Debt Collection Agency Manager ; Debt Operations in Manchester - The FR Group

Job Description

Debt Collection Agency Manager; Debt Operations

Location: Manchester

Role Profile (The purpose of the role)

The purpose of the Debt Collections Agency Manager is to oversee and optimise the performance of the Company’s panel of third-party debt collection agencies (DCAs). This role is critical in ensuring that external partners operate in alignment with business objectives, regulatory standards, and customer experience expectations within a B2B commercial debt environment.

Scope of the Role (The functions, people and revenue responsibilities)

Direct Reports: None

Reports to: Head of Debt Strategy

Responsibilities of the role (What we want you to do)

• Manage relationships with a panel of approved DCAs, ensuring contractual compliance and performance delivery.
• Monitor and analyse agency performance metrics (recovery rates, cost-to-collect, customer complaints, queries etc.).
• Conduct regular reviews, audits, and scorecards to assess agency effectiveness (Top 10 debtors, MBR (Monthly Business Review), QA (Quality Assurance) of calls and queries).
• Ensure there is accurate and transparent alignment of responsibility of debt allocated to DCAs (multi-layered reconciliations).
• Lead onboarding and offboarding processes for DCAs, including due diligence and contract negotiation.
• Collaborate with internal teams (Legal, Compliance, Risk, Customer Service) to ensure agencies adhere to regulatory and ethical standards.
• Explore, develop and implement strategies to improve collections outcomes while maintaining customer dignity and brand reputation.
• Identify and escalate risks related to DCA conduct, data handling, or regulatory breaches, ensuring appropriate governance and remediation.
• Support the integration of digital tools and automation to enhance DCA oversight and performance monitoring.
• Review and approve 3rd party invoices.
• Resolve escalated issues between agencies and internal stakeholders.
• Stay current with industry trends, regulatory changes, and best practices in debt recovery.
• Prepare reports and insights for senior leadership on agency performance and portfolio health.

Success Measures (What success in the role looks like)

• Increase in the percentage of total assigned debt successfully recovered by DCAs and reduce the time taken.
• Accurate reporting on the comparative performance of each agency in terms of net recoveries.
• Consistent percentage of agencies meeting service level agreements.
• Improved portfolio coverage with eligible debt placed with the most effective agency.
• Segment debt portfolios and tailor DCA strategies based on data insights and customer profiles.

Experience (What you need to have already done to be right for this role)

• Proven experience managing third-party collections or vendor relationships in a financial services or regulated environment.
• Comprehensive knowledge of debt recovery legal/enforcement processes, consumer credit regulations, and compliance frameworks (e.g., FCA, GDPR).
• Comprehensive knowledge of the regulatory and legal requirements impacting B2B sales organisations.
• Experience with collections systems, CRM platforms, and data analytics tools.
• Experience working within the Utilities, Telecoms or similar site based service industry.

Skills (The personal capabilities needed to excel in this role)

• Excellent negotiation, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Analytical mindset with experience in performance tracking and reporting.
• Ability to balance commercial outcomes with customer fairness and regulatory compliance.
• The self-awareness to identify own development needs and the desire to continually improve both self and the team.
• A confident and concise communication style.

Qualifications and other requirements

• Qualifications: Professional certifications in credit management or compliance (desirable).
• Location: Within commuting distance of Sale, Manchester.