The Role
This isn't an ordinary Collections role, we're looking for a highly-skilled negotiator to help our customers get back on track.
We're Loans by MAL — a profitable, growing lender based in the Bournemouth area. We lend responsibly, move quickly, and make decisions without layers of corporate bureaucracy getting in the way.
We've built a strong operation and a customer base that performs well. But like every lender, we have a small group of customers who drift further into arrears and become increasingly difficult to engage. That's the group we're focusing on. We're creating a dedicated role for someone tenacious. Not someone who wants to sit and wait to answer the phone. Someone who looks at a problem and focuses on solving it; what can you bring that's different?
We need people to join our small, specialist team, who can do something genuinely difficult well: have honest conversations with people about money, hold firm with what's owed, and leave them feeling respected.
With a framework in place, you'll understand that each customer is different and a human being - you'll have the ability to engage based on the customer, and deliver a positive outcome to help get them back on track. You'll need the negotiation instinct to secure outcomes and the empathy to do it without burning the relationship — or your own energy — down.
You'll have ownership of a specific portfolio of customers who are significantly behind on their repayments. This isn't a normal 9-5 role, we need someone committed to working shift patterns until 8pm, with some weekend work. We work these times because that's when we can actually reach people after their own working day.
The objective is simple: increase engagement and create better outcomes. Phone. SMS. Email. But it will also involve testing new approaches, improving existing processes, and helping us build a more effective Collections function.
What You'll Be Doing
- Take ownership of a portfolio of customers who are multiple payments in arrears.
- Negotiate realistic, sustainable repayment plans — not just short-term fixes that fail in a month
- Contact customers through phone, SMS, and email.
- Identify opportunities to improve engagement rates.
- Design and test new communication approaches.
- Work with management to implement new collections and recoveries strategies.
- Investigate tools and services that could improve customer contactability and tracing.
- Help shape how this part of the business operates moving forward.
- Working towards personal and team targets without losing sight of the why and how you got there.
What We're Looking For
- You've worked in a role where results matter. That could be collections, recoveries, sales, retentions, recruitment, telecoms, or something similar.
- You've got proven experience in collections, credit control, telesales, or a similarly negotiation-heavy customer-facing role
- You're genuinely comfortable about having difficult conversations.
- You're resilient - you can tackle a hard case, take a reset and be present and engaged ready for the next customer
More important than industry experience is mindset.
- You're tenacious.
- You don't give up after one attempt.
- You enjoy solving problems.
- You naturally look for better ways of doing things.
- You take ownership.
- You care about customers and people
What You'll Get
- £26,000-£38,000 depending on experience.
- 22 days holiday plus bank holidays.
- Your birthday off every year.
- A sparkly, brand new office in the heart of Westbourne.
- On-site gym.
- Regular team socials and events.
- Real career progression and opportunity.
If that sounds interesting, we'd love to hear from you.
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Pay: £26,000.00-£38,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Company events
- On-site gym
Work Location: In person
