Head of Collections & Recovery Operations

SUMMARY:
Ready to lead one of the most complex and commercially driven collections and recovery environments in South Africa? This is a rare opportunity for a strategic collections leader to influence executive decision-making, optimize large-scale portfolio performance, and drive exceptional returns through people, process, technology, and innovation.

Our client is seeking a highly accomplished Head of Collections & Recovery Operations to take ownership of collections and recovery performance across multiple acquired portfolios while providing strategic oversight of a centralized inbound collections environment.
This leadership role is ideal for an experienced collections executive who thrives on delivering measurable commercial results, improving operational efficiency, and transforming performance at scale. You will work closely with executive leadership, influencing strategy and driving business outcomes through data-driven decision-making, portfolio optimization, and operational excellence.
The successful candidate will be responsible for executing recovery and collections strategies, enhancing productivity, improving customer outcomes, managing risk, and ensuring compliance within a highly regulated environment. You will play a key role in shaping business performance, driving stakeholder confidence, and supporting future growth opportunities.
If you are passionate about building high-performing operations, leading large teams, and delivering sustainable commercial value, this opportunity offers significant strategic influence and career impact.

POSITION INFO:
Key Responsibilities Drive collections and recovery performance across multiple portfolios, ensuring the achievement of revenue, margin, and profitability targets. Provide strategic leadership for centralized inbound collections operations, ensuring service excellence and operational efficiency. Identify performance bottlenecks and implement optimization initiatives across people, process, technology, and strategy. Lead remediation plans and performance improvement initiatives to maximize portfolio returns. Maintain compliance with all relevant legislative and regulatory requirements. Advise executive leadership on operational strategy, performance trends, risks, and investment decisions. Manage operational expenditure and productivity targets while delivering sustainable business growth. Build and maintain strong client and stakeholder relationships across multiple leadership levels. Job Experience and Skills Required Qualifications: Degree in Commerce, Economics, Law, or a related field. Postgraduate qualification advantageous. Experience: Minimum 8 years' Senior Management experience within collections, recoveries, legal collections, or credit management environments. Proven track record of leading large-scale collections and recovery operations. Demonstrated success in delivering commercial performance across acquired portfolios. Experience engaging with executive leadership and providing strategic business recommendations. Strong people leadership experience across multiple management layers. Skills & Competencies: Advanced understanding of collections, recoveries, litigation, and credit risk management. Strong knowledge of the National Credit Act, Debt Collectors Act, Consumer Protection Act, Prescription Act, and related legislation. Experience with campaign management, dialer strategies, workforce management, and operational optimization. Exceptional analytical and commercial acumen with the ability to interpret data and drive ROI-focused decisions. Strong stakeholder management, influencing, and negotiation skills. Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on operational execution. Advanced Microsoft Excel and reporting capabilities. Apply now! For more exciting Finance vacancies, please visit: />I also specialise in recruiting in the following: Actuarial Analyst Quantitative Analyst Risk Management If you have not had any response in two weeks, please consider the vacancy application unsuccessful. Your profile will be kept on our database for any other suitable roles / positions. For more information, contact: Heidi Joubert Specialist Recruitment Consultant Connect with me on LinkedIn!