Collections Strategy Lead Small Business

Virgin Money; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 57,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading mutual bank is seeking a Collections Strategy Lead for Small Business to enhance collections processes. This role involves developing and implementing effective strategies to support customers in arrears while ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements. Ideal candidates will have demonstrable experience in collections strategy and strong analytical skills using SAS or SQL. Join us to make a positive impact on customer outcomes and help shape the future of our collections team.

Benefits

25 days holiday per year

Private medical insurance

Performance-related bonus

Flexible benefits scheme

Qualifications

• Demonstrable experience in Small Business collections strategy.
• Proven analytical capability with SAS or SQL.
• Strong ability to communicate complex information clearly.

Responsibilities

• Own the collections and recovery strategy for Small Business customers.
• Identify opportunities to improve the collections journey.
• Design and monitor contact strategies for customer outreach.

Skills

Small Business collections strategy

Analytical capability

Communication skills

Collaborative teamwork

Proactivity

Tools

SAS

SQL

Job description

Search our opportunities to find your fit

Collections Strategy Lead - Small Business

Apply now Job no: 110929
Work type: Permanent Full Time
Location: London, Leeds City, Hybrid
Categories: Customer Service

Business Unit: Customer Operations
Salary range: £45,600 - £57,000 per annum
Location: UK Hybrid – Leeds/ London
Contract type: Permanent

Our Collections and Recoveries team is investing in strategic improvements across the Collections operation. These enhancements will ensure the operation is fit for purpose in the context of a continually evolving and complex regulatory landscape where customer circumstances require often tailored and sensitive solutions. Positive customer outcomes will continue to be at the heart of everything the function does with broader functional improvements driving a more engaging colleague experience across the front-line Collections operation.

We’re looking for individuals to join us to help deliver this exciting strategic initiative, working with colleagues across Virgin Money and Nationwide, to deliver improvements in the operation of the Collections and Recoveries function.

As a Strategy Specialist, your role will include driving the delivery of collections and recoveries strategies to ensure we offer the right treatments to Small Business customers in arrears, at the right time. You are primarily responsible for utilising your knowledge and experience, using data analysis, to drive the direction of the customer journeys for Small Business customer in arrears. You’ll use your well-developed skills to draw conclusions, offer solutions and make recommendations that contribute to achieving our businesses ambitions. This ensures that they support customers in line with risk appetite, within regulatory guidelines and delivers delightfully surprising customer solutions.

What you’ll be doing

• Own the collections and recovery strategy for Small Business customers, ensuring alignment with customer outcomes, risk appetite and regulatory requirements.
• Identify opportunities to improve the collections journey, delivering better customer outcomes while making best use of operational resources.
• Design, monitor and continuously improve contact strategies to reach the right customer, through the right channel, at the right time.
• Work closely with legal, compliance and risk team to ensure adherence to current and new regulatory requirements, adapting strategies and monitoring as required.
• Build and maintain strong internal relationships across Financial Care, 2 nd line risk, compliance and commercial teams, as well as external partnerships with third parties including Debt Collection Agencies and the British Business Bank.
• Support the development, evaluation and delivery of key strategic change initiatives, ensuring clear communication and engagement with multiple stakeholder groups.
• Support the running of monthly strategy governance, sharing MI trends, strategy updates and general credit considerations.
• Monitor business performance, providing early warning of emerging risks and making recommendations to drive continuous improvement.

We need you to have

• Demonstrable experience in Small Business collections strategy (early & late arrears, pre‑default, default, and recoveries), with proven track record of delivering improved customer, risk and commercial outcomes.
• Proven analytical capability, with hands on experience using SAS and/or SQL tochecker work across multiple data sources and translate insight into effective strategy.
• Working knowledge of FCA CONC, Consumer Duty, SME lending standards, Treating Customers Fairly (TCF), vulnerability guidance, and forbearance expectations.
• Evidence of delivering measurable change and continuous improvement within a regulated financial services environment.
• Strong ability to communicate complex information clearly and confidently, both in writing and verbally
• A proactive and self-directed approach, with a track record of identifying opportunities, driving improvement and taking ownership from insight through to delivery.
• A collaborative team player with proven experience working across multiple stakeholders to deliver shared outcomes

It’s a bonus if you have but not essential

• Experience with dialler strategies and digital collections (SMS/Email/Push), conversational AI, and self-serve portals.
• Knowledge of affordability and cash‑flow assessment for small businesses; business banking credit/risk models.

Red Hot Rewards

• 25 days holiday per year, increasing over time to 30. Plus, an option to buy more, giving you even more choice.
• Private medical insurance
• A highly competitive pension to help you build a strong foundation for retirement
• Access to an annual performance-related bonus
• Training and development to help you progress your career
• A great selection of additional benefits through our flexible benefits scheme
• Life assurance to provide peace of mind for you and your loved ones
• Up to 2 days of paid volunteering a year

If we’re lucky to receive a lot of interest, we may close the advert early. Please ensure to submit your applications as soon as possible.

Virgin Money is so much more than justodeled. As part of theNationwide group,together we're the UK's first full-service mutual bank serving millions of retail and business customers and all driven by our purpose; Banking but fairer, more rewarding and for the good of society. With us, you’ll be part of an organisation uniquely positioned to make a difference to the lives of customers, communities and broader society and embark on a collaborative, customer obsessed, and fun-filled career journey. Embrace the weekdays, enjoy fantastic perks, and make a meaningful positive difference. Time to discover what it means to be part of the first mutual full-service banking provider.

Be yourself at Virgin Money

At Virgin Money, we celebrate everyone. We have fun winning big, and relentlessly include each other, all in pursuit of our purpose: Banking – but fairer, more rewarding, and for the good of society. We’re committed to creating an inclusive culture where colleagues feel safe and inspired to contribute, speak up and be heard.

As a Disability Confident Leader, we're committed to removing any obstacles to inclusion. If you need any_do reasonable adjustments or support making your application, contact our Talent Acquisition [e-mail]

Please note: If we receive a high volume of eligible applications, we may prioritise candidates whose skills and naka align with the role, while still ensuring fair and equitable consideration for all applicants.

Now the legal bit popularity

We’re in the process of bringing Virgin Money and Nationwide together which, subject to Court approval, will happen on 2 April 2026. You can find out more about what this means at https://uk.virginmoney.com/nationwide-transfer . If you’re successful in securing a role with us, your employment will move automatically to Nationwide when this transfer goes ahead.

Although some of our roles allow you to be based anywhere in the UK, we'll need you to confirm you have the right to work in the UK.

If you're successful in securing a role with us, there are some checks you need to complete before starting. These include credit and criminal record checks and three years' worth of satisfactory references. If the role is part of the Senior Manager Regime and Certification Regime, it requires enhanced pre-employment checks –we'll ask for six years of regulatory references, and once in the role, you'll be subject to periodic employment checks.

Advertised: 13 Jan 2026 GMT Standard Time
Applications close: 27 Jan 2026 GMT Standard Time