard development within collections and credits ops.

Skills

Planning and organising

Problem solving

Judgment and decision making

Conflict management

Innovative process management

Client service orientation

Verbal and written communication

Financial advice

Income and expenditure, budgeting, and

Analytical and numerical

Basic economics

Regulatory and compliance acts

Education

Bachelor’s degree in finance or related field

FAIS accredited

Job description

About Discovery

Discovery’s core purpose is to make people healthier and to enhance and protect their lives. We seek out and invest in exceptional individuals who understand and support our core purpose, and whose own values align with those of Discovery. Our fast-paced and dynamic environment enables smart, self-driven people to be their best. As global thought leaders, Discovery is passionate about innovating in order to not only achieve financial success, but to ignite positive and meaningful change within our society.

About Discovery Bank

Discovery Bank is a bank like no other – a shared-value bank, designed with our clients in mind. We’re all about sharing the value that clients create when they manage their money well, back with them through exceptional interest rates and rewards. Our Vitality Money programme measures how well clients manage their finances, informs them of what it means to be financially healthy, and empowers them with the knowledge to get enhanced rewards for managing their money well. If you’re adaptable, a problem-solver, always questioning the way things are done, passionate about doing what is right, and obsessed with providing a quality service experience, we have a job for you where you can be your best in an environment that’s safe and nurturing.

Key Purpose

The Collections Operations Manager is responsible for ensuring that the collections functions within Discovery Bank run efficiently and effectively on a 24/7/365 basis. The incumbent is required to assist in the design and continuous improvement of both current and future business processes. This includes systems and processes that support day-to-day operations, outlining process flows, defining operating rules and policies, and assigning and monitoring operational roles and responsibilities.

The incumbent must keep track of performance metrics, analyse bottlenecks, and take corrective actions where required. He/she also responsible for implementing credit and collections solutions to improve performance levels. It is important that the incumbent has a hand-on approach and gets involved in front-line work to get the job done and to gain a better understanding of the business.

Areas of responsibility may include but are not limited to.

• Manages the bank’s risk operations processes and oversees a wide range of operational activities while managing customer relationships. These will include establishing direct communication channels with applicants or borrowers (clients), identifying, and managing delinquent accounts, taking direct collections and recovery actions, issuing monthly statements, and handling escalated customer queries.
• Runs a client credit portfolio efficiently while delivering strong customer satisfaction.
• Analyses data and to find patterns that may identify credit risks in the products and escalates to the Risk Operations management team.
• Oversees and develops a plan to handle client disputes by requesting new client information via the Service Consultants/Discovery Banker. Applying discretion in line the overall policy to re-assess the credit scoring and granting and using this information as client intelligence to provide input into the credit model.
• Performs data analysis on a portfolio of client cases to identify trends and provides this intelligence as strategic input for the credit model to ensure the Bank’s credit risk is mitigated.
• Performs in-depth analysis of clients’ financial status to determine how to best intervene through education, motivation, and negotiation with the aim of getting the client in a better financial situation.
• Executes the collections and recovery strategies aligned to the overall bank strategies.
• Manages and monitors the performance of external collections agencies within SLA’s.
• Ensures that a detailed risk register with mitigation plan exists for credit ops, collections, and recoveries to mitigate operational risks.
• Monitors all daily and monthly reports for credit ops and collections performance and takes action as required.
• Creates, maintains, and enhances internal and external stakeholder relationships in order to improve overall efficiency and ensure compliance.
• Effectively leads the team and takes accountability for the continuous up-skilling of employees to ensure that current and future business demands are met.
• Develops, executes, and gives inputs into the policies, procedures and standards within collections and credits ops aligned to the regulatory framework.

Technical Skills Or Knowledge

• Planning and organising.
• Problem solving.
• Judgment and decision making.
• Conflict management.
• Innovative process management.
• Client service orientation.
• Verbal and written communication.
• Financial advice.
• Income and expenditure, budgeting, financial planning, pulling bureau reports.
• Analytical and numerical.
• Basic economics.
• All related regulatory and compliance acts.

Education And Experience Required

• At least 4 to 6 years’ experience in debt management services.
• Experience in managing people.
• At least 2 years in financial planning at a senior level.

Preferred

• At least 4 to 6 years in credit operations, collections and operational risk management in retail banking or financial services.
• Experience in process design and optimisation.

Required

• A bachelor’s degree with finance, accounting, economics, law, or business management.
• FAIS accredited.

Preferred

• Degree with Honours (finance, accounting, economics, law, or business management)
• NQF level 9 qualification (MBL, MBA, M Comm)

EMPLOYMENT EQUITY

The Company’s approved Employment Equity Plan and Targets will be considered as part of the recruitment process. As an Equal Opportunities employer, we actively encourage and welcome people with various disabilities to apply.