Executive: Portfolio Performance & Delivery

Network Recruitment; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 2,100,000; Full time

Job summary

Network Recruitment seeks an accomplished collections and recovery leader to drive performance across large portfolios in a Johannesburg-based role. You will balance operational execution with long-term strategy, engaging senior stakeholders and shaping business performance through people, processes, technology, and data.

The position offers exposure to executive leadership and opportunities to influence strategic decisions with regulatory and risk considerations in a highly regulated financial

Qualifications

• Degree in Commerce, Economics, Law, Finance, Business Management, or a related field. Postgraduate qualification advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Lead portfolio performance, collections, and recovery operations across multiple portfolios and units.
• Drive revenue, margin, profitability, and operational performance targets.
• Develop and implement collection and recovery strategies to maximise portfolio returns.
• Identify bottlenecks and implement remediation plans to improve outcomes.
• Oversee large-scale operational teams through multiple leadership layers.
• Provide strategic oversight of inbound collections, recovery, and customer engagement.
• Drive productivity, optimisation, and workforce effectiveness initiatives.
• Use data and analytics to influence decision-making and improve commercial performance.
• Partner with technology, operations, and leadership to implement scalable solutions.
• Manage regulatory compliance, governance, and risk frameworks in collections.

Skills

Collections & recoveries

Executive stakeholder management

Data analytics

Regulatory awareness

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor degree in Commerce/Economics/Finance/Business

Postgraduate qualification advantageous

Job description

The successful candidate will be a proven collections and recovery leader with extensive executive-level experience managing large operational teams, optimising portfolio performance, and delivering measurable financial outcomes. This role requires a commercially minded strategist who can leverage data to identify opportunities, influence decision-making, and drive business growth while balancing operational execution with long‑term strategic objectives.

Reporting into executive leadership, the role offers significant exposure to senior stakeholders and the opportunity to shape business performance through people, process, technology, and strategy.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead portfolio performance, collections, and recovery operations across multiple portfolios and business units
• Drive revenue, margin, profitability, and operational performance targets
• Develop and implement collection and recovery strategies to maximise portfolio returns
• Identify performance bottlenecks and implement remediation plans to improve operational outcomes
• Oversee large‑scale operational teams through multiple layers of leadership
• Provide strategic oversight of inbound collections, recovery, and customer engagement functions
• Drive operational optimisation, productivity improvements, and workforce effectiveness initiatives
• Utilise data and analytics to influence decision‑making and improve commercial performance
• Partner with technology, operations, and leadership teams to implement scalable solutions
• Manage regulatory compliance, governance, and risk frameworks within a collections environment
• Present operational, financial, and strategic performance insights to executive leadership and key stakeholders
• Lead client engagements and maintain strong relationships with senior client stakeholders
• Contribute to portfolio valuation discussions, investment decisions, and commercial planning
• Support business growth initiatives and the acquisition of new opportunities
• Develop and mentor senior leadership teams to build organisational capability

Job Experience and Skills Required:

Education:

Degree in Commerce, Economics, Law, Finance, Business Management, or a related field Postgraduate qualification advantageous

Experience:

• Minimum 8 years' experience in senior leadership positions within collections, recoveries, financial services, or credit management environments
• Demonstrated success leading large‑scale collections and recovery operations
• Experience managing multiple layers of leadership and large operational teams
• Strong understanding of legal collections, recoveries, and regulatory requirements
• Experience analysing portfolio performance, profitability, and commercial outcomes
• Strong understanding of balance sheets, income statements, portfolio valuations, and financial performance metrics
• Proven experience influencing C‑Suite and executive stakeholders
• Experience managing budgets, business cases, and operational investments
• Experience in highly regulated financial services environments preferred

Skills:

• Deep expertise in collections, recoveries, and portfolio performance management
• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to link operational activity to financial outcomes
• Excellent understanding of collections legislation and regulatory frameworks
• Advanced analytical and data interpretation skills
• Ability to use data to tell compelling performance stories and influence decision‑making
• Strong strategic thinking and problem‑solving abilities
• Exceptional stakeholder management and executive communication skills
• Strong leadership and people management capabilities
• Ability to balance operational execution with long‑term business objectives
• Commercially focused, performance‑driven, and results‑oriented mindset