Debt Collection Agency Relationship Manager

Department: Finance

Reports to: Head of Debt

Location: Manchester / Hybrid

Please ensure you read the entire job description before applying

The Opportunity
We’re looking for an experienced professional to lead the end‑to‑end management and performance of our third‑party Debt Collection Agencies (DCAs).

In this role, you’ll play a critical part in ensuring strong governance, robust regulatory compliance, and consistent delivery of optimal collections outcomes. You’ll combine strategic oversight of agency relationships with advanced, data‑led portfolio management - using customer segmentation and performance reporting to drive results.

Working closely with a wide range of internal stakeholders, you’ll help shape and continuously improve our upstream debt recovery approach. This includes contributing to journey design and process redesign, ensuring our collections activity is effective, fair and customer‑focused.

Throughout everything you do, you’ll protect customer dignity, safeguard data security, and uphold the organisation’s reputation - balancing commercial performance with responsible and ethical collection practices.

Key Responsibilities (absolute non-negotiables are highlighted)

· Lead the onboarding and offboarding processes for Debt Collection Agencies (DCAs), including and managing contract negotiations, agreeing commercial outcomes, managing due diligence and creating and delivering operational readiness plans.

· Review upstream process improvements to support scalable, efficient growth to prevent debt reaching the DCA stage and create readiness plans to redesign and implement new customer journeys to prevent delinquent debt.

· Manage relationships with a panel of approved DCAs, ensuring full contractual compliance, set up of clear KPI’s and delivery of agreed performance levels.

· Segment debt portfolios and leverage data insights and customer profiles to tailor DCA appointment and design strategies, ensuring each customer follows the most appropriate treatment pathway to resolve their debt.

· Monitor and analyse agency performance metrics, such as recovery rates, cost-to-collect, customer complaints, and queries, to drive continuous improvement.

· Conduct regular reviews, audits, and set up scorecard assessments of agency effectiveness, including Monthly Business Reviews (MBR) and Quality Assurance (QA) of calls and queries.

· Ensure accurate and transparent allocation and reconciliation of debt assigned to DCAs, supported by setting up and running multi-layered reconciliations.

· Collaborate with internal teams, such as Legal, Regulation, and Customer Service, to ensure agencies operate in line with regulatory and ethical standards.

· Explore, develop, and implement strategies to improve collections outcomes, maintaining customer dignity and protecting the brand’s reputation.

· Identify and escalate risks related to DCA conduct, data management, or regulatory breaches, ensuring robust governance and timely remediation.

· Support the integration of digital tools and automation to enhance oversight and performance monitoring of DCAs.

· Review and approve third-party invoices related to agency activities.

· Resolve escalated issues between DCAs and internal stakeholders effectively and efficiently ensuring robust performance management strategies are in place and deployed.

· Stay abreast of industry trends, regulatory developments, and best practices in debt recovery and utilise this to continuously revise existing process’s to maximize debt collection

· Prepare comprehensive reports and insights for senior leadership, detailing agency performance and overall portfolio health.

· Drive an increase in the percentage of total assigned debt successfully recovered by DCAs and work to reduce the time taken for recovery.

· Ensure accurate comparative reporting of each agency’s net recovery performance.

· Maintain a consistent percentage of agencies meeting service level agreements (SLAs).

· Improve portfolio coverage by ensuring eligible debt is placed with the most effective agency.

About You

· At least 5 year’s experience managing third‑party Debt Collection Agencies within a regulated environment

· Proven experience of designing a DCA strategy from scratch and deploying to achieve clear measurable debt improvements

· Experience of creating and designing escalated debt pathways from set up to execution including legal and either working with or for a debt purchaser.

· Strong commercial and analytical mindset, with the ability to interpret data and drive improved evidenced recovery outcomes

· Experience in working in a FCA regulated environment

· Ability to deputise for the ‘Head of Debt’ where required

· Confident managing agency relationships, performance, audits, and escalated issues and setting KPI’s that demonstrate measurable improvements

· Solid understanding of regulatory, legal, data, and ethical standards in debt recovery

· Highly organised and detail‑focused, with experience managing large debt portfolios and reconciliations

· Comfortable producing clear, insightful reporting for senior stakeholders

· Collaborative approach, working effectively with Legal, Regulatory, Finance, and Customer Service teams

· Proactive, improvement‑focused, and keen to leverage data, segmentation, and digital tools

· Committed to fair customer treatment, data security, and protecting the organisation’s reputation

Your Development and Benefits

At Leep, we believe in stable growth and putting our people first. Our 5-year strategic growth plan gives us stability today and prepares us for the future, while nurturing a strong collaborative and supportive culture.

Our benefits include:

• Salary which aligns to your experience and skillset

• 25 days paid holiday + bank holidays

• An additional day off to celebrate your birthday

• Annual discretionary bonus

• Company pension plan

• Health Cash plan through Westfield Health

• Option to purchase additional holiday days through our Holiday Buying Scheme

• Engagement committee with events throughout the year, including Christmas Party, Summer Party and individual team socials

• Paid professional memberships relevant to your role and access to professional development opportunities

Our Values

At the forefront of everything we do:

Safety, Customer Promise, Accountability, Reliability, Respect, Flexibility

Equal Opportunities

Leep Utilities is committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all staff and job applicants. We aim to create a working environment in which all individuals are able to make best use of their skills, free from discrimination or harassment. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. If you require any appropriate accommodations during the application or interview process, please let us know.