Late Stage Collections Agent

A leading business lender specialising in providing financial solutions to businesses across various industries. They are seeking an experienced Late stage Collections agent.

This role offers a unique opportunity to work with a dynamic and forward-thinking team focused on resolving debt-related matters and supporting the continued success of our lending operations.

Key Responsibilities Account Management

• Handle a portfolio of late-stage delinquent accounts (typically 60+ days past due).
• Prioritize accounts based on risk, balance size, and likelihood of recovery.
• Determine appropriate strategies (payment plan, settlement, escalation, or legal referral).

Customer Engagement

• Initiate and manage inbound and outbound communications with customers via phone, email, and SMS.
• Use effective negotiation and communication techniques to understand customer financial situations. Strong customer service skills are important given a number of the debtors you will be handling will be vulnerable and in financial difficulties.
• Handle vulnerable customers effectively as per internal policies.
• Handle complaints effectively by objection handling before escalating to a complaints handler.

Payment Plan Structuring

• Complete income and expenditure forms with personal guarantors to agree on realistic and sustainable repayment plans. Where required assess bank statements to assess the suitability of payment plan proposals.
• Ensure all arrangements align with company guidelines and affordability assessments.

Settlement Negotiation

• Negotiate partial settlements where appropriate to maximize recovery.
• Look to balance commercial outcomes with fair treatment of customers.

Review & Monitoring

• Regularly review active payment plans to ensure that the agreed payment plan remains affordable and suitable.
• Pursue missed payments if a change in circumstances has occurred review what options the debtor has available.

Compliance & Regulation

• A strong understanding of compliance is required within the collections and Recoveries industry to ensure that debtors are being treated in accordance with the latest regulator guidance.
• Ensure all customer interactions are compliant, documented, and auditable.

Documentation & Systems

• Accurately record all customer interactions, agreements, and account updates in internal systems.
• Send payment plan confirmation letters once a formalised payment plan is agreed upon.
• Maintain high-quality notes and audit trails.

Performance Targets

• Meet or exceed KPIs such as conversion rates, promise to pay percentage, call volumes, emails sent, debit card payments, settlement volumes and payment plan review increases.
• Contribute to team targets and continuous improvement initiatives.

Key Skills & Competencies

• Proven experience in late-stage collections or recoveries (60+ DPD).
• Strong commercial judgment across settlements, plans, and escalation.
• Deep understanding of financial difficulty and affordability assessments.
• Experience handling vulnerable customers in a regulated environment.
• Strong negotiation and objection-handling skills.
• Experience with personal guarantees / SME lending.
• Exposure to legal recoveries, insolvency, or enforcement processes.
• Ability to handle sensitive conversations with empathy and professionalism.
• Solid understanding of collections strategies and financial hardship indicators.
• Analytical mindset with attention to detail when assessing affordability.
• Resilience and ability to work in a target-driven environment.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong organisational and time management abilities.
• The ability to handle vulnerable customers with compassion and understanding.
• Excellent written communication skills in order to handle customers effectively over SMS or email.
• The ability to suggest improvements to processes and policies in order to optimise the working environment.