Senior Collections Specialist

Role Summary

• MIM Finance is looking for an experienced and results-driven Senior Collections Officer to strengthen our Collections function and drive improved performance across our loan portfolio.
• This is a senior, hands-on role for an experienced collections professional who has successfully led collections teams, managed sizeable lending portfolios and delivered measurable improvements in recovery performance.
• The successful candidate will be expected to go beyond day-to-day recovery activities. You will analyse portfolio performance, develop and execute collections strategies, manage delinquency across different stages, drive team performance and provide management with clear insight into portfolio health and recovery outcomes.

We are particularly interested in candidates with substantial experience within consumer lending, fintech, microfinance, digital lending or other credit-led financial institutions.

Key Responsibilities

Portfolio & Cole

• Take ownership of collections and recovery performance across assigned loan portfolios.
• Monitor delinquency trends and proactively manage accounts across early, mid and late-stage collections.
• Segment delinquent portfolios and determine appropriate collection and recovery strategies based on risk, ageing and customer behaviour.
• Drive reduction in arrears, Portfolio at Risk (PAR), non-performing loans (NPLs) and roll rates.
• Track recovery rates, cure rates, repayment performance and Promise-to-Pay fulfilment.
• Develop targeted recovery plans for deteriorating, high-value and high-risk accounts.
• Handle complex or escalated recovery cases, including repayment arrangements, restructures and settlements where appropriate.
• Identify emerging portfolio risks and recommend preventive or corrective action.

Team Leadership & Performance

• Lead, supervise, coach and develop collections officers and recovery personnel.
• Establish clear daily, weekly and monthly collections targets.
• Monitor individual and team performance against agreed KPIs.
• Conduct regular performance reviews and ensure appropriate action is taken where results fall below expectations.
• Coach team members on negotiation, customer engagement, objection handling and recovery techniques.
• Promote a performance-driven culture with clear accountability for collection outcomes.
• Identify skill and process gaps within the team and recommend appropriate training or interventions.

Collections Strategy & Process Improvement

• Develop and continuously improve collections strategies across different delinquency buckets.
• Analyse repayment behaviour, recovery trends and portfolio data to determine the effectiveness of existing approaches.
• Recommend changes to collection workflows, contact strategies, escalation processes and repayment arrangements.
• Work with relevant teams to improve automation and the use of digital channels within the collections process.
• Review collections scripts, operating procedures and escalation frameworks to improve effectiveness.
• Identify root causes of recurring defaults and provide feedback to Credit, Risk, Product and Management.

Report & Analytics

• Prepare regular collections and portfolio performance reports for management.
• Track and analyse key indicators including:
• Collection and recovery rates
• Portfolio at Risk (PAR)
• Non-performing loan ratios
• Roll rates
• Cure rates
• Delinquency ageing
• Promise-to-Pay performance
• Agent/team productivity
• Recovery against assigned targets
• Translate portfolio data into clear insights and recommended actions.
• Maintain accurate records of collection activities, repayments, customer commitments and escalations.

Stakeholder Management & Compliance

• Collaborate closely with Credit, Risk, Finance, Legal, Product and Customer Experience teams.
• Escalate appropriate accounts for legal or alternative recovery action.
• Manage relationships with external recovery agents or other third-party recovery partners where applicable.
• Ensure all collections activities comply with company policies, regulatory requirements and appropriate customer protection standards.
• Maintain professional and ethical recovery practices while ensuring firm accountability for repayment obligations.

Skills & Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business Administration or a related discipline.
• Minimum of 8 years' relevant experience in Collections, Loan Recovery, Credit Management or a closely related function.
• Demonstrable experience leading and managing collections/recovery teams.
• Strong track record of managing lending portfolios and delivering measurable improvement in collections and recovery performance.
• Strong understanding of delinquency management, PAR, NPLs, roll rates, cure rates, recovery rates and portfolio ageing.
• Experience managing both performing and delinquent loan portfolios across different collection stages.
• Strong background within fintech, consumer lending, microfinance, retail banking, digital lending or another credit-focused financial institution.
• Strong analytical capability and ability to use portfolio data to make operational decisions.
• Advanced working knowledge of Microsoft Excel and collections/loan management or CRM systems.
• Strong negotiation and problem-solving capability.
• Excellent people-management and performance-management skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to operate effectively in a target-driven and fast-paced lending environment.

Good Haves

• Experience managing large or high-volume consumer loan portfolios.
• Experience with both telephone/digital collections and field or hard-recovery processes.
• Experience working with automated collection systems, loan management systems or data dashboards.
• Experience managing external recovery agencies or legal recovery processes.
• Professional certification in Credit, Risk, Banking, Finance or a related discipline.

What we are looking for

We are looking for someone who can demonstrate results, not simply years of experience.

Strong candidates should be able to clearly explain:

• The size and type of loan portfolios they have managed.
• The collections teams they have led.
• The performance targets they were accountable for.
• Their approach to delinquency and recovery strategy.
• Specific improvements they achieved in recovery rates, PAR, NPLs or other portfolio indicators.
• How they have used data and team performance management to improve collections outcomes.